Crosshire

We need to network

Executive Hire News, May 2009                                    Go to main Crosshire page

From time to time, one of our team is prone to the odd bout of pessimism, which in the current economic climate manifests itself in mumblings of woe reminiscent of the Dad’s Army character Private Fraser’s assertion that “we’re all doomed”. I will be the first to admit that our yard currently has more metal parked up than I would like, but then so have all of us. What is clear to me, however, is that there is definitely work out there and the proof is evident most mornings on my twenty or so mile journey into work.

Unless my competitors have taken to loading machines on their trucks and driving them around town just to free up a bit of space in their yards, plant and equipment is evidently being delivered and collected on a daily basis. During my journey to the office this morning, I counted no fewer than 17 items of plant or access machines on the backs of lorries, plus several small diggers on trailers, all with hire company markings, whizzing around town between 7.00 and 7.30am. Proof indeed that there is life - and therefore potential revenue - still out there! 

A local competitor who is prone to the odd moan about the state of business called recently to ask me if I knew whether it was possible to get zip fasteners for security fences. He was fed up with replacing his following regular attacks from those nice travelling people. My suggested remedies involving the National Grid or unfriendly dogs were dismissed, so the chat turned to the state of trade or, in his case, the lack of it. I asked if he had noticed that competitors were still active, or whether the black tinted glass in his flashy motor prevent him observing such early morning events? His response was that most of the business being done nowadays was at very reduced prices!

Of course, times don’t have to be hard for moans or cut prices. One thing that is missing at the present time, however, is the opportunity for hiremen and women to express their views and suggestions to each other and to their suppliers - who, incidentally, are probably in a tighter trading situation than most of us. I consider that it is time for a little more practical, membership supporting activity from our industry associations. Many of you have expressed the view to me and other EHN team members that certain industry bodies are more concerned with grandiose schemes that perpetuate and expand their full time establishment, rather than addressing the day-to-day concerns of their members.

I note with interest that IPAF has recently restarted hirers’ meetings in order to allow grass roots input. Like the HAE meetings of yesteryear, this should allow discussion and provide an opportunity for networking on a regional basis. Another outlet that is available for hirers is the Forum provided by EHN through the Executive Hire Club, and that is generating some very useful discussions. However, it is no substitute for a good face-to-face meeting.

In these times when hirers large and small have lots of genuine concerns about issues such as rising costs, they do not really want to see an association that is supposed to be looking out for their interests toadying up to officialdom to support new regulations that will cost them money. Nor is it in our interests to find associations that we all pay fees to competing for members by duplicating benefits and services. Am I alone in believing that we could do with a more visible effort from our trade bodies in promoting the benefits of the hire industry to a wider market place?

 

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