EXECUTIVE
REPORT
Nixon Hire reports that business has grown sharply since February.
Seen at Scotplant
EHN reports from Edinburgh on hirers and suppliers who participated in the popular biennial exhibition for professionals north of the border.
Held during the week before the clocks went forward to herald the official start of summertime, and shortly before the date of the general election was formally announced, Scotplant proved to be a good barometer by which to assess the prevailing mood of many involved in supplying the construction industry.
engineering contractors, road repairers and utilities. Our portable sanitation operation is performing well, and we will be supplying hundreds of portable toilets at the Tall Ships Races event taking place in Hartlepool this August.”
Another upbeat hirer was Speedy, which was promoting a message of Health & Safety. “People are definitely becoming more aware of the need for equipment like the Reactec HAV monitoring system that we are displaying here,” said Safety, Health, Environmental & Quality Manager Tom Little. “There’s also keen interest from visitors in our Safety From the Ground Up initiative covering subjects like HAV, work at height, manual handling and dust, as well as our new GO (Green Option) campaign. Local authorities and other organisations increasingly expect contractors to adopt environmentally friendly practices, and this will create demand for appropriate equipment.”
Avant Tecno believes its 420 mini loader is ideal for the hire industry.
Included among hire companies exhibiting was Newcastle-based Nixon Hire, whose Joint MD Graham Nixon was in positive mood. “Since the middle of February, business has just gone crazy. Our transport fleet has been working flat out. However, there is still fierce pressure on hire rates, and fuel prices and other costs have increased. A larger proportion of hires now are of shorter duration, so our workshops are kept busy turning equipment round efficiently.
“We took several pro-active measures to combat the downturn, including the appointment of a Sales Strategy Manager to explore new business prospects for our hire and sales activities. In March 2009 we established a new division, Nixon Extra, a nationwide crosshire operation, with supplier partnerships that have been established to service various equipment categories.We have developed a dedicated Nixon Extra web site, linking to 15 individual ‘micro sites’ covering individual product segments. To place an order, however, customers only need to ring one central number.We also offer Nixon Direct, enabling customers with sites in many locations to deal through one central contact point. Strategies like this are enabling us to say yes to virtually all customer requests.
Buying more equipment
“We have been buying more equipment to meet demand, including Volvo mini excavators and Bomag compactors for supply to civil
25
The Takeuchi TB 219 mini is designed for deep digging applications.
Amongst exhibitors showing new or recently launched products was Avant Tecno, which displayed for the first time in Scotland the versatile 420 mini loader from its 400 Series. The diesel powered machine, which can accept more than 100 different attachments, has the same 20hp Kubota engine as used on the larger 520 unit, but having a lower specification it costs almost 20% less, which Avant Tecno UK’s MD, Jukka Vaatovaara, believes makes it ideal for the hire industry. The machine’s overall length is 355mm shorter than the 520, facilitating operation in cramped locations.
Articulated chassis
Like other Avant machines, the 420 has an articulated chassis that helps to avoid marking soft surfaces, and a ROPS safety frame.
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