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Profile: Alpine Tool Hire & Sales Healthy Alpine climate Alan Guthrie visits a diverse independent hire company in Warrington, with a strong entrepreneurial attitude and positive plans for expansion. As soon as you enter Alpine Tool Hire & Sales' premises in the centre of Warrington, you get the impression that the company has thought of as many ways as possible of arousing potential customers' interest and winning their business. Obviously, there is a well-presented display of equipment and machinery, along with tubs bulging with tools and accessories currently on special offer. More unexpected (and very tempting) are the large confectioners' jars of sweets inside the door and the invitation to grab a handful in return for a charity box donation. For a similar payment, local tradesmen can place flyers near the hire desk, or pin a business card to a corkboard, to help customers who seek a certain service provider. Such initiatives show the company's eagerness to build and maintain strong links with customers and suppliers, through friendly, personal service. Diverse client base Alpine's diverse client base encompasses homeowners, tradesmen and larger contractors over an area that extends as far as Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Crewe. It employs five staff and one "We will do anything it takes to meet our customers' needs," says Director Matt Dolan. "This is a service industry, and the more personal contact you maintain, the more customer loyalty you build. We never have to compromise on our hire rates, as clients realise there is more to a hire transaction than the price of the equipment, such as reliable delivery and collection. All our private vehicles are fitted with tow bars, for example, so that if all our vans are out on the road, we can make urgent deliveries ourselves." A separate building in the yard accommodates Alpine Air, a dedicated operation hiring air conditioning equipment, heaters and dehumidifiers. It acts as a showroom for the various types and brands offered, including units from Birchwood, DESA, EHS and The Hire Supply Company. The main hire business has an agency to supply Air Products gases, such as oxygen, acetylene and helium, which attracts professionals from a wider cross-section of industries including welders and specialist engineers. It also supplies Calor Gas, and the yard also has an LPG vehicle-filling pump that attracts passing drivers. Every customer of these items is a potential hirer of other equipment. "Today, you cannot solely rely on offering tools and machinery," says Matt Dolan. "We try to have as many revenue streams as possible to appeal to a wide customer base." The origins of the business date back to April 2002. Matt Dolan was an Area Representative in and around the Cheshire region for Hire Station, following its acquisition of Instant Hire, for which he had worked since 1995. Seeing an opportunity to start up on his own, he began what was to become Alpine Air, hiring air conditioners from his house and using his father's garage as a warehouse. "The business grew very quickly. I was a sole trader and soon, with winter approaching, I needed to both grow and diversify." Matt had kept in contact with Jem Butler, who is now his fellow Director at Alpine. He had been Depot Manager for Instant in Warrington, eventually becoming National Operations Manager for Hire Station. He had also previously worked for PB Hire, later acquired by HSS. He similarly had entrepreneurial ambitions to own and run an independent tool and equipment hire business. "In September 2002, we bought Egans Tool Hire, which acted as an in-house operation for a property developer," says Matt. "The owner wanted to sell it in order to concentrate on construction, and having acquired it we set about establishing a larger equipment fleet." Quality and reliability "We were basically starting the business from scratch," recalls Jem Butler, "and we had terrific support from several suppliers, such as The Hire Supply Company, Toolpak and Price Tools. We try to standardise on established brands that have a reputation for quality and reliability, such as Boss towers from Youngman, Makita power tools and Ammann compaction plates. We use Syrinx from Higher Concept Software to keep track of where equipment is located, as well as for management reports. It is easy to use and we can send out invoices at the touch of a button. "We recently added Ammann Yanmar SV 08 750kg mini excavators to the fleet, and they have proved incredibly popular. One of our main reasons for visiting the Executive Hire Show in February was to compare the machines available from the various manufacturers, and Ammann impressed us most. The minis have a two-year warranty and they are easy to maintain, which is important so that downtime is minimised. We have hired the machines to people who simply called in to buy gas or LPG and saw them outside the shop. We also have magnetic signs on our vehicles to promote the diggers, and people wind down their windows at traffic lights to ask about them! They are also ideal for hiring out with our Honda tracked dumpers, from Seddons." When handing over equipment, staff ensure that customers are familiar with its correct and safe operation. Similarly, when the company receives an enquiry for air conditioning or heating products, its policy is to make an initial site visit. "Some companies quote formulae to calculate how many machines are required for a particular room size, but they are not always accurate," says Matt Dolan. "Every site is different, so we inspect each one, make measurements and recommend accordingly. The air conditioning market is still strong: many businesses renting their premises have landlords that will not install fixed systems, so hired units are required, not just in hot weather, but also to counter the heat generated by computers and other office equipment. "Tremendous opportunities" "We still see tremendous opportunities in hire," says Matt Dolan. "We ignore the doom and gloom attitudes of many media pundits and just get on with business. We are improving our operations all the time, and this is a great time to expand. We have plans for a second depot, and at the moment the prices of commercial premises are attractive. Business will remain steady if you have good, solid relationships in place with your customers." Jem Butler adds, "There is never a good time or a bad time to expand. We are always looking for the next opportunity, and we are always positive. People may talk about a credit crunch, but it does not stop you delivering a mixer. We simply work hard, and the harder you work, the more successful you will be." • T
01925 630133 Executive Hire News › Archives › September 2008 › Profile: Alpine Tool Hire & Sales › Healthy Alpine climate
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