PROFILE continued
Monitors in the showrooms display videos highlighting new fleet additions.
“I had obviously picked up a lot of ideas in the course of my hire career which I could now put into practice,” said Neil, “and Richard has considerable experience of developing accounting and IT systems for businesses in various sectors, and we believed we could continue developing SHC as a formidable presence in the market.
Programme of refurbishment
“We are implementing a programme of refurbishing and refreshing the depots with new signage, new floors and the same corporate colours throughout so that we maintain a uniform appearance at all four depots. It means we offer the same customer experience at all locations, and it also shows the 32 people in our team that we are serious about providing a positive image and a good working environment.”
Richard Palmer adds that, “It is very easy to forget about how your business is perceived by your customers. We are aiming to perfect our model and project the right image. The industry is constantly changing and we have to keep up-to-date with developments like the HAE’s SafeHire scheme, the demand for training [SHC provides a range of courses including PASMA and IPAF programmes] and the power of the internet. If you don’t embrace things like these, you risk being left behind.
The Skipton headquarters.
“We serve a very diverse customer base including farmers, homeowners, small builders, large construction sites and tradesmen throughout our region. Some companies may try to compete on price, but we have loyal customers because of our convenient locations, our flexibility in being able to make quick decisions, and the professionalism of our personnel. You could almost say that customers don’t hire from SHC, they hire from our people who build solid business relationships with them,” said Richard.
“We have also developed our website to take advantage of SEO (search engine optimisation), pay-per-click services and online interaction with customers. While the traditional one-man-band builder calling in to the depot for his equipment is obviously of prime importance, so is the DIYer who wants to order an aluminium tower for a job at the weekend while they are watching Saturday night TV. And increasingly, this is the way that young people will expect to interact with businesses.”
On the lookout for new equipment
Given the diversity of the customer base, the hire fleet is also comprehensive and SHC is constantly on the lookout for new equipment that will meet users’ needs. “We recently bought our first electric plate compactors from Altrad Belle for work in indoor spaces,” said Neil Bravery. “We had originally seen the machines at the Executive Hire Show so we immediately knew where we could source one. That is one of the advantages of attending the exhibition, and we always check out the products on the Innovation Trail. We also recently added a Brendon 50KPE-VT Mobile Powerwasher. It has a V-Twin Honda engine and is incredibly powerful. Farmers use it to clean cattle sheds and it can blast-clean the walls of buildings. We were trying it out in our yard at Skipton and we were even cutting scaffold boards with it.”
SHC is upbeat about the future. “Brexit might lead to rises in the cost of some equipment which we might have to absorb or pass on. The media seem to love stirring up a frenzy on the issue! Business will soon get back to normal and we will still be investing in new kit, vehicles and our premises,” said Neil Bravery. “We have positive plans for growth and there is no reason why we shouldn’t open more depots in the years ahead.”
• SHC’s Ilkley depot showing the new signage being introduced at all four depots. 34
www.shc.co.uk
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