A solution-led approach helps manufacturers and OEMs lift uptime, efficiency and automation. Brett Jennings and Grant Gray discuss Motion’s strategic direction as we move into 2026, and how in manufacturing they focus on standardising critical spares and integrating fluid power and engineering to improve overall equipment effectiveness without adding complexity.
Motion connects parts, people and problem-solving under one roof so Australian industry keeps moving. In 2025, the name stands for one thing above all: confidence – the assurance that when assets matter most, help is close, capable and accountable.
“Customers don’t just want a catalogue of available parts and services; they want outcomes,” says Brett Jennings, Executive General Manager, Product Management & Marketing at Motion. “What sets Motion apart is the combination of local specialists, national reach and the ability to join the dots between components, engineering and on-site service. That’s how we improve performance and deliver for our customers.”
Moving from name recognition to genuine understanding is the next step for Motion. “Plenty of people know the name; fewer know the breadth,” he notes. “Bridging that gap is about telling the whole story – industrial solutions, fluid power solutions, engineering and services – and showing how those pieces work together on real jobs.”
Asked about misconceptions, Jennings doesn’t hesitate. “The most common is that Motion is ‘a parts supplier’. Supplying critical parts is foundational – and we’re very good at it – but customers stay because we solve problems. We design, we install, we commission, and we stand behind the result.”
His favourite proof point is a behind-the-scenes save. “A customer faced a line-stopping failure ahead of peak demand. Our local team stabilised the plant overnight with replacement drives and belting, while engineering modelled a longer-term upgrade. The site hit its target, and weeks later we delivered the permanent fix without a single unplanned stop. That’s Motion at its best: immediate action with a plan for tomorrow.”
For industry, the value is straightforward: fewer breakdowns, safer operations and better use of capital. With access to an extensive range of stocked components, field crews who know the conditions, and engineers who can lift performance, Motion meets urgency without losing sight of the system. The result is uptime that lasts.
The Motion philosophy is underpinned by a holistic understanding of an operation’s lifecycle: stabilise, optimise, then future-proof. That might mean moving from reactive change-outs to planned reliability programs, upgrading drives and hydraulics for efficiency, or engineering safeguards that reduce exposure at pinch points. Compliance is designed in, not bolted on; and the same ethos applies whether Motion is supporting a single machine or a multi-site fleet.
Scale matters too. With a national footprint of over 100 branches and a workforce of 1400 staff, expertise is local while inventory is shared nationally. Digital tools – from condition monitoring to traceable service records – shorten diagnosis and keep decisions grounded in data. Training rounds it out: Motion equips skilled staff to conduct training at customer sites to maintain equipment, while constantly upskilling their own team with the latest knowledge and expertise through far-sighted internal education and training programs.
Solution-led gains on the factory floor
Manufacturing rewards partners who see the whole picture. Motion approaches each site with outcomes in mind – standardising critical spares, improving access and guarding, optimising drives and hydraulics, and sequencing upgrades around production windows so improvements stick.
“We take a holistic view of the inputs that shape performance – energy consumption, process efficiency and component life,” says Grant Gray, Executive General Manager – Business Development Group at Motion. “It’s not product-led; it’s solution-led, aimed at making our customers globally competitive.”
Because Motion spans industrial products, fluid power and engineering, the right help turns up fast – and the next improvement is planned, not improvised. “My team is business-agnostic,” Gray explains. “We collaborate across all lines and tap whichever stream best delivers the outcome – whether that’s an engineering redesign, a fluid upgrade or a smarter standard for bearings and power transmission.”
Global perspective supports local execution. “We learn from North American and European programs and bring those insights back to Australian OEMs and plants,” Gray says. “That helps teams adopt proven practices – high-efficiency motors, better alignment and filtration, condition monitoring where it genuinely predicts failure – so they can compete on quality, cost and reliability.”
The impact is practical: fewer break-fix surprises, cleaner change-outs, and a steadier climb in overall equipment effectiveness. With traceable service records and component standards replicated across lines and sites, managers gain confidence in both compliance and output. The result is a plant that runs longer between interventions and gets better each quarter – progress you can schedule.
Improving service, every day, every week, every year
Brett Jennings is keen to underscore that Motion never rests on its laurels. Having achieved so much as a company in a few short years, they continually keep their eye on what’s coming over the horizon – for themselves and, more importantly, for the industries they serve.
“Looking ahead five years, we’re doubling down on what customers value most: people who show up, parts that are there, and engineering that lifts performance,” he says. “Each sector we serve faces its own pressures – from quarry dust and downtime to food safety and automation – and our job is to meet those challenges with solutions that fit. We’re expanding our network, digitising service records and condition monitoring data, and standardising solutions so gains replicate site to site. That combination – local specialists with national scale – is Motion’s distinctive advantage. It’s how we’ll deliver more uptime, cleaner operations and safer work, every time.”
