You may not have considered equipment hire previously, but it offers various advantages over purchasing your kit, and so could really help your business. The industry research provider IbisWorld put the building equipment rental and leasing industry at £8.6bn in 2023, and says the sector has grown significantly in recent years.
What’s more, the new technology has made it easier to select and hire the best equipment for your business.
Here are some of the benefits of hiring machines:
- Cost savings
It can be expensive to maintain and buy large items. They also quickly lose their value. So, if you only use something intermittently, purchasing it may simply not be cost-effective or sustainable.
- Choice and flexibility
Choose from a range of equipment you may not be able to access as purchaser. For example, you may be after a model with particular features, power levels or capabilities. Use items you haven’t worked with previously, and rent machinery that’s more expensive than you could afford.
If the piece of kit isn’t what you needed after all, or your requirements change, it’s easier to replace than if you’d bought outright.
- Training, quality and compliance
Get training from the hire company which you may not have got from a vendor, to ensure safe and effective work. You can also be sure items have been tested and maintained, and that all relevant health and safety regs, quality standards and expected inspection rules have been complied with.
- Reduce your storage needs
If you buy something, you’ll have to store it safely and securely. And large pieces of machinery could take up a lot of room. When you hire, you don’t have to think about long-term storage in the same way. So you save on renting square feet, and face fewer logistical challenges.
- Sustainability
When you hire something, you typically access environmentally friendly, energy-efficient models of whatever you are renting.
Below are just two great examples of how machine hire can really make sense:
Concrete mixer hire
Trying to mix concrete by hand is a laborious task, so most sites use a concrete mixer to combine water, cement and other materials to form concrete. These items can be large, industrial mixers or smaller, portable models. And they handle a variety of tasks, from laying floors and foundations to pavements.
The speed with which you can mix concrete can affect the pace of other aspects of your construction job. So make concrete batches with a mixer. But most contractors simply can’t afford the heavy upfront investment needed, so concrete mixer hire is one situation where renting equipment comes into its own.
Chiller hire
Industrial chillers are pretty advanced refrigeration solutions which remove heat from a process or facility, keeping temperature levels consistent. They’re often a part of cooling operations in industries including food and drink, pharmaceuticals, plastics and others.
Chiller hire (rather than buying) can be idea in an emergency, while giving you flexibility and predictable monthly costs, supplementary cooling when needed and consistency of operations.
Hiring isn’t just for machinery! (Or indeed Christmas …)
If you want to gather friends or family for a special celebration, you may not have the room to host everyone – and then someone has to host, cook and clear up. Equally, if you’re an employer you no doubt want staff to have fun away from the office, and probably won’t want to have all your staff round to your home!
So renting a venue is the solution. And if you’re looking into, say, New Year or Christmas event hire, think about factors including parking, facilities, accessibility, location, cost and catering.