Pirtek USA expanding U.S. footprint, eyeing Louisville market

A company that provides hydraulic and pneumatic hose services for numerous industries wants to quadruple its presence in the United States within the next 10 years, and one market on its radar is Louisville.

Gwyn O'Kane, vice president of franchise development for Pirtek USA Ltd., said the company is looking for its first franchise owner in the Louisville area and wants to open its first franchise location in the city by year's end. Kane believes the company, which has 52 locations nationwide, could have three franchise locations in Louisville within the next two years and five or six locations within the next decade.

"To become a national brand, we have to be in every major city," he said.

Pirtek USA is based in Florida and is the U.S. division of Pirtek International, a company that was founded in Australia in 1980 by Peter Duncan. The company has around 400 locations worldwide, most of which are owned by franchisees. According to its website, Pirtek USA was launched in 1996.

O'Kane said its services include mobile repair and replacement services, including hose replacements for heavy construction equipment, such as bulldozers. The company also services and replaces hoses and fittings on other equipment, such as forklifts, garbage trucks and commercial trucks, he said.

O'Kane said Pirtek USA is negotiating with potential franchisees in Louisville, though no agreements have been signed. He said Pirtek wants to select a franchisee for a city before it finalizes a physical location for the business. Typically, a Pirtek franchise will lease 3,000 or 4,000 square feet in an industrial park or other location where industrial suppliers are housed.

Franchise owners will have to pay about $400,000 to get the business started. O'Kane said that will purchase a full, turnkey operation as Pirtek USA helps to select the site and to equip the business with vans and employees. Pirtek operates a warehouse at its headquarters in Florida that supplies its franchise locations, he said.

A typical Pirtek franchise will open with a team of six, including the owner, and three vans to provide mobile repairs. A mature franchise could have as many eight service vans and 15 employees, he added.

As Pirtek USA looks to make its debut in Louisville, the company has lofty aspirations nationally. O'Kane envisions reaching 100 locations nationally in the next few years and hopes to have 200 or 300 franchises in the United States in the next decade.

"Any market that is a million plus (population) is a high priority for us," O'Kane said.

Other major cities surrounding Louisville where Pirtek has established locations include Chicago, Cincinnati and Indianapolis.

The Memphis Business Journal, a sister publication of Louisville Business First, reported earlier this week that Memphis, Tenn., is another market targeted by Pirtek.

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