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“Scotland is our second-biggest market right now – our equipment is deployed in projects on the North Sea and we have half a dozen large-scale windfarm construction projects ongoing. I think that Scotland wanted to be the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of renewable energy, and it’s certainly turning out that way.”
Think Hire used to have a manufacturing partner, but now builds the Solartainer in- house. What does that entail?
“We outsource the outer shell, but all other installation and assembly is done here. We’ll be moving into a new premises soon, where we’ll be able to build around 20 Solartainers every month. It’s 25,000ft2
, so we’ll be able
to store a lot more of them too. We are also putting in a production line to build the battery banks for the energy storage units.”
Think Hire has several other products besides the Solartainer, what else is in the fleet?
“A popular product at the moment is our X3 portable battery packs, producing 3kW and weighing just 25kg – all in a unit the size of a travel case – and for larger jobs we have the SiteGrid X45s. There are four different versions of the Solartainer too, ingeniously titled S, M, L and XL. Finally, we have our site illumination and welfare products – the idea being that we can provide the power, light, accommodation and a full service for our clients.”
Not everything in the fleet is made, or assembled by you, though. Is that correct?
“Yes. Our site accommodations are supplied by Kensite and NewSpace, while our lighting products are either designed by us, using well-known third-party components, or are provided by Trime, which builds all of our Eco Mobile Solar Towers. They’ve been fantastic – fully engaged and really helping us to improve the product.”
I was interested to read that you ‘guarantee’ to reduce emissions on a site project. How is this achieved?
“It has involved a lot of trial and error. If we failed in the past it’s because our processes have failed, or because we misunderstood the requirements and provided the wrong products. We prefer a more consultative approach with clients, beginning with a series of technical questions around working hours, shift patterns, staffing and such. If we can’t get the answers we need, we can plug in the ‘HEMS’ smart distribution board, which monitors how energy is used on a project, and this allows us to specify perfectly.
“All our assets are remotely monitored around the clock, and every client receives a monthly report
summarising their precise energy usage and the savings made.”
Think Hire itself is still a relatively new endeavour. How is
the business structured? “We currently have a small
infrastructure – Hertfordshire, where we have a distribution centre, Irvine in
Scotland, an outpost in Dubai and two locations in east and west Manchester. We’ve outgrown these premises, which is why we’re moving to the brand new unit in Rochdale. It’s located right next to the M62, so it’s ideal for our distribution.”
I still hear questions regarding the power, performance and cost of battery and solar- powered equipment. Do your clients ever express such concerns?
The Solartainer is large, but easily moved.
“Price is sometimes a sticking point, as the Solartainer is more expensive than a standard generator. Going into a new project
Think Hire - Profile
X3 battery packs are the size of a travel case.
we agree with the client a set of metrics of how we calculate the savings. We can then offer the product for free – no risk – but at the end of every month we split the value of the savings.”
It’s an unconventional approach that’s plainly finding favour, with around 95% utilisation, turnover doubling last year and apparently quadrupling the year before that. Plans are afoot to grow even further, what can we expect?
‘‘
What we try to do is look at products that
can easily be modified to be more energy
efficient, or taken off grid completely
“We’re about to start recruitment for 77 heads at the new unit. It’s all part of a national expansion plan, so other new depots coming online with staff for each location.
’’
“Otherwise, we have multiple assets in progress right now. What we try to do is look at products that can easily be modified to be more energy efficient, or taken off grid completely. We’re also developing a high power Solartainer to replace generators up to 150kVA. Beyond that, we’re working portable wind turbines and a brand new technology using a different renewable energy source, so watch this space.” n
October 2022 - Executive Hire News 39
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