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HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • AUGUST 2016
EQUIPMENT SHOWCASE
Hire agreements, service jobs, receipts,
customer records, etc were all manual
processes not too long ago. But now,
innovation and new ideas are thought of
and developed as quickly as the issues
are identified or sometimes sooner.
Software companies can no longer
present a basic hire system and expect
it to be ‘good enough’. The hire industry
has experienced more ups and downs
in the past 10 years than in the previous
40 and with this, the need to be agile,
responsive and provide new innovative
and superior customer service is at the
heart of the companies that will succeed
no matter what the economic climate.
It is need that subsequently drives
software development. It is essential for
software companies to understand their
customers from how they operate to the
challenges they face. This understanding
will assist in anticipating potential needs
or ways in which they can help provide a
competitive advantage.
This should result in improving
productivity, reducing costs, improving
the hire company’s customer experience,
managing assets or general streamlining
of the business process.
Software has already created and driven
the move towards paperless operations,
real-time reporting, field service mobility,
rental mobility, dashboard metrics
reporting, fully integrated financials
and more. So the need to have multiple
systems or ‘bolt on’ modules should be
a thing of the past. The real key is it is
the hire industry that has consciously or
sub-consciously provided the inspiration
for the constant development of new and
better software.
We should all remember it was only 20
odd years ago we didn’t have an internet;
mobile phones were bricks that could
barely be called mobile and technicians
and sales people would call in from a
phone box to get their messages or
next job. In reality, what we see today is
staggering in terms of development and
the advances just keep coming.
Changing face of software in the hire industry
By Andrew Satterley, Global CEO, Baseplan Software
Constant is the word that comes to mind when thinking about the changing face of
software in the hire industry. I remember how cool I thought it was when we first
replaced a manual stock management spreadsheet with an Excel one and then, when
it was cutting edge to have stock management built into your software, eliminating the
need for spreadsheets.
Over the next period of time you can
expect more sweeping innovations like:
• Smart enabled hire equipment that can
automatically process hire returns, log
breakdowns and trigger usage based
invoices;
• Counter-less hire operations whereby
100% of the hire processes are
completed in the field or online;
• Pricing, costing (depreciation) and
maintenance scheduling that will all
automatically adjust based on dynamic
profiling of business activities.
The software industry will continue to
innovate on the back of the needs of
the hire industry and the reality is the
changing face of software is constant
change. The successful software
companies will be, and are the ones that
embrace the industry they work in and
realise a ‘one size fits all’ product will not
stand the test of time.
Andrew started hiring forklifts 30 years
ago and has been associated with the
hire industry ever since, through roles
leading blue chip industrial companies.
Contact: 1300 837 142 or visit website:
www.baseplan.com.au
The Kennards Hire Rally Australia will
take place in Coffs Harbour from 17–20
November. The event will encompass
300kms of shire and forestry roads
surrounding the Coffs Harbour region.
NSW General Manager Darren Simmons
is excited to be sponsoring the final stop
of the FIAWorld Championship Tour
and pleased to have the opportunity
to place Kennards Hire equipment and
services in the global spotlight - with
the logistics and setup of the event’s
infrastructure keeping thebrand promise
to make our customers job easy.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing our
capabilities and expertise to this
partnership with Rally Australia.
Kennards Hire will provide the
equipment and facilities for the
competitive stages, competitor service
areas, international media centres,
spectator areas and much more,” Darren
said.
Kennards Hire has signed a two-year
deal with Rally Australia as the naming
Kennards Hire starts its engines
Kennards Hire has a new sponsorship agreement with
the FIA World Rally Championship – ‘Kennards Hire Rally
Australia’. Kennards Hire is the naming sponsor and will
supply the vast majority of equipment and infrastructure
required for the event.
sponsor. The event is also backed
by Destination NSW. The Kennards
Hire Rally Australia in November
will see approximately 61 million
television viewers tune in to watch the
action across one of Australia’s most
picturesque stretches of countryside.
For more information about Rally
Australia visit: www.rallyaustralia.com.au
or visit: www.kennards.com.au
Jim Green from Kennards Hire Coffs Harbour and
Wayne Kenny - Rally Australia