FocusOn – Global Insights. Features reports on the Industry’s developing technology as well as interviews with the top executives of manufacturers and end users of equipment for the industries served by FocusOn publications.
In this edition, Roger Murrow interviews Greg Hinshaw, CEO, J.H. Fletcher & Co
An interview with Greg Hinshaw, CEO, J.H. Fletcher & Co
US headquartered J.H. Fletcher & Co. has since 1937 supplied underground mobile equipment for the mining and tunnelling industries, as well as for general underground construction. With a product line that embraces some of the latest developments in the industry, the company now looks forward to the future with a renewed sense of optimism.
About Greg Hinshaw
Gregory (Greg) Hinshaw, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1980, joining J.H. Fletcher & Co. as a project engineer in 1981. After a short sojourn with another company, Greg returned to Fletcher in 1992. During the last 16 years Greg has successfully studied for an M.B.A. and fulfilled a number of roles in the company before being appointed CEO in 2012.
During this period, the state of the global market has provided Greg and J.H. Fletcher & Co. with many challenges. Now, an increasingly advanced product line, a commitment to continuous product development and organisational competency, has enabled the company to look with increasing optimism at growth in the US, North American, and increasingly global markets.
In the early years of your life, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I had a lot of interests early in life. By the time I started my undergraduate education I selected coursework to prepare me to become a doctor of veterinary medicine.
Is there one person in particular that has had a major impact on the direction you took professionally?
You spent many years at JH Fletcher, what have been your personal highlights?
I spent some time performing field service and sales with the Southern Ohio Coal Company which provided a customer’s perspective concerning our equipment and appreciation for the underground mining environment. Likewise, installing equipment in England and Spitsbergen gave me broader application scope, and more personal confidence.
Being given the opportunity to start the R&D department within Fletcher was a big step. Designing mobile roof supports and remotely operated roof bolters were early accomplishments. However, it’s the people I have been fortunate to work with at Fletcher that have made the work both a joy and a passion.
What was the hardest thing you had to achieve during your career?
Can you briefly state, in your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the rest?
The willingness all the individuals in our company have to serve our customers is exemplary. We are committed to continually improving the level of safety and productivity in the underground workplace through the equipment and support we offer. We do this on equipment where quantities are limited and a high degree of customization applies to optimize the machine for the task it must perform and the environment where it must work.
What are your major product lines and which customer segments are best served?
What is the most successful product or service that you have introduced since you became involved with the company?
Our most successful line of equipment, the roof bolter, predates me, but has evolved and offers too many variations to recite, with roof bolter innovations being introduced regularly. In my time with the company, mobile roof supports for our coal mining customers and scalers for our mineral customers have become very successful.
Is there any particular product that really excites you? If so, please can you tell me why?
Briefly, how do you go about introducing new and innovative products or services?
We maintain an R & D department and staff to focus on new product and system development. Our engineers and sales staff are tuned to listen to our customers; it is their concerns and needs that often define our best opportunities
When we ask manufacturers and service providers what is the number one request from customers, we hear a variety of answers. What do customers most commonly ask of you?
There is good reason for the variety as the customer speaks with many voices. J.H. Fletcher & Co. has exhibited a long-term commitment to our customers and our industry that is fortified by ownership stability and consistent guidance. We provide support for our equipment, whenever and wherever, for decades. For customers who are familiar with us, questions about support are not necessary. I do get them from new customers and enjoy answering.
We design highly available and reliable equipment. Often that makes our initial purchase price higher than our competitors and it is a value that cannot be easily quantified when making a purchase decision.
Customers who are purchasing equipment in order to remain competitive in their industry for many years understand the value in the equipment we design and manufacture. Customers in short term situations can still get the value at a lower cost through our used equipment modernization program or by leasing equipment.
Looking forward, what are the major customer operating trends that will affect your product development?
Overall, the trend toward robotics and automation does not cease. Underpinning that is the broader desire to achieve zero fatalities and reduce injuries to new lows annually. We see movement toward greater use of modern battery technology as an energy source. Better interface between man and machine using location and detection technology also reduces risk and remains an important part of our product development.
When the workday ends for you, what makes it a good day?
If you could give one piece of advice to the younger you, what would it be?
About Roger Murrow: Roger is an editorial contributor to the FocusOn Group to offer interviews, insights and comments on the latest developments in the industry.
Roger has been involved in the quarrying, tunneling, construction, demolition and recycling industries for 25 years. His experience involves senior marketing roles in a number of manufacturers, then as the founder of internationally renowned PR Consultancy MMC 2100 Ltd. In recent years, he has been using this experience to write articles for numerous international magazines on a variety of industry subjects.