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Profile: Artisan Hire Wise heads, young shoulders The story of Wiltshire-based Artisan Hire’s development includes the names of many well-known industry individuals and organisations. Nigel Strickland reports on the company’s successful formula. The Artisan Hire story begins in Swindon, which has a rich industrial heritage. It has strong associations with the famous engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose works manufactured the Great Western Railway’s locomotives. As other trades expanded to supply the nascent rail industry, Swindon boomed. More recently, computer and IT related businesses have established themselves in the region, and Swindon now actively promotes itself as one of the fastest growing towns in Europe. Today, virtually every national hire company has a foothold in the town, as well as many independents, all jockeying for position in a fiercely competitive area. Indeed, to start and successfully run a hire business here has proved too demanding for many in the past, even for organisations with plentiful resources and available finance. So for two young men to take a struggling business and virtually build from scratch the thriving, four-depot Artisan Hire operation is no mean achievement. And in tracing the development of the company, you come across names of hire businesses and individuals that are part of our industry’s history. Hire in the blood In 1988, aged 15, Chris Comer left school to join the Swindon workshop of Action Plant Hire to learn the craft of ‘test and run’. Tool hire was in Chris’s blood, as his father, Roger, was Operations Director of Action Plant, along with Mick Batten and the now, sadly, deceased Bill Lendrem. Mick, Bill and Roger, who learnt their trade with HSS from the middle 1960s onwards, had started Action Plant in 1972, developing it into a ten-branch company. By 1990, Chris had become Manager of Action Plant’s Gloucester branch, but then the challenges of widespread recession arrived. Affected severely by the industrial slowdown, Action Plant was acquired by Kendrick Hire in 1991. Mick Batten subsequently established Hi-Speed Hire, while Roger Comer acquired Renter Center, with outlets in Chippenham and Melksham. Chris joined his father and Renter Center soon added new depots in Trowbridge and Swindon. 1999 brought more change, when Renter Centre was acquired by Vibroplant. Nearly two years later, a chance conversation between Jason King, who had joined Renter Center in 1995, and a plumber, provided the information that a small hire company in Swindon, Artisan Hire, might be available to buy as the owner was considering retirement. Artisan had started life as a HireTech franchise in the local Homebase store, but the franchisee had later moved out to start again as an independent. In September 2000, Chris and Jason left Vibroplant to become the new owners of Artisan Hire. For two young men with mortgages and families this was a bold move, especially as Swindon had 16 hire companies battling for business. Quality equipment and hard work From day one, the company set out its stall supplying new, quality equipment matched by high levels of service. This approach, coupled with hard work and long hours, soon led to Artisan building a significant customer base. As the company grew, more hands were needed and Jason’s father-in-law joined the business followed by Roger Comer. A second depot was opened in Devizes and a strategy for further development began to emerge. However, Chris and Jason recognised that, to grow successfully, a computerised management system would be vital, and they faced the dilemma of whether to buy new kit for the rapidly growing business, or invest in IT technology. The
nettle
had
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grasped
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2005,
when
an
expansion
opportunity
appeared.
Rationalisation saw the closure of Hi-Speed’s Nailsea and Avonmouth depots, with the Filton outlet becoming Artisan’s flagship Bristol branch. Purchasing Hi-Speed injected a huge amount of equipment into the Artisan fleet. Specialised hire management software was now a necessity, and a system from inspHire was purchased. “Constantly improving our service” Chris Comer points out that “the phrase ‘Setting hire standards’ appears on all our literature. We believe in buying top quality tools and equipment, attaining the highest standards in fleet maintenance and constantly improving our level of service. This is demanded by our customers and, apart from those who are no longer trading, we still retain all our original clients.” Visiting the Melksham depot, the hire fleet appears modern and well stocked with leading brands such as Camon, Hilti, Makita, Norton, Stihl and Wacker prominent. “Our customers expect to pay a fair price for the right kit and are increasingly brand aware. DIY customers also appreciate the benefit of hiring equipment that has been designed and built for hire.” Interestingly, Artisan has no mini excavators in its fleet, although it does good business cross-hiring them from local plant hirers. “Many national hire companies are reluctant to, or just not interested in, hiring to non-account holders. We earn good revenue re-hiring minis to these customers, along with our own tracked barrows and compressors,” says Chris. From VPNs and VOiPs to ear tags High service levels have been enhanced by the company’s IT system, which links the four branches by VPN (Virtual Private Network). “Being Windows based, our workshop team have quickly learnt the system and appreciate the ability to monitor and update maintenance records easily. We have also invested in a VOiP telephone system (Voice over Internet Protocol). This not only makes all our inter-branch calls cost free but, more importantly, it allows staff to prioritise incoming calls and ensures our main telephone lines are available for our customers to contact the depots. “The systems allow us to monitor costs carefully and identify areas requiring specific attention. The IT system is also compatible with the Coins (Construction Industry Solutions) payment system used by our bigger construction customers and early in 2006 we integrated the package into our operation. After a few teething problems we have turned the corner and the system performs smoothly. Customers using it are extremely impressed and this has got to be the way forward,” states Chris. Artisan has also found solutions to other challenges by less hi-tech methods. The colour coded tags found attached to all its power tools were originally intended for use as cattle ear-tags, but Artisan found they are ideal for HAV information. “The tags give a combination of colour coding and written data and appear practically indestructible.” Plans for future growth Looking to the future, Chris Comer says “We have a clear plan of where we want to be in five years, with a network of ten depots being our goal - but not at any cost. Future premises must be in good, high profile locations and we have already identified our next site. Equally important is employing the right people, and we research and investigate an area to find possible staff.” Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing Chris and Jason will be the impending retirement of the two ‘elder statesmen’, Roger Comer and Mick Batten. However, Chris and Jason have planned for that eventuality and their own business acumen will stand them in good stead. Chris stresses how important word of mouth recommendation is to Artisan Hire, and confirmation is provided by Melksham Branch Manager, Ian Garlack. Some members of the local ambulance service were regular customers and one particular paramedic was extremely impressed with a flail mower he had hired. Later, on an emergency call, he attended to a gardener who had injured himself with a brushcutter. “You should have hired a flail mower from Artisan,” the medic said as he loaded the casualty into the ambulance. Some weeks later, the gardener limped into the Melksham depot and hired the flail mower recommended to him. The term ‘artisan’ refers to someone skilled in their craft. With a combination of Chris and Jason’s dynamic young talent and the two wise heads of Roger Comer and Mick Batten, Artisan Hire’s success proves the name of their business is well chosen. • Executive Hire News › Archives › January/February 2008 › Profile: Artisan Hire › Wise heads, young shoulders
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