Executive Hire News › Archives › December 2009 › Profile: Prestige Hire : Road to success
Profile: Prestige Hire : Road to success
Alan Guthrie visits Prestige Hire in West Bromwich, which has successfully added specialist equipment for highway maintenance to its fleet.
Prestige Hire was established in 2001 as an in-house operation, procuring tools and smaller items of plant for two construction and transport businesses owned by brothers John and Michael Smith. Additional demand came quickly from other building and engineering firms and the operation expanded. It soon required more space than its existing premises in Blackheath provided, and moved to its current location in nearby West Bromwich in 2005.
This gave Prestige the opportunity to expand its activities by targeting professionals involved in council works, railways, utilities, highway maintenance and other industries. General Manager Phil Baker was recruited in 2005 to spearhead this development, having previously worked for Wacker for 22 years, latterly as a Product Manager, and prior to that he spent five years as a plant fitter with Central Plant in Worcester, which was eventually acquired by Hewden Stuart.
Ambitious plans
“While at Wacker, I had supplied Prestige with a growing number of concrete pokers, plates and rollers, and I could see John and Michael had ambitious plans. I got the bug for hire again, and it seemed too good an opportunity to miss,” said Phil. “When I joined there were four staff; now there are 12 of us. Today we offer everything from wheelbarrows to 12m telehandlers, along with Ammann Yanmar and Hanix minis from 0.75 up to 5.5 tonne, Thwaites and Benford dumpers from 0.75 to 6 tonne, together with heaters, lighting, pressure washers, drills and the like. We also have a comprehensive fleet of equipment demanded by utilities contractors, such as pedestrian roller breakers, remote trench rollers, compressors, generators, cut-off saws and compaction plates.
“Essentially, we get people whatever they need - even toilet rolls and teabags. We become part of a contractor’s team because they appreciate our service, and if they win work outside the West Midlands, we often go with them. We are currently supplying equipment as far afield as Doncaster to a contractor who knows we are reliable. Our staff always have their mobiles on, and they know they can be contacted at any time to sort what is required, in terms of equipment and backup.”
John Smith adds, “This dedication to service sets us apart and is how we win, and retain business. We are not prepared to cut rates beyond a sensible level, and if any other company says they can go lower, we know that an element of service must suffer.”
Flexible and precise
Prestige has established a sound customer base among local councils and utilities contractors, including Birmingham City Council, the Metropolitan Borough Councils of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall, and Thomas Vale Construction plc. Phil Baker says, “Clients such as these are frequently undertaking rolling programmes of works, like repairing roads or laying pipelines over considerable stretches, and completing it in stages. This means that equipment, temporary accommodation and other items regularly have to be moved to the next work stage, and we have to be both flexible and precise in doing this, so that the contractor can keep working efficiently and on schedule.
“There is a tremendous amount of work to be carried out in this region over the coming years, especially on highway maintenance and repairs, as a result of Birmingham City Council’s £2.7 billion highway maintenance PFI scheme, beginning in April 2010. It is a 25-year contract, which has been won by Amey plc, who will maintain 1,500 miles of roads, 100,000 streetlights and 850 bridges and structures. There will be a significant investment in the next five years to remove a backlog of work and raise standards. There should therefore be steady demand for equipment, such as our 50 sets of Pike XL Radiomaster diesel and battery powered traffic lights, some of which were bought at this year’s Executive Hire Show. I’ll definitely be attending next year, and taking several customers so they can see what’s available to hire.”
Phil Baker is actively involved with the West Midlands Division of HAUC (Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee), through which highways authorities and utilities assist the government in arriving at proposals for new street works legislation and best practice. He also helps organise the Division’s popular exhibition at the Stafford County Showground, which next year takes place on 14 and 15 September.
“We were recently appointed as the national hirer and service provider for Rhinopatch LPG-powered burners, which have been developed by ASI Solutions of Milton Keynes, for the fast, cost-effective and sustainable repair of roads and tarmac surfaces. The mobile heater is placed over a pothole for ten minutes to soften the surface, ready for re-working and levelling. Granular infill and binders are applied before compacting the area and applying a skid resistant dressing.
“A typical job can be completed in 15 minutes, without using noisy equipment, and with minimal traffic disruption. The technique also reduces HAV risks, is quiet and reduces waste, because much of the original surface is re-used. Councils and contractors are very impressed by the Rhinopatch system. It can also be used on airport runways, supermarket car parks and pathways, and the potential is enormous.” With this, and continued planned expansion of its core business, Prestige Hire feels it can give added value to customers in the current challenging climate. • |
