Getting the most usage out of your hired-in plant

Hire companies exist to hire equipment to customers in the hope that each hire will last as long as possible so that the hire company can maximise their profits. That much is obvious.

What’s less obvious is that few hire companies will point out to customers when equipment is no longer being used and that they should consider off-hiring it. It’s certainly not in the hire company’s interests to do this, especially if equipment isn’t being used. Hire companies would much rather the equipment is tucked away in a corner somewhere, racking up charges and profits. Clearly, this isn’t in the customer’s interests but as some would say, “caveat emptor – let the buyer beware”.

Our approach at Ardent is different. We use telematics data and our award-winning software, Site Manager, to prompt customers when the usage of their equipment falls below a certain level. Customers can choose to ignore the prompt because the equipment is still needed for snagging tasks or they can off-hire it with the simple click of a button. This way, the equipment never gets forgotten and its usage is always maximised. For regular hirers of plant and tools this is a great comfort as keeping track of everything can be difficult on busy sites.

Ardent’s approach saves money for customers by reducing their total hire charges. Although some would argue that it’s not in our interests to do this, our view is that if we can help customers save money on their projects, they will want to use our services again and again. And together with a fantastic customer experience that Ardent is dedicated to providing, this is a win-win for both parties.