EXECUTIVE REPORT continued
Rocket bought a new Lifan
electric scooter from Hire Supply Co at the Executive Hire Show.
lot of things right, and we certainly try to keep high standards, being members of the CPA, Road Haulage Association, FORS, IPAF, HAE SafeHire and, recently, the Fork Lift Truck Association.”
Material handling operation
Joining this last-mentioned organisation is significant as it marks Rocket Rental’s latest addition to its operation: Rocket Material Handling. The company was recently appointed as a Manitou dealer for Bristol and surrounding areas, supplying machines for material handling, lifting, access and warehouse tasks. “The deal came about directly from a conversation on Manitou’s stand at the Executive Hire Show,” said Simon. “We already had MT 625 telescopic handlers and MI 25 D masted fork lifts for our own use, and we often received requests to hire them out. We’ll now have a wide range to offer, including diesel, electric and LPG models. Traditionally, many businesses have simply bought fork lifts, but we can provide a competitive short-term and long-term hire packages with maintenance and backup.
“We also already had scissor lifts in the hire fleet, and customers can now source even more of what they need from us, together with tools
and smaller equipment. This also enables us to target the events market more comprehensively.”
Rocket Rentals also continues to expand its existing fleet. It has invested approximately £1m in dumpers and rollers from Thwaites and Bomag. “We always look at the amount of kit we are re-hiring, which can amount to hundreds of machines - bigger than many hirers’ owned fleets! Having larger premises, with a two-acre site and 200,000ft2
of
workshops, we can now store machines, and we are buying more when we can. We want to be able to say yes to any hire enquiry and that is one reason why customers keep coming back to us.
“We have also been re-hiring more lighting towers from MHM Plant to meet seasonal demand, as well as buying some of their generators like the MG 8000 SSK which has on-demand operation for efficiency. On bigger generators we have fuel filters fitted that ensure diesel is drawn from the top of the tank. The cost of one breakdown callout would cover it. We first met the MHM team at the Executive Hire Show West & Wales Regional Road Show in Bristol, which is a great event bringing key suppliers and hirers together.
“The Executive Hire Show itself is always excellent. We spend two full days there and even then it is hard to get round it as there so many new products to see and industry professionals to bump into. We did a lot of business there this year, buying floor sanders from Hiretech, pipe freezers from Freeze Master, and scabblers from Trelawny. We also touched base with Point of Rental Software to discuss what additions me might need as we develop. The purchases were for our Rocket Tool Hire operation, which will eventually have its own dedicated building on our Slimbridge site.”
Recent fleet additions include more Thwaites dumpers… Reduced carbon footprint
Like many other hirers, Rocket Rentals is introducing ways of reducing its carbon footprint. “At the Show, we bought a new Lifan electric scooter from The Hire Supply Company,” said Simon. “It’s all about embracing new technology. We can use the scooter ourselves to nip to the bank or deliver spares, and we are considering ways of offering them for hire as a package together with insurance, safety gear and other essentials for a monthly rental rate.
“We also have 150 solar panels on our roof, LED lighting throughout the offices and workshops and we are installing electric vehicle charging points for customers to use, as well as ourselves. Technology and business generally is constantly evolving, and hirers have to keep pace.”
• … and Bomag rollers, all in Rocket’s distinctive livery. 15
www.rocketrentals.co.uk
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