Autumn Savings: Harnessing Hire Equipment to Save Money.
Would you like to make some easy quick savings before heading into winter? For a lot of construction, landscaping and utility businesses, the winter period can be a make or break. So, to help you position yourself in good stead for the coldest part of the year, we want to share with you how you can harness the use of hire equipment to save money during Autumn.
Autumn is a very busy period in the construction calendar, with stress being applied to meet targets before the winter arrives. Using the information in this resource will aid you in riding the wave of the festive season and assist you in getting the job done on time. It will also highlight factors that affect businesses when it comes to choosing a suitable supplier, how to use equipment hire to your benefit, the “do’s” and “don’ts” and ways to save lots of money overall. So, on that note, let’s have a closer look at the factors that affect equipment hire cost to start.
Factors that affect the cost of hire equipment in Autumn.
There are a lot of factors that affect the cost of equipment hire overall, most of which you will find in another one of our resources. “Trade Secrets of The Cost of Running Plant Hire” Most of these factors you will be already familiar with, however, there are a few additions you are going to be aware of the save money in the long run.
- Availability of equipment
- Additional transportation costs
- Choose specialised equipment?
- Supplier increases.
Availability of machinery
The Autumn period is one of the busiest seasons in the calendar. Like spring, the working temperatures are far more favourable, and more projects are under pressure to be completed before the festive season. Ultimately, this has a knock-on effect when it comes to getting hold of equipment. In short, there is far less availability during this time. This may result in you having to fork out more for the equipment you need.
Additional transportation costs
Like any other time of year, you are always battling the elements. In Autumn, it is almost the calm before the storm. The UK is well known for flooding and unsettled weather at this time of year. Therefore, the cost of transporting bulky machinery can be increased if additional miles are required to be covered.
Choose specialised equipment
In addition to the transportation is the additional cost of specialised equipment. Instead of choosing equipment that is suitable for a range of different chores when you hire it. You may have to bite the bullet to get machinery that is task-specific, simply because of the conditions. This will ultimately leave you with an increase in operating costs during this period. Nevertheless, it could save you more in the long run.
Supplier increases
Now it’s not usual for equipment suppliers to change their costs more than maybe once a year. However, you have to bear in mind that this is never an impossibility when dealing with 3rd party suppliers of any kind. During your budgeting phases it is wise you revisit your costings with your current supplier(s). The Autumn season draws closer to the middle of the financial year, resulting in some businesses revisiting their budgets.
Using plant hire to your own benefit during Autumn this year
Using rental equipment can have a huge number of benefits, especially in the Autumn season. The support of a plant hire service can in fact help you ride the wave of any possibilities going wrong during this time. The key benefits of using plant hire in Autumn are:
- Financial
- Transport
- Storage
- Support
- Stock
- Control
Let’s examine each one of these factors closer to help you understand how they relate to the Autumn period.
Financial benefits
Choosing to hire or rent equipment during Autumn can be very beneficial to your finances. This method prevents you from making unnecessary large purchases of equipment in the second quarter of the year. It also can be used to balance cash flow when moving into the less active winter months. Even though construction is now a 365-day vocation. It is common that most businesses will tend to slow down towards the festive season, only to return again in the new year.
By choosing to rent instead of purchase during this time, you only must pay for what you use. Most hire suppliers offer credit accounts which can be cleared monthly, which also can be very financially beneficial. This then takes us on to our next benefit which is with transport.
Transport benefits
Transporting equipment at any point of the year can be challenging. But, with the additional hazards that are revealed during Autumn, the pressure of moving machinery yourself can be more tiresome and dangerous. Leaving transport of your plant machinery to your rental supplier can ease up a huge amount of time and money.
This results in an avoidance of further investment, the cost of training, or the loss of staff members in essential months prior to the winter season. Allowing your plant hire specialist to cover it all for you can make the whole process far simpler.
Storage benefits
When it comes to storing plant equipment in Autumn, having the space and adequate cover is essential to persevere the machinery. One hazard you must be aware of at this time of year is the number of leaves that fall. Fallen leaves can damage plant equipment if stored incorrectly. Therefore, having the correct facility, time, and workforce to maintain your machinery during downtime is essential. However, if opt for the use of plant machinery, all these issues are covered in your one-off fee. You can also be sure that the machinery will be fully checked and cleaned before it arrives. This nicely moves us on to…
Support benefits
Support with your plant hire is one of the biggest benefits you will get no matter the time of year. Each supplier will have its own way of offering support, be that 24/7 cover on all machinery, or if they outsource their repairs. Nevertheless, the level of support offered by your supplier must match your requirements. Autumn is a very busy time of year in the UK in the construction industry. Arguably this is the time you need your machinery at its peak to ensure you meet your targets.
A huge money-saving benefit with plant hire during Autumn is the avoidance of time wasting on machinery servicing and breakdowns. Parts, labour, and time are all a large part of owning machinery. When hiring plant equipment, all of these factors are covered for you in your contract agreement. Or the machinery can be replaced for you.
Stock benefits
Another money-saving benefit of plant hire during Autumn is the ability to access stock of machinery. Working with a well-stocked supplier should always be a goal when choosing your potential candidate. Plant hire suppliers save you money on investments by allowing you to access not just one particular machine, but a wide range. This means for the same investment you would put down to purchase a single machine, you would have access to an infinite amount of other interchangeable options.
Additionally, purchasing machinery in this current day in age is not a quick process. It is common that new machinery can take up to 2 years to be produced from new. Need to purchase equipment for this year? Then you might find yourself stuck. Choosing to rent your equipment can guarantee you the equipment you need, sometimes in minutes or hours.
Control benefits
Finally, is control. What do you do when the weather is too bad to work? The UK is notorious during this season for flooding, storms and complete washouts. The control that plant hire offers you allows you to financially negotiate these unexpected acts of nature. As soon as you “off-hire” a piece of machinery with a plant hire company your contract with them is essentially broken and you will only be charged for the time you have used.
Unlike when you purchase, you have already made the investment and have to foot the downtime out of your own pocket. It is essential that you seek financial advice before investing tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds on machinery.
Money Saving Do’s and Don’ts
To save money during the Autumn season with plant hire, there are some key do’s and don’ts that you should be aware of. Each one of these tips could save you a huge amount of time, stress and cash overall. To start, here are the Do’s.
Hire Equipment to Save Money Do’s
There are many “do’s” when it comes to plant hire during autumn. Nevertheless, the four key areas you can save money are as follows:
Order in advance – Ordering machinery in plenty of time can avoid spending extra when trying to hire last minute. Where possible it is best to work 4-6 weeks ahead of time if possible, especially when working with large equipment. In doing so you can save money by accessing the best rates available.
Off-Hire when finished- When you have finished with your equipment, you should always off-hire it as soon as you can. This tip will prevent you from being charged for days you do not need the machinery.
Get the machinery transported- Save yourself a huge amount of investment by getting your plant hire supplier to transport the machinery where you need it. Also, you can leave the responsibility to them when it comes to legal paperwork such as movement notices.
Pay your credit invoices- Another easy way to save money on your hire overall is to pay your invoices on time. Some suppliers charge interest on missed payments leading to accounts becoming frozen. In short, always keep on top of your orders and payments.
Hire Equipment to Save Money Don’ts
If you are planning to save as much money as you can on your hired equipment, you should bear these simple “don’t’s” in mind.
Off-hire without assessing- It is important to off-hire your machinery only when you have completely FINISHED with it. It is always worth assessing your project before agreeing to do so. If you need the equipment in the next few days, it may be worth hanging on to it instead of off-hiring it. The longer you hire a particular piece of equipment, the cheaper per day it will work out for.
Forget about the equipment- Dealing with multiple different aspects of a project, including the added risk factors that are introduced in Autumn. Forgetting hired equipment is more common than you might first have thought. Failure to do so will rack up a bill that can be difficult for some businesses to cough up.
Ordering from the wrong depot- Sometimes a simple lap in concentration can be costly. That is why when it comes to ordering, you should always do it from the most local depot to your location. Most transport quotes are calculated in distance from the depot you are ordering from. The farther the distance the more the transport costs are. Therefore, always locate your most local plant hire depot and order from them directly.
Choose a supplier without proper vetting- Sometimes when in a hurry we can just pick out the easiest and most convenient solution. When it comes to your supplier, this is something you should never shrug on. You always need to know who you are working with, the benefits of working with them, the quality of the machinery, the cost and so on. Sometimes hiring blind can have huge financial setbacks.
Where to save money on your plant hire equipment this Autumn?
If you are looking to save money on your plant hire equipment this Autumn, then the team at WHC Hire can help you. With our wealth of industry knowledge, we can help you identify the right equipment at the right price for your project. We service thousands of clients per year from our three depots in Worcester’s Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. With our large, high-performance fleet we are committed to help you get the job done. For more information get in touch on 016843779977 or check out our full range of hire equipment online now.