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3. Resource use: Rental companies search for equipment to offer the most sustainable option to their customers. Rental companies provide theoretical and practical training to their customers to optimise the use of equipment.
4. Reusability: Components of the dismantled construction equipment can be reused.
5. Recyclability: Rental companies take care of their equipment by repairing when it is still possible; recycling when it is at the end of its life cycle; and selling it to second-hand markets, if it still complies with the regulations.
Rental companies use their bargaining power to demand equipment suppliers to invest more in R & D to limit the use of non-recyclable material, and to take responsibility for end-of-life of equipment by collecting, reusing, or recycling.
The hire business fulfills an important role in the bigger picture. Based on how the owner wishes to operate, they may focus locally, regionally, or nationally by‘ owner operated’ stores where there is one holding company with‘ owner managed’ stores, or the franchised network where the franchisee owns the store and pays the franchise holder a royalty for national marketing and other support, as well as the intellectual property of the franchisor. The local operation will be owner driven and would be positioned in an area where the client has easy access.
Talisman is a national franchise network with 77 stores and responded to the questionnaire. Coastal Hire and Lambson Hire seem to be national, but as they did not respond to the questionnaire we cannot confirm this. Ian Dickie is in hire and sales but for the plumbing sector only; they offer the Trailer Mounted Pump for large applications. IPH operates in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban.
The typical tools and equipment hired by plumbers include( among others) compaction rammers, rollers, reversible plate compactors, drills, core drills, breakers, chasing machines, grinders, air compressors, pipe threading equipment, inspection cameras, pipe locators, extension ladders, scaffolding, concrete drilling, recording devices, extension electrical cords and so on.
IPH has the exclusive contract to hire Geberit tooling and carry the full range. Also available are the Hilti and Rothenberger tools.
Professional tools and equipment are expensive and somewhere along the line the cost must be amortised. Should the plumber purchase the tools
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needed to run a successful operation, the outlay will be huge but the benefit is the tools belong to the company. If these tools are being used regularly, the return on the investment is shorter than if they are used periodically. Common sense! When one adds the cost of maintenance, wear and tear, and use by staff( not always used with the greatest of care), though, the picture changes somewhat.
Hiring is the outlay at the time of use, which is or can be charged to the client directly and, therefore, is recoverable within a short space of time. The hiring company carries the cash outlay, servicing, and maintenance and will amortise the cost far quicker.
Clearly, the decision to buy or to hire rests with the plumber’ s needs and applications, but it would appear that hiring is the way to go, based on feedback from plumbers. It seems that the hire business proves this point, too. PA
Acknowledgements
• Talisman Plant Hire
• Independent Plant Hire
• Ian Dickie
• Burgess & Partners