Not just Hewden, Speedy were offering a similar deal with a 25% discount on the rate being paid! Sad sad times

Any hire company that even considers buying a CAT product (right down to their boots) wants their head examining if this is how a CAT subsidary company behaves. CPA members should be calling for them to be expelled from the Association. It is time for leadership by example. Hewden did have a great pedigree, the current management have proved themselves bankrupt of ideas and incapable of managing in the face of challenging times. It won't be long before they cease to exist in their present form... you only have to look at the history of our industry over the past fifty years to see what happens to companies that head down the road that Hewden are now following.

What can one say? The big boys seem intent on driving our whole industry in to a low wage, low return sector. All of them, with maybe the exception of Hire Station, seem to have no route out of their circumstances other than to drive rates further and further down; 25% off, return to sender(bet the amoeba that thought that up is pleased with him/herself), hire one get one free etc. etc. Surely with the financial and marketing muscle that these companies have they can get to the bottom of why they are losing out. I think I know, but unless they offer me a large consultancy fee, I'm not going to tell them. One of the best hire companies I've ever seen, Kennards in Oz, see it as their job, as market leader, to set the standards in the industry, both in price and quality. They modeled themselves on the Lister Fielding type HSS. Our industry now has as market leaders a bunch of market trader type cowboys intent on not just shooting themselves in the foot but trying to wound a whole industry before they go down!

I have to add my two pennies worth, while the impotent Hewden offer will peter out and disappear having upset the majority of independants and some nationals, speedy are as additionally inept at a sales tactic, we have to ask ourselves where this is going to lead?

It's certainly de-valueing (an already de-valued) industry... they (hewden / Speedy / Hss) are going to have to work twice as hard to stand still... their kit is getting older / they are selling vehicles by the dozen .... this will lead to a much poorer service from companies that already heamorrhage customers because of crap kit, poor service, unaswered phones, non returned calls, crap invoices and queries.... It's a shame because I for one looked at these companies and liked thier original values and ideas, but now they are desperate dying animals that are seriously going to have to re-think, reorganise before it's too late!

ive been out and about this week calling on the sites trying to drum up business. i cannot believe the deals that are being banded about. some GREEDY company is going around offering 75-80% discount off their hire rates. keep wrecking the industry. the customers complain to me that they are not getting the service that they would like!!! surprise, surprise.but they are in a tied in deal etc etc etc etc etc. yawn yawn . action needs to be taken. hopefully we will have less players in the market in next few months. i might go and buy hss. ive got a quid in my pocket. i hope elvis sues hewden for not gaining permission in using his image in an advert.

hope you are all well.(independants)

mat

No hire company needs to adopt these suicidal tactics. Such policies do NOT create business but threaten both jobs and profit. I remember wise words from Peter Lancken (MD of Kennards in Australia) who said that as one of Oz's leading hire companies they felt they should be amongst the dearest not the cheapest. I can't believe that trade associations support this kind of discounting which only serves to undermine their membership. I would advise the CPA and the HAE to take a lead and withdraw membership from members taking this approach.

Sadly, I am not surprised by Hewden's actions!
Yet another national hirer is throwing logic out of the window and lowering themselves to the lowest common denominator. These companies do not need sales professionals to convince customers of quality of kit, service and support. Trained chimps could go out and spout such poorly thought out sales rhetoric!!!
Surely there must be someone sat at board level within these companies that has severe reservations about what is going on?!? For the good of the hire industry, now is the time to stand up and be counted!

These large companies are being run by accountants and people from outside the industry, who tend to do stupid things like this when times get tough.
Senior managers at these larger companies do not care one iota about their employees, customers or the industry in general. Everyone is inert, just trying to hang on to a job and accepting every daft idea that comes about!
In my experience customers who take advantage of these types of deals are “switchers” who follow the rate in good times and bad. These guys are pretty adversarial, use and abuse and get the same back in most cases.
There are plenty of customers out there who are decent, intelligent and know that all of this nonsense is just a distraction to getting on with business.
Hewden, Speedy, GE and all the rest of the “BIG” company hirers should take a good look at themselves..................

As an ex-employee of two of the three majors, I have seen some daft stunts in my time, but Elvis the Pelvis doesnt seem like a likely bed partner for a hire company. Who have they got thinking these up! I left the industry because of bad wages, ridiculous hours, and the facts that I respected my customers; and hated the poor service we were being forced to offer. I respected my customers and my integrity more than the people in Head Office who thought up stunts / scams / policies that were to the detriment of the industry, and the respectability of myself, staff, and to the industry I loved. They need to wake up and get a clue, Local Managers are not glorified Hire Controllers with no say in anything, and no mind of their own, they know the business, the potential, the customers, and the prices you can get, but by limiting all that to daft promotions they will lose money, lose customer and lose all credibility!

....we all know how the star of their campaign ended...

Ive been in the tool hire industry 35 years,working for and owning independant tool hire companies.this move from HEWDEN is nothing new,some of you i know ,will recall some of the stupid things that have been done by the large hire companies,Lets get one thing straight here the UK tool hire market was started many years ago by such independant names as M&J ENGINEERS,Magnum plant hire, Access Plant ,etc etc ,The independeant tool hire is a powerfull force , lets keep it that way.We all have to be flexable in our approach to business, but dont what ever you do prostitute yourself, leave that for the big boy to do,and remember the old saying ,Dont be affraid of the opposition but always be aware of them,lets hope they carry on ,it will do us independant a favour in the long run,

As an old timer who has been in tool hire since 1978 it really is no suprise. I can't see why everyone is getting so het up! It always happens in difficult times - too much plant chasing too few customers = prices drop. It's not just tool & plant hire. Any business where most of your cost is fixed will discount their prices in tough times - hotels, airlines, car hire etc. Independents should keep their nerve & stress their strengths - local knowledge, quality of equipment, willingness to go the extra mile, being fair on losses & damages etc. Price is an important factor in deciding who to hire from - but not the only one. I know that independents give superior service to nationals - we see it every day at The Hire Network. Independents should be more confident & spend more of their time talking to their customers & less of their time worrying about what their competitors are up to! Specific to the Hewden campaign - most hires are well short of 3 weeks anyway & by the time you add in 2 extra transport charges in many cases the deal won't make any financial sense to the customer.

I think its great news, it just proves what a mess Hewden are in. who ever sanctioned this
needs relieving of his duties. If this is the competitions remedy I dont think we have anything
to fear.

As a former employee (service engineer) of Hewdens this situaton does not suprise me at all.
Idiotic decisions by upper managment could have only lead to this inevitable, sad postion they find themselves in today.
The guys on the ground i.e everyone up to depot managers are treated as numbers by upper mamagment and are under extreme pressure to produce the quarterly figures that area managers and above dictate, no matter how un-obtanable and dream like they may be.
Cat Finning knew what was happening, hence the sale to Speedy....a company that entered the market by aggressive undercutting of all others, that is the only way they win business.
I think that, In the long term, this will be the demise of both companys, especially in this current financial situation. RIP Hewdens!

HEWDEN is an absolute joke of a company!! The marketing have not got a clue what they are doing apart from running promotions that usually end up affecting their own customer base, idiots!!! Then they send trained chimps to go out and deliver catalogues for over £20k a year!!! They are under serious threat of complete collapse and i believe Finnings / Hewden will eventually lose all the sales force at ground level and just concentrate on the national accounts as this is the business that may keep the company afloat!

I have good inside knowledge that Hewden will be undertaking another cost cutting restructure, where all Area Sales Managers will be made redundant. The major accounts will be managed, and the smaller accounts will be looked after by telesales / marketing or depot manager if representation is required. This will again result in the demise of the customer base which Hewden is desperately clinging on to as the smaller independant companies are offering far better service / account management. The Regional Sales have no idea what they are doing, and all the Area Sales Managers are doing is a box ticking exercise on Movex which looks good on statistical reports but is not the back to basics sales drive the company needs. What was once a good company has now been ruined by mismanagement from Finnings personel

As an employee of Hewden I feel I need to set the record straight. I am involved in sales and I think this promotion has had the competition worried! Hewden offer more products than any other hire company, you need it - you got it!!! Although the marketing department could do with some new ideas, as it has been managed by someone, who in my opinion, is reaching his sell by date. Hewden will weather the storm, although the Finning and CAT personel dont appear to be in tune with how the rental business works, the continued success has been down to the guys like me at ground level. There is also in my opinion, poor depot management issues that need resolving, they are from an 'educated' background, myself much preferring the old school type who doesnt mind rolling their sleeves up and getting their hands dirty. Yes, we are not perfect, but with a change of personel in various areas Hewden will be number 1 again!!!!