In the spirit of CROSSHIRE
Continuing our new column, another first-time contributor, Theo Dolite, gives his views on our industry.
WHATEVER NEXT…
I was recently discussing with a colleague in the office what our forefathers would make of the industry we work in today. I started in hire back in the early 1980s, and my fellow hireman began his career towards the end of that decade. We talked about some of the major changes that have taken place, like computer systems, tracking devices, CCTV, mobile phones, forward-facing cameras, roll bars for dumpers and rollers, electric start engines, flashing amber (and now green) beacons, which were just a few of the developments that ignited our conversation. We were like children playing snap.
Even though we still consider ourselves boys in this industry, we realised that, at our present ages, we are both older than our first managers were when we started out. Where has the time gone? We begged to differ as to which was the best modern technological advancement developed specifically for our industry, but we did agree that the mobile phone has made the biggest impact on running a business.
In the old days, site managers would be issued with a plastic bag full of coins, and would have had to travel many miles to find a phone box. The skill of site management has surely been diluted by the introduction of mobile phones. Rather than looking ahead and booking equipment a week in advance, concluding the arrangement with the pips on the phone line ringing in his ears, now a manager can simply call and demand kit immediately. We, as a service industry, will jump to the tune that is being called - a tune that can quickly change from morning to afternoon.
However, the mobile phone is not always bad news, and our former managers would be staggered by the operational benefits they have brought over a relatively short period of time, such as being able to call your drivers out on the road. This, surely, is a major plus for our industry. No longer do we have to rely on paging systems or, even, attempting a conversation on a two-way radio. We do not have to wait for vehicles to return to the yard before we can plan our day.
Not only has modern technology introduced computerised invoicing, but also, rather than having an office clerk typing or writing each one by hand, we can now press a key and the end-of-month invoicing commences. And the office junior no longer has to stick Her Majesty’s face on hundreds of envelopes, following the introduction of email.
My colleague and I chuckled at how our managers would greet receiving an emailed instruction, rather than dealing with the customers face-to-face over a beer during the weekly meet in the local every Friday lunch time. This, perhaps, is a negative, with industry professionals no longer partaking in a ritual where many a gentleman’s agreement was reached.
However, a definite positive has been the introduction of electric start engines. Who could envy the poor chap on site trying to fire up diesel machines engines on a cold February morning? Initially, anti-kick handles gave some improvement to the working situation, but now, with the turn of a key, sites can commence their working day efficiently, rather than running the risk of broken wrists.
Our industry and the technological developments within it, surely has more good to offer than not. What other telephone number do sites call when they are most in need of an urgent solution than their trusted tool and plant hire company? I would suggest that, to some, we are the fourth emergency service, and this encapsulates what we, as hirers, are all about. It is service that defines each company and individual depot. Giving consistently good service will ensure that hire companies will continue well beyond the next generation, and I wonder what technological developments our successors will reminisce about 30 years from now?
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