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What's your focus?

Clair Urbain photo
Clair Urbain, editor

Welcome to 2018!

Coming off of a strong year in 2017 with the economy in general and in the construction rental business specifically, 2018 has some great momentum behind it.

How do you plan to capitalize on that momentum? For some, it is diversification by expanding into other rental categories; for others, it is increasing their footprint in an already-established field, gaining market share and increasing equipment populations in specific product categories.

It was interesting to interview part of the management team at Central Power Systems & Services.

Unlike many rental centers, it’s not a scoop-to-nuts operation. Instead, it focuses on electrical and diesel power and is well known as a first-rate supplier of rental power generation equipment. Many of its customers rely on Central Power equipment as their prime source of power. That means 24/7 operation and 24/7 service and support. Remote operations rely on its equipment and service for critical power; any interruption can quickly turn into financial and deadly losses.

To meet the critical power needs of its customers, Central Power has focused on developing a responsive service network to assure equipment uptime. That focus means continued success for them.

Another point to ponder in 2018 is how your rental center will approach the coming changes to the aerial work platform (soon to be known as mechanical elevated work platform) standards. Models built one year after the effective date will have different capabilities than pre-ANSI standard models. This will create a split in rental fleets similar to the effect that Tier 4-Final engine adoption had on rental fleets.

How will you position pre-and post-standard units? How will you price them? Promote them to your customer base? Now is the time to focus on developing a strategy so you are best positioned to take advantage of the new models. While some customers may eschew the newer models, others may embrace them as a way to make job sites safer. You can read more about the coming changes (which may be in place as early as this January) on page 42.

Wishing you and your company the needed focus and resulting success in 2018!

Best regards,

Clair Urbain, Editor

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