With more Australians hoping soon to hook up their vans, RVs and mobile homes and take to the highways to experience “the wide brown land”, now is the perfect time to ensure their technology is the best it can be – with Solar ‘N’ Sat.
Rick Shervey of Solar ‘N’ Sat is a man who can appreciate the additional comforts solar power and satellite communications can bring to those hours on the road or whenever and wherever the clock tells you it’s time to camp for the night.
Solar ‘N’ Sat, now located in the Bundaberg Industrial Estate, grew out of Rick’s own experiences as someone who enjoys camping.
“I think I wanted something more high tech than an esky to keep my beer cold,” he laughed.
His tinkering with solar power led to Rick establishing Solar ‘N’ Sat as a family owned and family run business almost 15 years ago.
Recently operating from premises off the highway north of Gin Gin, Solar ‘N’ Sat have relocated to much larger premises off Enterprise Street.
It’s impossible to miss their towering business sign as you drive through the estate.
“Solar ‘N’ Sat specialises in van and mobile home solar and satellite tv and battery installations and is now extensively involved in manufacturing their own product, the Shervey Solar Pump.
“I guess the business is pretty evenly split between the van installation work and manufacturing pumps,” said Rick.
Solar ‘N' Sat makes solar-powered pumps
“The pumps, which are solar powered are ideal for property owners, large and small, with availability to a water source such as a bore or dam.
“The pumps range from submersible to above ground and really appeal to buyers who can contact us, place an order and have that order delivered quickly anywhere in Australia.”
With the business being family run, Rick’s two sons Ben and Adam play integral roles in everything from marketing, designing individual systems, installation and sales and service.
Rick’s wife Marina oversees the accounts and office administration.
“The pumps are assembled at our factory under stringent quality control measures,” Rick said.
We appreciate that our product is being used Australia-wide and we value and strive to maintain a reputation for quality and reliability.”
All Solar ‘N' Sat pumps are tested on site prior to despatch and each gets pressure tested to ensure the integrity of the seals.
“The last thing a customer wants is to unpack a pump somewhere in Central Australia and have problems with it.
“We are endeavouring to make installation and maintenance as easy as possible for customers. Adam has produced some tremendous animation videos which really take the guess work out of maintenance or the occasional need to replace a worn part.”
Another small but compelling factor about the Shervey products is the packaging.
The pumps are beautifully and securely boxed in custom made and environmentally friendly timber cases. Not a sign of cardboard.
“This form of packaging is more robust, and we find customers recycle the boxes or simply use them for storage.”
Distributor network around Australia
Solar ‘N’ Sat are now concentrating on setting up a distributor network across Australia and already have representation in most Australian states.
“We were also looking at international markets including New Zealand, but the current pandemic has put that proposal on hold,” Rick said.
The Shervey family is quietly proud of the business opportunities they have been able to grow over the past 15 years.
“I think it just demonstrates that if you have a good idea and are prepared to work hard, don’t compromise on quality and maintain reliability you can make a success of that endeavour.”
The family are also proud of the fact that they are able to offer products and services that are located in the Bundaberg Region but have the potential for global markets.
You can find out more about Solar ‘N' Sat on their website.
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