Executive Hire News › Archives › November 2009 › Executive Report : Taking our industry's pulse
Executive Report : Taking our industry's pulse
Hirers tell us why the Executive Hire Show ticks all the boxes.
Barry MacPherson, MD, Alloa Hire Centre
I go to the Show every year. As well as seeing all the latest products, it’s great to meet and put faces to personnel from suppliers that we speak to over the phone throughout the year. I am always keen to see new equipment, and if you can jump on something quickly and add it to the fleet you gain a competitive advantage. This year we saw the HAVi vibration meter from Real Edge and it has proved really popular.
I’m going to the Show to keep updated and find equipment that will keep my company at the forefront of the industry.
Dave Taylor, MD, Penrith Tool Hire
I only bought Penrith Tool Hire in 2008, so when I went to the Show this year I was still on a steep learning curve. I got a tremendous amount out of my visit. Seeing all the equipment on show made me realise what else we could add to the fleet to create more hire opportunities. I’ll definitely be going again in February, with one of my colleagues, to see what’s new.
It would be really helpful if our current suppliers, who are exhibiting at the Show, contacted us in advance to let us know what special deals they will be offering. It would definitely encourage us to visit that supplier’s stand.
Trading has been unpredictable in recent times, but we are still very positive, and I believe we will see a general economic recovery from early next year. We have recently added more Rover mowers from Midland Power Machinery, and a Timberwolf TW 150DH road-tow chipper, bought through dealer Orange Plant, which has proved very successful. We have had great after sales support and backup from both companies, and from other valued suppliers such as Obart Pumps and Harrington Generators.
I am going to the Show ready to replace and buy new equipment for our fleet, so I’ll be carefully pricing what’s on offer.
Mike Bryan, MD, Hedon Hire, Hull
Since I founded Hedon Hire 23 years ago, I have always supported our industry’s annual exhibition. There’s always a buzz about the event as you meet friends, see old faces and learn about the latest products and ideas.
I am always looking for something we can offer that sets us apart from the competition. As well as supplying tools and construction equipment, we hire specialist items to the oil and petrochemical industries, so we are used to serving niche markets and there are always new opportunities. At this year’s Show I was particularly interested in the Hire Supply Company’s lighting,
SPE International’s floor preparation equipment, and Midland Power’s garden machinery. I have experienced market downturns before, and I think we will see demand picking up from next spring - so the Show’s timing is excellent.
I am going to the Show because it is an event you simply cannot miss.
Carl Banks, MD, P.E.T Hire, Crewe
We have visited the last two Executive Hire Shows and found both of them interesting and informative. We were pleasantly surprised just how much new kit we bought for our hire fleet at the 2009 Show, and spent in excess of £50,000 on various items, including a 16m Easylift tracked cherry picker from Power Lift UK, five plant tracking devices from Redweb Security, a floor preparation machine from HTC, a rotavator from Camon Tracmaster, ten pumps from Obart, and commissioned a web site from Abnix Solutions. We would not have purchased all this if we had not gone to the Show! We will definitely be attending the 2010 exhibition.
I am going to the Show to look out for new equipment and other innovations.
Phil Baker, General Manager, Prestige Hire, West Bromwich
During the two days of the 2009 Executive Hire Show, we took a number of our customers along to have a look round. Not only was it a great opportunity to show them what new equipment is on the market, but it was also helpful to spend quality time with them away from the office.
We purchased a variety of kit at the Show, including traffic lights from Pike Signals, compaction plates and floor saws from Fairport, trailers from Indespension, and Stihl cut-off saws. We have got the dates for the 2010 exhibition in our diary and we are going to bring along more of our customers.
I am going to the Show to gauge our customer’s views and opinions on equipment that could potentially be added to our hire fleet
Nick Forbes, Director, WH Surface Preparation, Newport, Monmouthshire
Unexpected developments prevented me from attending this year’s Show, but I fully intend to visit in February. We are a specialist hire business and it’s great to meet up with our established suppliers like SPE International. However, it’s also an excellent opportunity to meet other hirers and raise your own profile within the industry.
I’m going to the Show to take advantage of the excellent networking opportunities.
Mark Wilson, Director, Charles Wilson Engineers
During the morning of the first day at this year’s Show, we assembled our management team from our 12 branches in a meeting room at the Ricoh Arena, before touring the exhibition as a group in the afternoon. It was a great opportunity to get together, share ideas and see new products.
Business has obviously been challenging but we continue to refresh our fleet - customers expect quality equipment. In fact, we are adding or replacing items virtually on a daily basis to meet demand. You cannot stop spending completely during challenging times; you have to look to the future and ensure that your fleet is of the best quality to benefit from the upturn when it comes.
I’m going to the Show to look at the latest products and to catch up with other industry professionals.
Joanne Snow, Senior Office Manager, Lakeside Hire, South Ockenden
We specialise in hiring non-mechanical access equipment and we have been extremely busy meeting demand from professional users, such as painters and decorators, installers of air conditioning, alarms and sprinkler systems, and other contractors. We supply a lot of Youngman Boss towers and recently added the GRP version to meet the requirements of tradesmen working near electrical installations. Products like podium steps and ladders are also in steady demand.
Several colleagues and I will be attending the Show. When we visited this year, we saw Youngman’s Teleguard telescopic platform ladder, which we added to our fleet soon afterwards, and it has proved very popular.
We also made contact with several software suppliers, as we will be upgrading our system soon.
I’m going to the Show to see what’s new and to get an insight into market trends.
Mike Clegg, MD, PSM Plant & Tool Hire, Sidcup
We are really busy, pro-actively finding more business. Every month we try to introduce a completely new product line. We buy equipment all year round as we need it, and we have recently added more Hilti breakers, as well as the manufacturer’s DCH 300 electric disc cutter, Makita cordless grinders and Hitachi power tools.
Two additional staff have joined us during the last year, and there are now 20 of us in the team, spread between our main high street shop and another depot close by which acts chiefly as a trade counter. We plan to open an additional branch in Bexleyheath by Christmas.
I always attend the Show to check out what’s new. Last year I was impressed by Dustcontrol’s machines, buying several at the exhibition,
and we have added more since.
I’m going to the Show to see new products, and if I see something I think we can get a good return on, I’ll buy it.
Tom Holmes, Sales Manager, Diamond Hire & Sales, Farnborough
We were established in 2005 as a provider of specialist concrete drilling equipment, alongside the contractor, Castle & Pryor. We have since expanded our operation to provide related items like SPE floor preparation equipment, Husqvarna diesel floor saws, generators, concrete crushers, shot blasters and robotic demolition machines. There is a real need for this equipment - currently we are supplying customers as far afield as Jersey, Sellafield and the Isle of Lewis.
I’ll certainly be attending the Show. It’ll be my first time there. Customers often come back to us requiring other related items like dust control equipment, and this give us many more niche opportunities to develop.
I’m going to the Show to see the latest products and to make contact with other hirers.
Jason Moore, Depot Manager, Plymouth Tool Hire
Although we keep hearing about a recession, we have been constantly busy this year. We have a loyal customer base comprising chiefly small builders and contractors. Our five Takeuchi minis are in steady demand, and we have been getting a lot of enquiries for compressors, which shows that work is being done. At the end of September, we opened a new depot in Torquay, under Manager Lee Wood, and it is already performing well.
I went to the Executive Hire Show with Director Andy Webber, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We drove there and back in a day. We bought Brendon mini bowsers and pressure washers that we saw there, as well as wet and dry vacuums from the Hire Supply Company to target dust control requirements. I know we live in an internet age and you can see product details over the web, but there is no substitute for actually touching equipment and speaking to people, which you can do at the Show.
I am going to the Show because it is the established launching pad for new products and services for our industry.
Passionate independent Hirer Award 2009 winner commits to attend the Show
EHN’s Robert Aplin was recently in Northern Ireland to visit KDM Hire of Cookstown, winner of the Executive Hire Show’s Passionate Independent Hirer Award 2009. Our interview with KDM founder and MD Keith McIvor (pictured) will appear in the January/February Show Preview issue. Keith has already committed to attend the Show in February, saying ”we were delighted to win the Award following the Show team’s visits to more than 270 independent hirers throughout the UK and Ireland. We have always placed the emphasis on offering the highest levels of customer service and the best possible products available. This Award is recognition of the hard work and commitment from all our staff over the last number of years”. |
