000833 - Sydenhams 23/7/09 18:33 Page 2
serve tarmac surfacing and civil engineering contractors. According to main
Rick, “we offer large numbers of Wacker vibrating plates, Benford and workshops for
Mortimer rollers and Stihl disc cutters. Most of our rollers are single the business.
drum machines, but we also offer 80cm and 120cm units. At any time Blandford is
in the last 10 years, we would have had at least 15 rollers on hire.” another ideal
location, as is
FHC’s mini excavator fleet comprises a dozen 3 tonne Takeuchi the highly The Warminster depot is described as “the model outlet on which future
Sydenhams branches will be based.”
machines and a further 12 Takeuchi 1.5 tonne units. “The main thing visible
about these minis is their durability and reliability, and customers like Weymouth operation. On the outside, Swanage appears to be the
them. In the last 12 months, we have added more mini excavators smallest hire centre you have ever seen, but inside it is three times
and are constantly updating our fleet. ” 10 Benford 3 tonne dumpers bigger than it appears. Each of these outlets is similar to our
complete FHC’s plant line-up. “From this site, we also offer an entire Warminster branch in both size and equipment profile.”
range of gardening equipment, a wide variety of power tools and all
the other items that you would expect from a tool hirer. In short, we All the former Mitchell depots and vehicles have now been
offer everything from a screwdriver to a mini digger. However, it is our re-branded as Sydenhams. Having bought the business, and retained
plant offering that sets us apart.” all its staff, Sydenhams invested £500,000 of new kit immediately
across the depots and is now in the process of adding another
“Model outlet”
£200,000 worth of equipment. “The company needed this investment
Recognising that the Frome outlet is treated as an entirely individual as its fleet was lacking in both quantity and quality. It also had a
depot, it is the nearby Warminster outlet that Rick describes as backlog of equipment under repair and our Frome depot has been
“the model outlet on which future Sydenhams branches will be helping them clear this.
based.” Without any significant industry in the town, the branch offers
a large fleet of garden machinery, which is always on display outside “These four depots are now tidy, well stocked with new equipment
the depot. and breaking even. We are encouraging each Manager to take
responsibility for his own location and we are training staff at
At 2,700ft
2
, the unit features another large display of readily available Weymouth and Swanage to undertake their own repairs. In addition,
equipment inside, including power tool and accessories. Its own we are also ready to roll out an inspHire software system across the
workshops undertake a large number of customer repairs, much of outlets during the course of this summer, although our Ryde branch
which is garden machinery. According to Depot Manager, Richard already operates this system.
Chalmers, “we can normally service machines like Stihl TS400 disc
cutters the same day. Customers know that we look after our own “Whilst we still have work to do to fully integrate the former Mitchell
hire fleet kit and they know that they will get the same service.“ depots into our way of operating, we are pleased with where we are
now. If we had opened five outlets from scratch, it would have cost us
The third branch to bear the Sydenhams name was, surprisingly, millions, rather than asset value. Planning permission has already
in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Formerly KN Tool Hire, originally been granted
established in 2006, it was acquired last November. Located next to for a site in
Sydenhams Builders Merchants’ branch on the island, Rick simply Gillingham
says, “an opportunity arose and we took it. As a company, we now next to
take up a huge area on the industrial estate where we are based and Sydenhams’
our presence does not go unmissed.” Whilst the majority of its fleet is builders’
tools, this branch also offers 1.5 tonne JCB excavators. “We bought merchant
JCB because it was the only manufacturer with a service engineer branch. This
based on the island.” would
represent our
Largest acquisition to date
first purpose-
In terms of the number of outlets, Sydenhams’ largest acquisition to built
“On the outside, Swanage appears to be the smallest hire centre you have
ever seen, but inside it is three times bigger than it appears.”
date was completed last December when it purchased Mitchell Hire Sydenhams
and Sales. With locations in the four corners of Dorset - Dorchester, Hire outlet. When the recession is over, we will be ready to grasp the
Weymouth, Swanage and Blandford, Mitchell had been established opportunities that being part of Sydenhams will bring.”
•
for over 30 years. The Dorchester outlet also acted as its Head
Office. Rick describes it as “an ideal depot that also provides the
www.sydenhams.co.uk
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