Aim Hire and Can-Do Hire Group MD, Paul Lisney. THE RIGHT STUFF
Aim Hire and Can-Do Hire are part of the same group, with names suggesting ambition and a willingness to help. A captive audience twice a day too, as we were to learn…
A
im Hire Group MD Paul Lisney, like many in this game, has an extensive
background in the tool rental sector. His depot in Hextable, Kent, is slightly unusual, in that it is based on a busy high street rather than the nearest industrial estate – which is still something of a rarity for your author. His shop also benefits from the traffic jams that build up outside the front door twice a day, as drivers scurry to and from the nearby London orbital. All of which we’ll come to, but we cover the basics to begin with – how did Paul begin his hire journey?
“My first job in hire was at HSS in Beckenham, working as a driver. Then I moved to Laing Tool Hire, where I was on the hire desk and doing a bit of servicing. After that I moved to Building Services Plant Hire – BSPH – they did mechanical and electrical work, so that was a bit different for me. I was 21 and this was in the recession of early 90s, so I jumped ship and ended up on one, joining the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy where I worked as a mechanic for five years.”
That’s quite a sidestep. How did you get back into hire?
“It was a company called Sidcup Plant Hire, which was owned by Ray Worboys. I went to his shop in Petts Wood, but his hire manager told me there was nothing going so I got in touch with Ray directly and he gave me a job as hire controller. From there I went to be a manager at Jewson. I was unable to progress very far, so I joined Elmore Plant and I was promoted to branch manager. I next moved to Selwood, then Mansell – now part of Balfour Beatty – they had a company called Network Plant, where I was made sales director. They later told me they didn’t have directors at my level. I was put on gardening leave to consider my options, but I said no thanks and I set up Aim Hire.”
Aim Hire was established in 2005 but Can- Do Hire has been going since 1986. How did this become part of your operation?
“Basically, I got to know the directors, who were looking to get out. I only acquired the business at first, but I have now bought the premises too.”
With Aim Hire and Can-Do depots in the group, how big is your ‘estate’ now?
“We’ve got four and half locations,” Paul explains. “There’s Aim Hire here in Hextable, and there are Can-Do shops in Dartford and Northfleet. We also have a closed yard, where we keep most of our diggers and dumpers. We’re actually outgrowing this, so we’ve just bought another little yard. This is the ‘half’, and it’s where we do most of our refurbs prior to sending machines to auction.”
And how many staff do you have across the group?
“Including part-timers, we have a team of 22 – and we’re still short-staffed.”
True enough, the front of the depot sports a large ‘recruiting now’ banner. How’s that going?
“We get a lot of drivers and fitters coming through, but there aren’t many hire managers out there. I was speaking to another hirer in the area, who was telling me that the staff he’d recruited were only lasting three to six months – they just didn’t have the knowledge to do the job. Also, it’s difficult
30 Executive Hire News - July/August 2023
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