Executive Hire News › Archives › June 2009 › Executive Report : A 'Who's Who' of hirers
Executive Report : A 'Who's Who' of hirers
Ammann Equipment's busy SED stand reflected the current positive mood of independent hirers. Alan Guthrie reports.
Looking at the names and logos that adorned the mini excavators shown on the Ammann Equipment stand, SED visitors were presented with a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of successful, independent hire companies. Indeed, as MD Robert Brown told EHN, this was the intention. “All of these machines have been bought very recently by pro-active regional hirers and will be delivered immediately after the Show. We want to convey the message throughout the industry that such companies are continuing to buy equipment.
“All the hire companies represented are run by hands-on professionals who use and understand the equipment, and know exactly what is happening in their local market. They can make quick decisions and they know the importance of offering the latest equipment in good condition.” Amongst the companies whose machines were on show were Ranger Plant Hire of Gerrards Cross, Rocket Rentals of Dursley in Gloucestershire, Surrey Hire, Edward Brain & Sons of Stratford upon Avon, Basildon-based Jovic Plant, Law Plant of Kidderminster, Wildes Plant Hire of Shropshire, P.E.T. Hire in Crewe, and Lancashire-based SJS Hire Tools.
“Machine sales have definitely increased recently. Our figures for April 2009 showed that we sold a similar number of mini excavators as in the same month last year, and May has been just as strong, suggesting this is not just a blip. Talking to independent hirers, a lot of them began pulling in their horns quite early last year and reduced their spending, yet they also realise that you have to maintain some capital expenditure and replenish the fleet.
“The owner of one company, recalling the recession of the 1990s, said that what nearly drove him under was not a lack of business, but the fact that he had to quickly replace a lot of equipment aged five years or more when the upturn took hold. You need to continue investing in the hire fleet, even if it is at a scaled down level,” said Robert Brown. Appropriately, Ammann Equipment has introduced, for a limited period, a range of 0% finance packages over three years for all new Ammann Yanmar minis, Rammax trench compactors and Cormidi tracked dumpers (as EHN reported in March, Ammann Equipment is now the UK Cormidi distributor). All machines purchased in this way will be fitted with a free Cesar security system from Datatag. Similar five-year packages are available on new AV12-2 to AV40-2 rollers.
SED saw the launch of several Ammann Ramfos attachment ranges, including hydraulic breakers suitable for mini excavators and skid steer loaders from 0.7 tonne upwards. They feature a silenced design to enable use in noise sensitive locations. Also displayed were new crushers and plate compactor attachments.
The company reports good sales of Cormidi tracked dumpers, and that demand recently has reflected the increased levels of mini excavator purchases. “This is traditionally the period when sales pick up, particularly for micro excavators used for building conservatories and landscaping gardens. If people decide not to move house, they will improve their present home.”
Demand for Cormidi machines was proved at the exhibition, where Ammann Equipment launched the new C6.60 model. This is a 600kg capacity machine with a 1.62m maximum tipping height and it is only 670mm wide, enabling it to fit easily through standard doorways. It just arrived in the UK in time to be displayed on the stand, and within ten minutes of SED opening it had been purchased by Simon Tomblin of Rocket Rentals. •
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