Hire and Rental News - May 2019

RENTAL SOLUTIONS 1300 1ALTEC | altecaus.com.au SALES | RENTALS | REBUILDS | SERVICE | PARTS •EWPs and Cranes •EWPs ranging in height from 11-70m •Optional spring lock- outs •Ideal for NBN work •Available for long or short term hire •Nationwide service AT37G - 13m AT30G - 11m TA45S - 16m Crane Borer The decision to outsource is most often driven by a desire for cost efficiency, reduced risks associated with plant ownership and a perceived shortage of skills. Achieving success in a dynamic rental industry According to Dean Flach, General Manager at Altec Australia, the demand for cost efficiency and flexibility has been the cornerstone of the rental industry since its inception. “T hese value propositions are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago and perhaps even more so as markets become increasingly unpredictable,” Dean said. “Altec Australia’s clients are mainly focused on the utility and vegetation management sectors. We have seen a couple of emerging trends that have a direct impact on their business model and have seen growth in Altec’s rental business. “In the past five years, the Australian and New Zealand markets have demonstrated a significant shift to an outsourcing model by utilities and local councils. It is important to note this does not occur to the same extent across all regions, but it is a far more common trend than was previously experienced. “The decision to outsource is most often driven by a desire for cost efficiency, reduced risks associated with plant ownership and a perceived shortage of skills. This is great news for contractors, but they operate in an increasingly competitive and dynamic market which can prove to be very challenging,” Dean said. “Historically utility contractors were typically assured of a contract period of five years, with options to extend and this was the market norm. This is no longer the case, with many contracts now running from year to year or for just two or three years. Utility sector clients (electricity and telecommunications) have high demands in terms of safety requirements and particularly in the niche sector of insulated equipment, contractors can find it difficult to justify the cost of this specialised equipment. “Altec Australia is focused on providing insulated equipment to the market with speciality products for utilities, vegetation management and telecoms companies. The Altec rental fleet composition has been designed to reflect the needs of the market and we have seen a significant increase in demand for our AT30G and AT37 units – which are particularly well placed for the NBN,” Dean said. “The NBN infrastructure deployment deadline is set for 2020 and there has been a significant uptick in activity with works packages constantly being released. The scope of these packages can vary significantly and in most cases the work is being sub-contracted to smaller contractors who require flexible equipment solutions. Altec has worked extensively to ensure our fleet matches these requirements and we are able to provide nationwide service support which has further cemented the success of our rental division.” n Visit: www.altecaus.com.au HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS MAY 2019 P55 INDUSTRY IN FOCUS