Hydra-Perm-Co Ltd is a UK manufacturer and supplier of hydraulic equipment. A large scope of the company’s operations is as distributor for Permco Inc, a US-based hydraulic manufacturer. The two enterprises work closely together, Hydra-Perm-Co being the sole UK manufacturer and European distributor of Permco cast iron gear pumps, motors and flow dividers. Debbie Patrickson, Managing Director, explained to Hannah Barnett how her family’s firm operates so fluidly.
ASPermco’s distributor for four decades, Hydra-Perm-Co has an extensive knowledge of the US company’s products for mobile or industrial applications. The two businesses work synergistically together. The Permco assemblies are manufactured at Hydra-Perm-Co in Leeds for distribution all over the world.
Hydra-Perm-Co’s Managing Director Debbie Patrickson has been at the company since establishing it alongside her parents in 1991.
A family affair
Hydra-Perm-Co may have been founded in 1991, but its relationship with Permco stretches back even further.
“My father, Ken Smith, started his business, K.S. Hydraulics in 1974,” Debbie explained, “and he became a Permco distributor in 1982”. So, by 2022, the family have been distributors for 40 years.
Hydra-Perm-Co initially started out supplying Permco products but has increased its range since then. The company is now UK agent for PONAR Wadowice, a Polish company who offers valve components across various sectors. Additionally, they are distributors for Hydreco Hydraulics, and more recently became the UK distributor for Hidrapac, a Turkish manufacturer of piston pumps and motors.
Good relationships with many, longstanding equipment suppliers means Hydra-Perm-Co can offer customers a variety of other hydraulic compon-ents too.
Small sustainable solutions
The company may only be small, but Hydra-Perm-Co operates efficiently.
“We have new customers coming on board all of the time,” Debbie said: “I believe we have a good reputation throughout the industry. Manufacturing from kit-form means we are very flexible as well. So, we're not dependant on one particular design; we can produce different variants.
“We can build an assembly in a few hours if the parts are in stock. Some companies are quoting weeks, months and unbelievably , even years. If we have the stock, and the customer needs it quickly, we can do it.
“Having an experienced team, including sales, machining, production and despatch makes the company stand out from its competitors”
Debbie identified other key milestones in the development of Hydra-Perm-Co. One is being awarded the ISO 9001:2015 quality standard, another is having ATEX approval on Permco products, which means they can be used in explosive atmospheres. This sort of accreditation has helped Hydra-Perm-Co contribute to its sustainability.
Other areas of sustainability have been to reduce our energy consumption by
installing LED lights and motion sensors within the business.
“We’ve invested in oil contamination control equipment to keep the oil in our test rigs clean,” Debbie continued. “This reduces our waste, as we continuously recycle the oil. We recycle around 80% of our packaging, and where we need to buy new, we only use environmentally friendly products”.
Expansion and growth
The company employs just 11 people currently, Debbie included. She acknowledged that it has been difficult to recruit staff since Covid. Not that this has impacted on the company’s output or productivity; turnover remains healthy. The dedication of all employees is a crucial part of the business.
According to Debbie, the turnover has been increasing at a steady annual rate and the company expects it to reach around £1.5 million at the end of the next tax year.
A good supply of parts remains crucial for an operation like Hydra-Perm-Co and a key facet in the company’s vision for continued growth. “We want to increase
stock so we can offer a quick turnaround to meet customer demands,” Debbie explained. “We hope to invest in a new software system too, to streamline our processes.”
Debbie revealed that she wants these various investments to contribute to an expansion of sales of the Permco products across Europe for Hydra-Perm-Co: “We just want to get our name out there as much as possible. Because of Covid, we've not been travelling, but hopefully we can pick that up in 2023. Now things are relaxed with restrictions, we can look
for new customers: maybe even find new distributors that we can help to set up in Europe as manufacturing centres. That’s something I've got in mind.”
The Managing Director emphasised Hydra-Perm-Co’s customer service when reflecting on what makes the company |so good at what they do.
“What keeps us going is the repeat orders from customers,” she said. “We thrive on that. It's nice to get referrals and testimonials. We’re clearly doing something right. Customers keep coming back to us. It’s nice to speak to them and
discuss new applications too. Hopefully, we can grow the business with existing customers and new ones.”
The dependability and efficiency of HydraPerm-Co is difficult to contend, with its 40 years working alongside Permco evidence enough of the company’s dominance as a distributor of hydraulic equipment. It may be a small-scale operation, but its team is clearly infused with knowledge and experience, which takes priority over all else.
When interviewed, Debbie was asked what motivated her to come into work every day and she replied: “Well as it’s still a very male dominated industry, I am faced almost daily with a hesitant caller who is reluctant to discuss their enquiry as they expect me to pass them on to a male colleague.
“However, it’s quite satisfying that I have an extensive technical knowledge and can hold my own.”
