Executive Hire News › Archives › April 2009 › Executive Report : Fraser looks ahead

Executive Report : Fraser looks ahead

Alan Guthrie visits an independent in Hamilton that continues to win business and believes it is well placed to meet challenges in the current economic climate.

From its base in Hamilton, located just to the southeast of Glasgow, Fraser Tool Hire supplies customers over a considerable area. While most business is conducted in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt of Scotland, it is not unusual for the independent, family owned company to deliver as far afield as Ayr and Dumfries to the south, and Aberdeen in the north.

“We serve many tradesmen and contractors who undertake projects over a wide area, and they often tell us they cannot get the same level of service and quality of equipment from other companies, even though they might be closer to where they are working,” says MD Colin Fraser. “In recent months, we have picked up significant business from contractors that previously hired through national hire groups but, following depot closures, they have experienced non-availability of equipment or unacceptable delays.”

General Manager Michael Lydon adds that “some people don’t seem to fully understand the meaning of the word ‘now’. If equipment is needed, it has to be available for delivery to site quickly. We can take a machine out of stock and immediately add it to the hire fleet, or we can purchase new items without having to go through a complex procurement process. If an item like a concrete poker breaks down, staff know to send a replacement immediately, and we keep in close, regular contact with all customers.”

Colin Fraser and his father, Ronald, founded the business in 1983, and it now employs 30 staff. It was originally based in Strathaven, a few miles south of Hamilton, where the company re-located to in 1985. Further growth meant a move to its current site in 2001, close to the M74 that leads into Glasgow. The fleet is certainly comprehensive, ranging from Hilti, Makita, Bosch and DeWalt power tools and Youngman Boss towers, to JCB mini excavators, Wacker Neuson compaction plates, Terex and JCB Vibromax rollers and Benford Terex dumpers up to 9 tonne. “We have 7,447 fleet items with unique serial numbers - I know because I ran the report on our Aspxx Hiredesk software today. And this does not take account of items that incorporate many different components, like access towers. At any time we will typically have out on hire in excess of 150 Stihl cut-off saws, 70 rollers and 100 compaction plates, for example.

“We decided to add compact plant when we moved here in 2001, because our customers kept asking us for it. The breadth of our fleet poses no difficulties for our service staff, most of whom have been with us for many years, and they have simply learned about new equipment as we have added it.” For customers who require it, larger machines can be fitted with Mtrack, a removable, battery operated tracking device from Automatrics of Hampshire.

An increasingly important source of business is in hiring equipment to help control workplace dust. “Over the last six months, interest has grown significantly, driven largely by Health & Safety officers and site inspectors seeking more specialised solutions,” says Michael Lydon. “About 75% of the Stihl cut-off saws we hire are now requested to be supplied with water bottles to suppress dust, and we have recently added Dustcontrol 2800c mobile dust extractors for at-source dust collection when using power tools. We already have 20 in the fleet, and they are all out on hire.”

Fraser Tool Hire has helped other contractors meet HAV management obligations. “One particular customer needed to have equipment labelled with vibration data, so we devised our own credit-card sized, durable plastic tags that we are able to print in-house with the appropriate information and are then attached to the tools. This has subsequently been rolled out throughout the fleet so all customers can benefit.”

“We know there are challenging times ahead, but we believe we are well placed to weather any downturn,” adds Colin Fraser. “We have built a large and loyal customer base and we should also benefit from large redevelopment projects in our region, as well as work associated with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.” •

01698 282042
www.frasertoolhire.co.uk