HEXhire is strengthening its equipment fleet to support growing demand from infrastructure and civil projects across Victoria and South Australia, with new investment in machinery playing a central role in the company’s next phase of growth.
The hire business has evolved significantly since it was established in 2013, shifting from a predominantly wet hire model to a stronger focus on dry hire as project requirements and customer expectations changed. That transition has enabled the company to pursue larger contracts and broaden its customer base across multiple sectors.
Managing Director Andrew Harte said the move into dry hire marked a turning point for the business.
“Moving into dry hire allowed us to scale up and target the bigger projects where there’s strong demand for larger machinery. We’re now able to service a broad mix of customers, including major infrastructure and large civil contractors as well as smaller civil and landscaping companies, with demand evenly spread across the sectors,” Harte said.
Investing in fleet capability to support growth
To meet the demands of expanding project pipelines, HEXhire has been steadily building its fleet, with recent purchases including excavators, dozers, loaders and dump trucks. The company now operates more than 20 new and used machines from Komatsu, reflecting a sustained investment in equipment capability over the past five years.
As with many hire businesses, purchasing decisions are closely tied to operational performance and customer feedback. Harte said reliability and durability were key considerations when selecting equipment partners.
“As a hire business, we place a strong emphasis on customer feedback when making purchasing decisions and the feedback on Komatsu machinery has always been really good. That, combined with the positive feedback from our mechanics and service team on their strength and durability, really cemented for us that Komatsu is who we want to continue purchasing from,” he said.
The focus on dependable machinery aligns with broader trends across the civil construction and hire sectors, where uptime and service support are often more critical than initial purchase price. For operators managing equipment across multiple sites and contractors, consistent performance and maintenance support directly influence productivity and project delivery timelines.
Technology becoming a differentiator in the hire market
Technology is also emerging as an important factor in equipment selection, particularly as contractors seek greater visibility over productivity and machine performance.
Harte said customers have responded positively to integrated features such as GPS tracking and machine control systems, which are increasingly expected as standard on modern equipment.
“It’s important for us to follow brands that evolve with the times and include leading tech in their offering, and the feedback on the Komatsu technology has been positive,” he said.
For hire businesses, these technologies can provide additional value to customers by supporting more efficient operations, improved accuracy on site, and better asset utilisation — all factors that influence project outcomes and overall costs.
Local support enabling operational reliability
Beyond the equipment itself, access to responsive service and parts support remains a critical factor for hire companies operating in time-sensitive project environments.
HEXhire’s proximity to Komatsu’s facility near its Campbellfield base in Melbourne has helped streamline maintenance and onboarding processes, reducing downtime and enabling faster deployment of machines into the field.
That support model has also extended into South Australia, where HEXhire is working on infrastructure projects in Adelaide and relying on local service teams to maintain equipment availability and reliability.
Planning for the next stage of expansion
Looking ahead, HEXhire intends to continue expanding its fleet, with a particular focus on larger machine categories such as dump trucks and dozers — equipment typically associated with major civil and infrastructure works.
“With the capital investment involved in machines, you want to partner with a company that stands behind its gear. As we continue to grow, having a strong partner like Komatsu is very important to us,” Harte said.
The company’s growth trajectory reflects ongoing investment in infrastructure across southern Australia, where sustained project pipelines are driving demand for reliable, technologically capable equipment and flexible hire solutions.
