Market Report: Heating & Lighting

Extended opportunities

Kicking off this month’s Market Report, we suggest that several factors are helping create additional hire demand for heating and lighting products.

Although serving quite different functions, heating and lighting products share the characteristic that demand for them traditionally begins in earnest with the onset of autumn, bringing longer nights and colder conditions. However, there are a number of factors that appear to be changing the demand pattern, making it less seasonally dependent and, even, offering more potential hire opportunities.

With regard to lighting equipment, some suppliers report that more construction work and highway maintenance is taking place at night throughout the year, creating more constant demand.
“The government is promoting this as a means of minimising disruption on major roads and motorways and reducing the costs to industry through delays,” states Paul Hay, GenSet’s Marketing Manager. “Health & Safety inspectors are also checking to see that on-site lighting meets recommended levels, in terms of factors such as intensity, quality and coverage. Interestingly, the Health & Safety Executive stresses the point that, if appropriate lighting levels are maintained, the workplace will not just be safer, it will be more productive, as staff will be able to perform more effectively. This is an economic message that hirers can promote.

Supporting hirers and advising customers

“We are certainly spending more time supporting hirers and helping advise their customers on optimum solutions, with drawings and recommendations on placing lights to avoid problematic shadows. It is all too easy for untrained people to put lights too close together or too far apart. Local authorities are also paying closer attention to the lighting at outdoor events and other public attractions, and organisers should address this when submitting their plans and applications,” states Paul Hay. “These market trends mean that there is more potential business for lighting equipment hire throughout the year, not just in the darker autumn and winter months. GenSet is certainly experiencing year-on-year growth in sales to hirers across its lighting product range.”

For Gary McWilliam, Managing Director of the Hire Supply Company (HSC), lighting equipment remains a strong product line, but also detects changes in the marketplace. “Many professional users are moving away from tungsten halogen lamps, because of the heat they generate, which can be a major concern in confined working spaces. They tend to give a more yellow illumination rather than pure white and can create more shadow than, say, compact fluorescent lamps and strip lamps. More units might be needed to provide a similar level of illumination, but they produce far less heat, use much less power and can give greater clarity of vision. After all, virtually all of us work under fluorescent light in our offices, and it is a logical development to extend their use into other working locations.”

Arc-Gen’s Sales Director, Andy Munford, agrees that Health & Safety issues represent an important driver in the lighting hire market, both in terms of having sufficient levels of illumination on construction sites, and the development of other products that reduce workplace risks.
“There is great interest in mobile lighting towers with inbuilt features to eliminate the risk of the masts coming into contact with overhead electric cables. We have just introduced a new product for this market. However, we find that for all lighting equipment, too many hirers still delay before ordering additional products for their fleets. We all know it will get darker as soon as the clocks go back every October, yet hirers seem to wait until the last minute.”

Heater suppliers have to act instantly

This is a market characteristic that heating equipment suppliers also detect. “Historically, hirers would buy much earlier than they have in the last couple of years, but many now leave it late before they act, waiting until the day when there is a cold snap and their current heating fleet is all out on hire,” states Chris Winstanley, Managing Director of Arcotherm. “They expect their suppliers to react instantly, which obviously makes suppliers like us have to work harder to maintain stocks and delivery quickly. We believe there is a move away from portable heaters that use bottled gas, because of the perceived risks of naked flames in the workplace. There is more demand for alternatives such as radiant heaters and indirect fired machines. We believe that they are ideal for use in marquees and other temporary structures, especially during events where children might be present. More hirers are beginning to appreciate the differences, and to realise that a cheaper option might not be the best.”

HSC’s Gary McWilliam also reports a trend towards cleaner fuels, such as electric and infrared heaters that are easier to transport and avoid naked flames. He agrees that “no-one buys for the fleet now until it gets really cold – and the next day the orders flood in. I suppose this is a tribute to our stock levels and our rapid next-day delivery service, which hirers are reliant on. However, with a little forethought, they could make life much easier for themselves and for their customers. Everyone knows it will get cold at some point, so they should plan accordingly.” •

Executive Hire News › Archives › October 2007 › Market Report › Extended opportunities

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