EXECUTIVE HIRE SHOW - REPORT


Executive Hire Show 2019: Kicking off an important year


By PETER BRETT


JUST when it seems as though the weather can’t become any drearier and the political news is confusing at best, there is nothing like the Executive Hire Show (EHS) in early February to wake us up and remind us that there is business to be done and challenges to be met.


The Ricoh Arena in Coventry seems to have established itself as the EHS venue of choice for a number of good reasons including easy access, free parking and enough creature comforts to sustain body and soul for a couple of days.


The EHS has become a popular show in the hire trades and was fully sold out this year with over 180 companies represented. The range of hire interest was huge - from fuel boxes to pumps to generators and big plant. In other words, pretty much something for everyone, no matter which end of the hire industry spectrum you came from.


What exhibitors like is not necessarily an overwhelming number of visitors. They seem to prefer having a manageable number of serious customers with a chequebook in their pocket who are willing to make big buying decisions for the year or two ahead. From the discussions I had with many exhibitors,


the balance was just about right. Many had managed to do very good business during the two show days, or were looking to follow up serious leads in the coming weeks. And if the visitor numbers tail off by mid- afternoon on the final day, it helps one prepare for breaking down the stand and getting on the road back home in reasonable time.


Innovation, innovation, innovation


We all like something new and the EHS team has focused on innovation for quite a few years. To pick out the key areas of innovation, the independent judging panel choose an initial shortlist of 21 contenders based on addressing key requirements of the industry and the ‘hireability’ of the product. This was reduced to 10 after some discussion, and over the course of the two days each company was given a ten-minute slot at the Innovation Trail LIVE area to make its case and answer questions about the products.


In my opinion, some of the contenders that caught my eye will really make a difference in a world that is increasingly aware of the need to use sustainable energy, work more


efficiently and be very cost effective.


Solar power – green lighting A strong contender in the Innovation Trail was Morris Site Machinery’s SMC TL60 Solar Trolley – a compact solar-powered site light that is easily deployed since it weighs only 230 kgs and can be lifted by a standard truck tail lift. Being solar powered, there are no emissions and no noise. A set of three foldable PV panels charges a lead acid battery that will give up to 16 hours of continuous operation for a 30W floodlight. In-house engineering and design services at MSM ensure that the process of continuous development, often incorporating improvements suggested by customers, is ongoing.


MHM MGTP 10000 Solar Hybrid-Gen As if to prove the point that it is not always wise to have all your eggs in one basket and that diversity can be a good thing, the


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