Hire and Rental News - May 2018

ACCESS in ACTION New off-highway telematics solution from Skyjack rolls out Following the announcement by the Trump administration to impose US tariffs on imported steel and aluminium Terex Corporation has notified all its customers it will add a steel cost surcharge on its equipment. The cost of steel has rapidly escalated, with steel futures prices for the remainder of 2018 roughly 40% higher than steel prices were in Q4 2017 when Terex planned and set its prices for the year. “Steel prices have been rising steadily for several months, and this (tariff imposition) action drove prices even higher, reaching heights not seen in many years,” John Garrison, President and CEO of Terex Corporation said. “The longer term impact of the trade action is uncertain, but the inflationary impact on steel prices and related components is already increasing our product cost,” John said. 34 ACCESS IN ACTION • MAY 2018 Terex imposes steel surcharge in line with US tariffs However, the company will not increase its base prices. “Instead, we will be adding a steel cost surcharge on our equipment. The surcharge will cover a portion of our cost increases and will remain separate and transparent from our base prices. As the price of steel normalises, we will adjust or remove the surcharge,” John said.  Matt Fearon, President, Terex Aerial Work Platforms said commodity cost increases of this magnitude were not anticipated. “Genie simply cannot absorb these costs, so we are applying a 3.5% surcharge on all new orders, effective 14 March, 2018. We will honour all firm orders in place and in our backlog. Outstanding quotes not backed by purchase orders will receive the surcharge. Fabricated parts will be adjusted accordingly. We will monitor the situation and adjust the surcharge as steel prices normalise,” Matt said. John Garrison said: “We regret we have been forced to take this action. As a global manufacturer, we value free and fair markets and see the imposition of these tariffs as a significant source of friction in the global economy. It is particularly frustrating to have these added costs imposed now, creating unnecessary headwinds at a time when markets are trending favourably.”  Visit: www.terex.com With over 7,000 pre-launch units ordered Skyjack has started delivering off-the- line products equipped with Elevate globally. Skyjack’s approach to telematics is to incorporate customer goals into its own to create a solution that’s fully customised for off-highway fleets. Long-standing Skyjack customer, BlueLine Rental became the first company in North America to receive Elevate equipped machines and has ordered Elevate on all its Skyjack units for 2018. The solution includes two mobile- first apps, Elevate ON and Elevate GO, which will enable BlueLine personnel to digitally access critical fleet data directly from the field. Dutch international rental company Boels Rental became Skyjack’s European launch customer for Elevate when it placed an order for 3,000 Skyjack machines, all to be equipped with Skyjack’s Elevate solution. “We were looking for solutions to benefit our customers and for a method to better track utilisation, remotely assist our customers and troubleshoot our machines,” Guy Cremer, Boels Director Fleet Operations said. Skyjack’s new Elevate off-highway telematics solution (powered by Trackunit), launched at The Rental Show in New Orleans is now being delivered on its off-the-line machines on a variety of Skyjack equipment. “A key element of Skyjack’s Elevate is the provision of API communication so we don’t have to reinvent our business processes and can have the system integrate into our existing ERP,” Guy said. Boels now can monitor and manage machines remotely, spot service requirements in advance, provide customers with remote troubleshooting, battery pack management, and verification of the machine’s location. “In developing Elevate we wanted to remove the barriers to adoption that have beset other telematics systems. Leaving behind the inheritance of on-highway based systems and offering a true off- highway model with an appropriate cost structure was key,” Malcolm Early, Vice President of Marketing at Skyjack said. “Previous telematics products have shown a low return on investment for smaller assets like DC scissors, which contributed to the previously low adoption rate. The fact this order is applicable in large part to DC scissors shows a whole fleet solution is now available,” Malcolm said. David Swan, Product Manager Technology for Skyjack said: “In a fast moving environment with multiple customer touch points any fleet management system needs to go beyond just telematics and so we developed mobile applications, Elevate ON and Elevate GO, which elevate safety, productivity and utilisation for our rental company customers. “The adoption of telematics with a mobile first approach is an example of a leading practice offered by Elevate, which bolsters rental companies’ commitment to pragmatic technology, and improves business processes,” David said. Visit www.skyjack.com/elevate Dutch international rental company Boels Rental was Skyjack’s European launch customer for Elevate