EXHIBITOR PROFILE HIRETECH
STAND L4 Hiremen at heart Now under new ownership, Hiretech is embarking on the next phase of its development. Alan Guthrie reports from Watford.
Hiretech has a history of tackling issues and taking bold decisions to ensure the steady progress of the business, and the company is now set on the next stage of its development under new ownership.
The business is well known for its floor sanding equipment and wallpaper strippers, but EHN readers familiar with our industry’s history will know that the operation emerged out of what was the first tool hire shop. Hire Technicians Co was established in 1955 by the late John Rogers. Hiretech, as the company became known, developed a network of eight depots in the south east of England. John’s son, Mark, took over as Chairman and MD on his retirement 40 years later.
Earlier, however, in 1974, Hiretech had acquired the right to the USA’s Clarke floor sanders and started manufacturing the machines, which it had distributed and offered in its own hire fleet for many years. It established what is considered to be one of the largest floor sanding manufacturing facilities in the western world at its Watford headquarters. In 1998, however, the bold decision was made to sell the hire activity to concentrate on manufacturing and supplying machines and spares. The company also established successful operations serving the USA and Australia.
“We understand the industry”
“The products were very popular and we looked after our customers, offering next-day delivery and parts availability from stock,” Mark Rogers told EHN. ”We are still hiremen at heart and we understand the industry’s needs. It surprises some people that, whenever they ring us, whichever one of the team picks up the phone he or she is able to deal with their enquiry - whatever it might be - because we all know the entire production and sales process.”
The Watford factory grew to 25,000ft2
and housed
The HT8 drum floor sander breaks down into three parts for transportation.
sophisticated production equipment, including robotic machinery, and even making the motors used in the floor sanders. Mark Rogers says that virtually the only operations not done in-house are casting metal and moulding plastic. “Over the years we
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have continually looked at market trends and considered what we need to do to remain competitive, making sure that we continue to deliver quality, value and service to customers.”
Competitive edge
In 2017, an opportunity arose to sell the Watford site for residential development, and after the sale was concluded Hiretech had 18 months to find new premises - something it had already been actively considering. This was also a logical time to consider the business over the longer term, especially as Mark Rogers was nearing his 60th birthday. “We needed to assess how we could best maintain a competitive edge. We had looked at new premises in the region and considered partnering with other companies who shared our outlook.”
The eventual result was that Hiretech was acquired last year by VPEG (Venture Precision Engineering Group), a group of specialist engineering and manufacturing companies. Another of its businesses is Nu-Tech Engineering Services and Hiretech’s manufacturing operation has been combined with its Nu-Tech factory in Christchurch. These operations will complement each other, add extra production capacity and deliver additional efficiencies.
Hiretech itself has just relocated to a brand new industrial unit in Watford, two miles away from its former site. Parts manufactured at Nu-Tech’s facility will be delivered for assembly and despatch by Hiretech as before, and customers will speak to the same team. The new building also benefits from a high-tech scanning and recognition IT system for efficient stock storage and retrieval.
“This means that Hiretech’s specialised production machinery will be even better utilised as it can handle additional capacity for Nu-Tech, and similarly some of Nu-Tech’s manufacturing processes can be used in fabricating Hiretech components, bringing benefits all-round,” said Mark Rogers. “Overall, this is an evolutionary step that will ensure Hiretech’s growth over the next 20 years.”
The HTF orbital floor and deck sander is designed to exert optimal pressure.
MOVING FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE
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