EXECUTIVE REPORT
Jersey’s “preferred choice”
Formed three years ago, 4Hire has invested £2m in new kit following “explosive growth”, causing the national hirer flee back to the mainland. Robert Aplin reports.
Four experienced plant men on the beautiful Channel Island of Jersey, disillusioned with the quality of equipment they were hiring for their own contracting businesses, established their own plant and equipment hire operation just over three years ago. Since then, they have invested £2m in new kit at a time when many hirers have invested little. For good measure, the principals have also continued to operate their own individual businesses and, just to add a little spice to the mix, the national hirer on the island has fled back to the mainland.
Mick Jehan has operated MJ Plant Hire, a plant hire and groundwork contracting business, for 10 years, working with business partner Alex McMasters. Since 1993, Nigel Blandin had run his own excavations and drainage business and also founded Blandin Light Plant in that year. In 2003, Nigel sold this business to Hewden. Nigel then spent the next three years building up the Hewden operation in Jersey, leaving in 2006 to re-start his contracting business.
According to Mick Jehan, “We all have an agricultural background and the majority of us are successful machine operators. I wasn’t happy with the quality of equipment that we were able to hire in. This lack of support was affecting both our contracting businesses and we decided to do something about it.
“We visited SED in 2008 with a shopping list of equipment to set up our own hire business. We wanted, for example, Bobcat mini excavators from micros to 5 tonne machines, Neuson dumpers from 1.5-6 tonne and Wacker compaction and concrete preparation equipment. We sought to buy bundles of equipment to simplify the number of suppliers we dealt with. Following negotiations at the show, we placed firm orders and started trading that summer from two tiny bays on the same site as the Hewden operation in Grouville.
“Having visited the company at SED, we also committed ourselves to a Syrinx computer system from Higher Concept. They are nearly all former hire desk people and have been so helpful, particularly when they came over to undertake training. Its ‘help desk’ is second to none.
“The key to 4Hire is our speed in reacting to customers’ requests. Whatever the question, the answer is ‘yes’ and we’ll provide a solution. If we can’t, we’ll find the best fit on the island. A month
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after we opened, we spent £100,000 on an Atlas Copco 1275cfm compressor for a piling contractor. The unit was ordered and delivered within a week. Three years later, the compressor is still on extended contract hire. In these early months as we were starting up, we were able to negotiate good deals as UK buyers were cancelling orders.”
When 4Hire first came to our attention in July 09, Nigel Blandin described its growth as “explosive.” Mick recalls that first year as “manic as we had exceeded our original two year investment plan within 10 months.”
Nigel also summed up 4 Hire’s philosophy in that EHN issue. “Our business model is the same as that of a major car hire company. We offer equipment that is new, clean and well presented. Before each hire, we valet the machines by cleaning the windows, dashboard, cab seats and upholstery. The levers and control services are also cleaned and new paper mats are supplied.
“We believe that, if you give a customer a good piece of equipment, then that customer will give you back a good piece of equipment. When you hire a 5 tonne mini excavator, it is equivalent to a £35,000 BMW. If you offer decent kit, customers will respect it more.”
Investing again as Hewden closes
Nigel states, “From the start, we employed the right people, including two of the former team from Hewden and another followed later. In December 09, Hewden announced that it was closing its depot on the island and this happened at the end of March 09. At this point, 4Hire invested again to take up the slack before anyone else did.
“We made our first move into powered access, with principally Haulotte machines. At that time, we bought its compact 10 electric and 12DX rough terrain scissor lifts, and a large package of 18m working height booms and scissors. We were spending when others weren’t and during 2008 were one of Haulotte’s largest UK customers. At the start of 2011, when Waitrose opened its first stores in Jersey, 4Hire had 26 scissor lifts, a dozen Pop-Ups and Youngman podium steps, not to mention telescopic handlers and RTFLs on the site.
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