Fencing Guru

by Alison Martin

Jock Bryce is a classic entrepreneur. He began his business by identifying a gap in the market that wasn’t being satisfied by existing technology, then set out to meet that demand, with nothing to his name and a family to support.  His boundless energy, constant attention to detail and understanding of his customers are no doubt the foundations of his success.  His wife Jennifer, who has always helped him in the business is also due a lot of credit in this area.

Looking back over his 35 years in the fencing business it might be easy to suggest that Jock could have  started out designing and building fencing equipment right from the start.  He has, after all a highly technical mind.  However his practical experience in building fences in all weather and ground conditions and working as a contractor gives him a unique understanding of the challenges that his customers face both in the field and in business.   

Thirty-five years ago, poorly specified materials for electric fencing made it difficult to convince customers that electric fencing was worth their investment.  Jock’s response was to develop and patent components that were so tough they could withstand the extreme weather conditions of Canada, the American Mid-West and Nova Scotia.  He also guaranteed them.  He committed to being best, and not surprisingly, his business grew.   

Later as he set up a straw and silage contracting business, Jock  juggled the demands of customers, whose crops were all ready at once.  It’s easy for an outsider to see in retrospect that this probably gave him a great deal of insight into the need to boost contractors’ productivity.  

This particular trait is now recognisable in Jock’s range of Bryce Suma Post Drivers.  Right from the beginning he designed the Powershift Profi to deliver 340kg of hitting power with tremendous accuracy.  The novel positioning capability of the telescopic mast allowed the tractor to remain parked in one place reducing manoeuvring time and wear on the clutch.   

Once in place, hydraulic legs ensured stability and ground clearance where necessary.  The height and weight of the hammer ensured the minimum number of strokes to drive in strainers, reducing wear and overall downtime.  Jock had thought of every angle in using his product including unhitching, loading and transporting.   

But this was just the start.  A year later, in 2002 the Profi Max increased the clout of the Profi to 454kg.  Jock had also increased stability, and found a way to move his machine from post to post quicker.  By 2003 there were seven models of post drivers, four of them in the lighter range.  Another ‘no-frills’ model, the Bryce Suma Powershift Standard followed in 2004, giving farmers a basic high output post driver at a budget price.   

Another 40 changes down the road, increasing the machine’s flexibility and versatility, and by 2008 Jock’s post drivers had become the industry bench mark and the winner of several silver and gold medals. Based at Morebattle outside Kelso, Jock manufactures his post drivers on site at his home, Linton Hill.  He and his team also convert tracked dumpers into fencing machines to customer specification.   

Jock is a believer in staying on top of the game and prefers to control the whole business from design to point of sale, keeping prices to customers down and staying close to his clients.  

Latest in a long line of improved productivity and power, Jock’s Supreme versions include the Profi Max Supreme Post Driver, which is a real heavyweight, itself weighing 1840kg and capable of delivering up to 81.48 tonnes of impact force.  As someone once said "With this machine you can do five days work in four, and take the fifth day off!"

 Not that Jock’s customers seem the type to slow down or even stop.  Reid Pipelines of Lockerbie achieve 2500-3000m of fencing per day using four machines on pipeline work.  Another customer had apparently increased his output by 50% over any other type of equipment he’d used, paying back more than its cost in three months.  It seems like in fencing there’s no slowing down, particularly if Jock Bryce has anything to do with it.