Women in Hydraulink: Lara Richardson drives focus on quality, friendly, and efficient service

A woman helping to serve the hydraulics industry in the busy Newcastle NSW region, is placing a strong and enduring focus on providing high quality, friendly, and efficient service.

Lara Richardson is a Branch Service Technician with Hydraulink Newcastle, part of the national Hydraulink hydraulic hose and service network, which includes 13 company-owned sites in Australia, 135 network partners, and 150 service vehicles offering 24/7 onsite and mobile services.

Hydraulink Newcastle serves a broad diversity of industry, including mining, earthmoving, civil works, industrial, councils, and farming.

Lara’s role is in the workshop, where she makes hydraulic hoses, responds to quotes, and has a direct customer-facing role, as she solves hydraulic problems.

“I really enjoy all aspects of my role, and our customers appreciate that we can get the job done quickly. Sometimes they’ve been told elsewhere that a job takes an hour, so they’ve come to Hydraulink, and we know that’s a five minute task, so we get it happening right away,” says Lara.

“Of course, some jobs do take more than an hour, so we always give a realistic estimate, while striving to minimise downtime so a customer can get their machine back up and running, and earning them money again,” she adds.

Embrace the challenge

Lara understands that the hydraulics industry comes with a range of challenges, but sees this as a positive sign. In the lead up to International Women’s Day on March 8, she encourages everyone to give it a go.

“As long as you’ve got a supportive team around you, like I do here at Hydraulink Newcastle, the challenges are what makes the day interesting. Everyone here, from the Branch Manager Tim Ferris, through to all the staff, are supportive and helpful, so it gives me the confidence to put my best foot forward every day,” she says.

“This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘inspire inclusion’ and I’d like to encourage any women that are considering a career in the hydraulics industry to go for it. If you find a supportive team, you won’t look back!”

“In addition to wonderful support from the Hydraulink Newcastle team, I’ve also really appreciated the good communication and support from head office, which makes me feel at home and part of the Hydraulink family.”