Everybody needs a back-up plan for something sooner or later. What’s yours for when your equipment goes down?
| 5 WAYS RENTING HELPS REDUCE DOWNTIME: |
source: Rental Service Corporation |
Knowing equipment failure can mess up a project and cost a lot of money, you should always have an effective contingency plan for those kinds of emergencies. However, many contractors aren’t prepared with a reliable source to call if they need equipment in a hurry. They’re gambling that their machinery will simply work well when they need it, but not everybody is that lucky.
“We’ve had to provide concrete equipment for crews when their own equipment went down, because they needed something ASAP,” says Larry Pearce, area fleet manager for RSC Equipment Rental. “If you’re on a job and don’t have buggies or things to work the concrete when it’s poured, you’re in trouble.”
“We do a lot of intense labor, and it’s lost if our equipment breaks,” agrees Scott Panek of Minuti-Ogle Drywall in Oakdale, Minn. “When that happens, we need quick response.”
Rental companies have come to expect those last-minute calls when a customer needs replacement equipment right away. But unless you’re dealing with an established, reputable provider, the unit you rent may not be that reliable, either.
In addition to providing customers with the right equipment when they need it, rental providers can also minimize their customer’s downtime by maintaining equipment, including following manufacturers specifications and implementing satellite technology for tracking equipment.
To further assure customers of dependable performance, rental companies can usually provide newer equipment in its rental fleets. Machines with fewer hours naturally tend to be in better condition and are less likely to go down.
Efforts to minimize downtime are essential, but it’s also important to know the rental company you choose will respond quickly if any problems occur with its equipment.
Smaller rental providers don’t typically have that depth, but a larger company should be able to dispatch a mechanic to your project site as soon as possible, or if necessary, deliver a replacement piece of equipment.
“Great service is a key reason for why we rent with particular rental companies,” said Dyane Anderson, superintendent of Advanced Masonry Restoration in St. Paul, Minn. “If we ever have problems with the equipment, they come to our site immediately and fix it.”
This is the real world and downtime happens, but with a solid back-up plan for equipment, you can minimize its effects. Talk to a reputable rental company in your area and see what they offer. Because you never know when you’ll need help.