Equipment Hire

Solutions for hire
Chris Davies explains why hiring increasingly beats buying for facilities managers who need access to specialist tools, plant and equipment.Most FMs work under considerable pressure these days. The remit of the job – which has always been to provide crucial support for organisational success – just seems to grow and grow as demands and expectations mount up. It is not much of an over-statement to say that facilities managers are generally deemed responsible for delivering a comfortable and efficient workplace ready to meet all current and future needs….and doing so at a modest cost and in full compliance with all relevant legislation.With their role at the centre of organisational operations in this way, it is no surprise that FMs are making more and more complex demands on their supply chains. They have to, in order to meet their objectives and fulfil their customers’ requirements, whether those customers are in-house colleagues or the employees of a client organisation.Extensive research carried out last year revealed that FMs' top priorities are:4Reducing operational costs4Creating savings through greater efficiencies4Improving service levels4Enhancing risk management, and4Improving health & safety.With those sorts of objectives in mind, facilities managers are looking for opportunities to maximise the value of their own resources while minimising new investment and risk. This principle extends to every aspect of asset management – and this is where the concept of hiring rather than buying can offer big benefits.
A better buying decisionMany of the benefits of hiring over buying are clear: you have ready access to tools, plant and equipment that may be required only periodically, for a specific term or for special applications, with no need to buy and maintain them and no need to find the space to store them. Moreover, FMs are increasingly moving to an outsourced model of managing all their tools and equipment – however often required - for many of the same reasons that organisations outsource their workplace management to FM companies themselves. These include:> Operational cost savings> Transfer of risk> Access to specialist product knowledge, expertise and training> Assurance that crucial health and safety and compliance regulations are being adhered to> One point of contact and control> Single invoicing and management reports for all hire needs.Indeed, hiring is often the best 'buying' decision. Doing business with a reputable company who will ensure that all equipment is of the highest standard and fully tested every time it is required, and all users are fully briefed on operation, can deliver the necessary results with all the usual benefits of an outsourced solution.Market research also tells us what key selection criteria FMs use when seeking a business services partner. These include:> Competitive price> Fit to organisational culture> Service tailored to needs> Quality of personnel> Reputation of firm> Understanding of the industry.In the face of expectations like these, the most responsive hire firms have moved beyond the traditional 'turn up and hire it for the day' contract. Increasingly, customers are looking for a logistical and technical partner who understands that the provision of safe and effective equipment on time is critical to both success and their profit. For the largest customers, a managed service – where the hire company owns specialist equipment, provides planned maintenance programmes and trains operators – can be the best solution.The most forward-looking firms no longer see themselves just as a hirer of plant, tools and equipment but as a critical business partner, helping to meet needs and solve problems. Of course they still offer everything that might be required, but increasingly it's packaged as a complete service that removes the capital cost and provides better, safer, more accessible kit.
Selection checklist
So what should a facilities manager look for in a hire partner? There are a number of basic considerations: Reliable availability – appropriate stock of clean, well-maintained, premium quality products, including any specialist tools and equipment used in the particular industry. In other words: right tool, right place, right time.Mission critical delivery – assurance provided via an integrated computer network, an extensive distribution fleet and logistics software that offers narrow time windows, coupled with premier branch locations that act as centres of excellence. Understanding of business needs - plus a willingness and ability to respond to them in ways that support the FM's objectives. Commitment to compliance – meeting all legislative requirements (eg health & safety law) is essential, as is compliance with manufacturers' guidelines (eg for storage and maintenance of equipment).Commitment to training – both the hirer's own staff, in customer service, equipment operation, health & safety etc, as well as the ability to train FM staff in safe operation, advise on PPE etcKnowledge and experience – to advise on the correct products, conditions for use and any training requirements. Some firms also support users with the provision of any consumables.Efficient systems - for sourcing, delivery and collection, as well as managing individual accounts. The bigger specialists can offer round-the-clock services to cope with 24-hour operation, non-standard work hours or emergencies.Local, regional, national coverage – an extensive branch network means the company will have the resources to meet needs wherever they are and always at competitive rates.
Headache cureFacilities managers have always known that their organisation's time and effort is best spent on core activities and key major areas of expenditure. There is a role for the hire of tools, plant and equipment in every corporate strategy that aims to minimise unnecessary cost and distraction, and maximise focus on core business. Choosing the right hire partner removes all the headaches of getting even the most complex job done. The right partner will listen to requirements and then tailor a solution that fits the bill, ensuring that the facilities manager can get on with the bigger challenges of keeping the business working.Chris Davies is CEO of HSS Hire. http://www.hss.com/

A-Plant supplies Sodexho with handling equipment and accommodation for Royal Ascot
A-Plant has supplied Sodexho Prestige, the UK's largest event caterer and provider of corporate hospitality packages, with material handling equipment and temporary accommodation units for the set up and management of catering and logistics services for the spectacular 2007 Royal Ascot race meeting. The sole catering contractor for Ascot since 1998, Sodexho Prestige, hired a fleet of equipment from A-Plant, including a rough terrain fork lift, a telehandler and anti-vandal, secure office and storage units. Ascot Racecourse, founded in 1711, is the world’s most famous racecourse. The very best horse racing on the Flat takes place at Ascot between March and October, with the main highlight undoubtedly being the internationally renowned Royal Ascot in June. Royal Ascot is regarded as one of the biggest flat race meetings in the calendar and Ascot Hospitality managed by Sodexho Prestige, has prepared carefully to ensure the best catering service for over 80,000 visitors to every part of the racecourse, including the new multi-million pound stand opened last year. The fork lift and telehandler from A-Plant have featured heavily in load and carry work and the installation of large marquees and other structures in the Village area in the centre of the racecourse. Food and drink consumption during Royal Ascot is one of the biggest catering days in horseracing. Last year, a massive total of 170,000 bottles of champagne, along with 160,000 pints of beer, 14,000 bottles of red, white and rose wine and 14,000 bottles of Pimms were consumed every day and over 172 tonne of ice was used! Food sales soared as diners enjoyed the delights of 10,000 lobsters, 18,000 salmon steaks, four tonne of beef and 20,000 scones per day! Sodexho Prestige is part of A-Plant Key Account customer, London-based Sodexho UK & Ireland, a leading integrated facilities management provider in the UK and Ireland with clients in business and industry; education; healthcare; defence and leisure sectors. As well as Ascot, Sodexho Prestige looks after public catering at over 25 museums, attractions, racecourses and stadia such as the Chelsea Flower Show, Blenheim Palace, Knebworth House and Epsom Downs Racecourse, as well as providing sales and marketing and operational services for conference and banqueting at these sites. As a Key Account customer, Sodexho can call on equipment fleets held at over 200 different A-Plant locations across Great Britain. The company benefits from specially developed IT systems at A-Plant, including an expanding range of on-line services available through the industry-leading Extranet system at A-Plant. As well as over 200 locations throughout Great Britain, A-Plant has more than 2,500 employees, over 30,000 customers in the construction, civil engineering and DIY markets. “in excess of 110,000 items of plant and equipment”A-Plant has a programme of continuous investment in brand new state-of-the-art equipment from world-leading manufacturers to meet the needs, not only of its Key Account customers, but also the local business served by A-Plant depots nationwide. A-Plant offers the complete one-stop shop from a broad product offering.As part of FTSE-250 company Ashtead Group plc, the leading UK and US equipment outsourcer, A-Plant is committed to providing the best hire service in the world and this is reinforced by the company’s website at www.aplant.com, which provides a definitive on-line guide for the equipment hire industry.