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Market Report: Power Tools & Accessories Changes for the better Phil Mist, EHN’s power tools specialist, believes that manufacturers have responded well to demands for equipment from a dynamic hire industry. The UK hire industry continues to evolve. Over the last ten years, not only have we seen the acquisition of many small hire companies by several major hire groups, but also the establishment of small organisations led by entrepreneurs who previously worked for the large hire groups. These diverse businesses serve different markets, including specialist niches, and this is reflected by their hire fleets. The general trend is that the items regularly hired by the building and construction industries are larger and more powerful than they were, say 15 years ago. Indeed, small tools are now so inexpensive there is little point in hiring them to construction users. With 30% of all power tool sales traditionally being made to the hire industry, manufacturers have adjusted their product ranges to suit the needs of today’s users. They have responded to hirers’ demands for tools that were less complicated, had fewer loose or moving parts, lasted longer and cost less in real terms. As a result, many products have been changed for the better. Modern power tools for hire are typically tougher, larger, more powerful and, even though they may be more sophisticated, are usually more reliable than their predecessors. However, the downside may be having a machine in a hire fleet that is too powerful for the occasional user. Imagine having to offer a 2,300watt angle grinder to a DIY customer. Even professionals find such a tool a real handful. Hirers must select products appropriate to their customer base, and train staff on tool selection. Similarly, not many years ago, a rotary impact drill would have had a 350watt or 400watt motor; now machines often have motors in excess of 1,000watts and have doubled in both size and weight. Breakers, once only available from specialist hirers, are now regularly found in many hire fleets, and are available from many manufacturers. Modern power tools are far more technically advanced. Not only do many of them have electronic components to protect the tools (and the user) from harm, but they also have far more features for operators to understand. Hire fleets now often contain specialised tools designed for specific tasks, and many of these do the job in a much shorter time. One of the effects this improvement in tools and equipment has is slightly bizarre, in that customers may now only require a machine for half a day instead of one or even two days. However, this reduction helps to justify the higher hire rates that are necessitated by the larger price tag this new technology carries. It has been all too easy to criticise power tool and other manufacturers in the past for their seeming inability to produce products that were not only good for hire companies, but also good for users. But recently, often as a result of new legislation, much pressure has been applied to manufacturers to develop new types of tools with lower noise emission levels, much lower vibration emissions and better dust collection facilities. The result is a new breed of power tools appearing on the market, all of which are more environmentally and user friendly than anything previously on offer. Performance figures of modern power tools make a mockery of those for machines made only five years ago and the manufacturers are to be applauded for their efforts. Current hire fleets include more semi-portable tools, such as mitre and flip over saws, table saws, cutting off machines (chop saws) and dry metal cutting machines rather than the many thousands of hand-held circular saws originally in hire fleets. Whilst often more difficult to use well, these types of machines are intrinsically safer when used by the untrained operators who may often hire them. In addition, many hire fleets now include specialist equipment, such as fixed diamond core drilling machines rather than hand-held dry diamond core drills. Often this type of unit is selected by a user on safety grounds: for example, they might be seeking to reduce operators’ exposure to hand arm vibration. In addition, using equipment like this can enable them to complete a task in a significantly shorter time, boosting productivity as well as ensuring that the operator suffers from less fatigue. The trend for hire companies to select larger semi-portable tools for their fleets and fewer hand-held models looks set to continue. It also seems likely that, for the foreseeable future, there will be an acceleration of the division of customers into two categories, which can be described as heavy industrial and DIY users. Given the latest power tool developments featuring modern technological developments, hirers should be able to find appropriate equipment to meet the needs of both kinds of customer. However, they might well have to commit to providing even more information and training for users - especially if they want to protect their investment and get their machinery back in one piece. • Executive Hire News › Archives › July 2006 › Market Report › Changes for the better
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