There are plenty of people in New Zealand building trailers in garages and sheds around the country, all competing on price, but for the last 20-years, we’ve been a bit different.
From the start, we sold our trailers on quality and reliability, trailers that wouldn’t let you down, trailers for a lifetime of service. For 20 years, we worked hard to build that reputation, and we intend to maintain that trust with our customers for years to come.
As our reputation grew, we witnessed many attempts to copy our products; after all, “it’s only a trailer”. But if you start with a quality product and try to cut costs, things have to get sacrificed. It’s easy to hide cost-cutting on components you can’t see, like wheel bearings, suspension, brakes etc. Yet, these are the components that typically fail, leaving your trailer (and often your business) stuck by the roadside.
In recent years, some companies started importing trailer kits and assembling them here so they can claim “Made in NZ”. But there is no way of knowing the quality of the materials used in these imported kits. They're often unsuitable for New Zealand’s harsh environment, and that is only something you discover once repair bills start rolling in.
From the start, we sold our trailers on quality and reliability, trailers that wouldn’t let you down, trailers for a lifetime of service. For 20 years, we worked hard to build that reputation, and we intend to maintain that trust with our customers for years to come.
As our reputation grew, we witnessed many attempts to copy our products; after all, “it’s only a trailer”. But if you start with a quality product and try to cut costs, things have to get sacrificed. It’s easy to hide cost-cutting on components you can’t see, like wheel bearings, suspension, brakes etc. Yet, these are the components that typically fail, leaving your trailer (and often your business) stuck by the roadside.
In recent years, some companies started importing trailer kits and assembling them here so they can claim “Made in NZ”. But there is no way of knowing the quality of the materials used in these imported kits. They're often unsuitable for New Zealand’s harsh environment, and that is only something you discover once repair bills start rolling in.
The price is how much you buy it for.
The cost is what you spend on it over the next 10 years.
Don't let your next trailer cost more than it should.
Everything we do starts as close to the raw material as possible. After fabricating the steelwork, we hot-dip galvanise it to give it a lifetime of corrosion protection. Then we assemble the final product, fitting it with accessories made by us, or sourced from long-term partners whose products we trust.
Lochiel's factory at Winton. The rainbow is real - just like our trailers.
During the last 20 years, our direction has been guided by listening to our customers. We focus our efforts on the things which make customers happy. We like to know what customers like - and what they don't like. The mantra in the factory is “If it isn’t right, it’s wrong”. Anything that is wrong - we fix.
In the past, it was occasionally it was an expensive mantra to follow because sometimes, we didn't get it right. But these lessons created our point of difference: We want our customers to have peace of mind. We want them to be as proud of their product as we are of making it.
Our plans for the future don’t include paying any of our sales staff commission because we don’t want them to “sell”; we want them to help you buy – and there’s a big difference. Their reward will be your feedback, and you will know you’ve purchased the right product that will serve you for years. We also recommend checking your purchase decision with someone from the next generation because they’ll be enjoying ownership long after you stop needing it! A Lochiel is for life.
But don’t take our word for it. Ask anyone who already owns a Lochiel what they think of it. If they’re happy, so are we. (And if they’re not, we need to know so we can fix it!)
In the past, it was occasionally it was an expensive mantra to follow because sometimes, we didn't get it right. But these lessons created our point of difference: We want our customers to have peace of mind. We want them to be as proud of their product as we are of making it.
Our plans for the future don’t include paying any of our sales staff commission because we don’t want them to “sell”; we want them to help you buy – and there’s a big difference. Their reward will be your feedback, and you will know you’ve purchased the right product that will serve you for years. We also recommend checking your purchase decision with someone from the next generation because they’ll be enjoying ownership long after you stop needing it! A Lochiel is for life.
But don’t take our word for it. Ask anyone who already owns a Lochiel what they think of it. If they’re happy, so are we. (And if they’re not, we need to know so we can fix it!)