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Serving the Canadian rental industry for 43 years.
4
EDITORIAL
No one is happy after the last election.
When it comes to telematics data, focus is better than volume. 10
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Husqvarna buys Wacker power trowels...Nasato to Western Global...SMS carrying Bomag...
24 MORE VS. IMPORTANT
9 Q3 CANADIAN RENTAL RATE REPORT
26 SOFTWARE SHOWCASE
Make better use of your company’s information with these new software products.
19 AT YOUR SERVICE
A good referral beats maximum effort on your part. by Russ Dantu
10 A RAPID RISE
Veteran rental people hit the ground running in Mississauga.
28 SAFETY FIRST AND LAST Knowledge AND skill needed for safe operations. by Jeff Thorne
No one happy
There really weren’t any winners in the federal election.
The federal election is over and I don’t suspect anyone is happy except possibly the Bloc Quebecois, who picked up just about all the support the NDP had built in Quebec. The Liberals paid the price for the scandals emitting from the PMO in the form of losing their majority, but the Conservatives were unable to pick off a severely wounded government.
The Conservatives seemed to be running a make-no-mistakes campaign, not releasing a platform until the last minute and restricting Scheer to statments that might have come out of an automated political rhetoric generator. On paper, it made sense what with a first-time leader and an incumbent that looked set to self-immolate. But the old adage in football is that the only thing a prevent defense does is prevent you from winning. As the only party running on a pro-business platform (sorry, M. Bernier, you never really achieved relevance) it would have been nice to hear the Conservatives articulate more clearly how they were going to be different from the others. Not that the horrible debate format allowed for that. There was no time given for anything but zingers and the amount of cross-talk just made the thing unwatchable.
Regardless, one thing emerged from it all: the majority of this country still supports free-spending government and action against climate change. What does this mean for the rental industry?
I have to say I was sickened by the spectacle of the leaders (Bernier and Scheer excepted) competing with one another
There are two ways to browse our extensive new product reviews on canadianrentalservice.com. You can select a top-level category like Compact Equipment or Concrete from the home page drop-down menu. Or you can select All Categories from the the drop down and view a page with dozens of specific sub-categories. Depends if you just want to see what’s new, or look for exactly what you want.
It’s our Twitter handle. Use it. Follow it. Love it. There’s no better way to see updates when we post new content and to get links we share to other great industry content..
by Patrick Flannery
for the title of who would damage Alberta and Saskatchewan the most. Four of the five leaders in the debate took turns making stronger and stronger statements against pipelines and the Alberta oil industry generally, with Blanchet finally challenging Trudeau to promise no pipeline would cross Quebec. Thanks to the format, Bernier never really got into the topic, but Scheer missed a golden opportunity to make a ringing endorsement of western energy and all the benefits it brings us all. Not that he needed to – the Conservatives swept the west anyway leaving an entire region of the country with no representation in federal government. I can only imagine how Albertans must have felt watching the industry that provides so many of your jobs maligned in this way. Rental stores in Alberta and Saskatchewan are now looking at the prospect of no relief from the endless court cases and throttling regulations that are holding their economies back. We published a lot of stories in this magazine four or five years ago about western rental stores making their fortunes in the booming oil sands. It feels like those stories are going to stay on hold for a while longer. I know, I know...climate change. You could shut down the entire Canadian oil industry tomorrow and not make the slightest difference. Sorry, but that’s what the science says.
Even with a minority government, it does seem that carbon taxes will be with us going forward given the apparently broad support across the country for the parties advertising them. In the short term, that will mean continued high fuel prices. How long before attention turns to fossil fuel-burning construction equipment of all kinds? Perhaps moving sooner rather than later to update your diesel and gasoline-powered machinery is advisable. And taking another look at the growing catalogue of electric options – particularly if some rebates and incentives get attached.
It’s jarring for those of us who remember the deficit panics of the early ‘90s to see the cavalier attitude displayed by governments toward deficits and debt today. Every single party in the election ran on a platform loaded with new spending. That can only mean taxes are ultimately going in the direction they always go: up. The silver lining is that if those taxes fund public work projects, rental stores can get in on the action. So there’s one reason at least why rental stores might be happy today. CRS
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HUSQVARNA BUYS WACKER’S POWER TROWEL BUSINESS
Husqvarna Group’s construction division has acquired Wacker Neuson’s concrete power trowel business.
“Power trowels complement our current range in a great way, connecting the entire process from ground compaction to polished concrete floors, and fits well into our divisional strategy to grow our concrete surfaces and floors business. With the addition of the ride-on trowels we will now have a complete offering for concrete surfacing and polishing which will add great value to our customers,” says Henric Andersson, president of Husqvarna’s construction division.
Husqvarna Group is acquiring all the product, R&D and manufacturing assets relating to walk-behind and ride-on concrete power trowels. Sales in the power trowel segment in 2018 amounted to about $21 million. A Husqvarna product range will be launched early in 2020. As part of the agreement Husqvarna Group will manufacture power trowels in parallel on Wacker Neuson’s behalf.
TURNER TAKES OVER AS IPAF PRESIDENT
Norty Turner has been named the new president of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), after Brad Boehler decided to step down having recently left his role with Skyjack. United Rentals’ Turner steps up from deputy president in a move confirmed at the latest meeting of the IPAF Council. Karin Nars of Dinolift assumes the role of deputy president and Karel Huijser of JLG is named IPAF vice-president. Andy Studdert, IPAF’s interim CEO, said, “We’d like to thank Brad for all the work he’s done and wish him well in his future career. We’re pleased to welcome Norty, Karin and Karel into their new roles. IPAF will continue to promote the safe and effective use of powered access worldwide under the leadership of its updated presidential team.”
MCDOUGALL BACK AS PRESIDENT OF SKYJACK
Ken McDougall, who previously served as Skyjack president, will return to the position. McDougall comes with in-depth knowledge of Skyjack’s corporate values, the industry, and its customers. McDougall replaces Brad Boehler. Skyjack’s release said Boehler played an integral role in setting Skyjack up for the success and growth that it’s experienced over the past few years and it’s grateful to him for his leadership. Looking forward, Skyjack has new products being introduced within the next few years and McDougall says he is excited to bolster those product launches and continue to work with the team at Skyjack to develop innovative yet simple and reliable solutions for rental companies worldwide.
NASATO JOINS WESTERN GLOBAL
Western Global has welcomed Dean Nasato as regional sales manager for its rental and equipment division in Canada. He will provide support for Canadian customers. The rental and equipment division was formed by Western Global in early 2019 and Nasato will be the first dedicated rental representative in the Canadian region. Nasato brings more than 30 years of experience to his new role, with previous positions in rental equipment sales and general construction equipment sales.
“I’ve been selling construction equipment to the rental industry for the last 20 years,” Nasato said. “I’m excited to venture into a new product line. Fuel tank storage solutions have been around for years, but demand is definitely emerging as people understand their value. I’m looking forward to supporting that growth.”
Nasato most recently spent 19 years at Wacker Neuson as a district manager, selling construction equipment to the rental channel. Prior to that, he held a sales role at Atlas Copco (previously Kango) where he sold general construction equipment.
ONTARIO LAUNCHES CONSTRUCTION ADVISORY PANEL
The Ontario government is partnering with the construction sector by establishing a special advisory panel to provide advice on a broad range of workplace issues. The Construction Advisory Panel will provide input on issues of interest in the construction sector to the Minister of Labour. Issues could include labour and employment law; the rise of new equipment and technologies; workplace health and safety; and injury prevention. The panel will provide an opportunity for the minister to hear the different perspectives and concerns from construction industry partners.In order to get proper buy-in of both labour and management, it is important that a balance be struck between these groups. For this reason, the panel will be made up of between eight and 12 members, including at least one employee or employer representative from the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector; at least two employee or employer representatives from the six other sectors of the construction industry; and at least two employee or employer representatives from industry labour groups, employer groups or associations. The panel will complement the work of other organizations, including the Construction Health and Safety Action Plan Advisory Group.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
WILSON RISES TO COO AT STEPHENSON’S
After 65 years of servicing professional contractors in Canada, Stephenson’s Rental Services has announced a new executive structure aimed at accelerating market share gains it has experienced since announcing a new ownership structure in late 2017. After completing a management buyout, equipped with a strong financial backing and a recognized brand, Stephenson’s has continued to aggressively re-invest in fleet, locations, team members and technology. The next step in the growth plan is to appoint Rob Wilson, former vice-president of fleet services, to the newly created role of chief operating officer.
MANULIFT OPENS NEW FACILITY
Manulift has opened a $10 million operations centre in the Greater Toronto Area, strategically situated on the QEW in Stoney Creek, Ont., to bring a high level of service and supply to the area. The company is proud to be a supplier to the Canadian Armed Forces and is contributing to the construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT – an $8 billion project that will provide Toronto with a new world-class light rail system by 2021.
“We are privileged and honoured to participate in the development of projects like the LRT in Toronto and we will be there as the Queen City continues to grow,” commented Martin Drolet, president of Manulift.
The state-of-the-art Manulift service centre in Stoney Creek covers some 30,000 square feet. It is designed to cater to the needs of clients who work in building, tunneling, mining, public works, recycling and other industries.
“The addition of Manulift Stoney Creek to our facilities in Calgary, Montreal and Quebec City and our national distribution network will allow us to accelerate our growth over the next five years,” Drolet said.
Since joining Stephenson’s in 2003, Wilson has progressed within the organization and leveraged his outstanding analytical skills to maximize the impact of the company’s fleet and expand its specialty divisions, including fencing, scaffolding and heating products. Guy Manuel, president and CEO, commented, “This change will enable me to focus more of my attention on strategic growth opportunities outside of the day-to-day activities as we pull forward our plan to double the company once again. This structure is a move that continues to amalgamate the role of both sales and operations into a cohesive team enabling quicker decision-making at the field level.”
JOINING FORCES TO LIFT SALES
MasonLift has partnered with Atlas Polar to create a new authorized sales and service dealer network for HIAB cranes, Moffett forklifts and Multilift Hooklifts in British Columbia. The new company, ML Truck Equipment, will be based in Abbotsford and supported by MasonLift service locations across the province. Creating a new venture to sell and service truck-mounted equipment in B.C. was natural for the two companies. They have served the market for 70 and nearly 80 years, respectively.
“Atlas Polar introduced the first articulated truck-mounted crane to Canada – an HIAB – in 1953, and never looked back”, said Bob Parr, president. “Partnering with MasonLift to create the sole distributor in B.C. for HIAB, Moffett, and Multilift brands was the perfect relationship. Our new relationship with MasonLift is equally smart, logical and practical.”
MasonLift will continue to provide sales, rentals, and certified, factory-trained service to forklift customers in British Columbia’s through its 10 service centres and will provide the certified service for the HIAB brands. ML-Truck-Equipment will specialize in truck-mounted equipment, and will be the sole authorized dealer for HIAB, Moffett, and Multilift in British Columbia.
SMS TO CARRY BOMAG AND CEMEN TECH
SMS Equipment has announced dealership agreements with two manufacturers: Bomag and Cemen Tech. SMS Equipment will sell and support Bomag compaction, milling, paving and reclaiming/stabilizing equipment for roadbuilding and construction. It will also sell and support Cemen Tech mobile concrete mixers, stationary concrete mixers and cement storage silos for roadbuilding and construction. These dealership agreements expand SMS Equipment’s road construction product offerings across its 38-branch Canadawide network and pave the way for growth in the Canadian roadbuilding and construction market.
SMS Equipment president and CEO, Mike Granger, said,
“Both Bomag and Cemen Tech share our commitment to customer value, product innovation and helping our customers thrive, and we look forward to growth through these dealership agreements.”
“We are pleased with this new relationship and are proud to welcome SMS Equipment’s branches into the Bomag network,” said Rob Mueckler, president of BOMAG Americas.
“The relationship reflects Cemen Tech’s long-term goal to expand and strengthen its North American dealer network by partnering with seasoned, expert dealerships, ” said Connor Deering, CEO and president of Cemen Tech.
EquipmentWatch is a trusted source for heavy equipment data and intelligence, producing leading database information products for the construction equipment industry. It is a world leader in heavy construction research and serves more than 15,000 professional, high-volume users of construction and lift-truck data. Find more heavy equipment intelligence at equipmentwatch.com.
Cross-Canada Rate Report
The Cross-Canada Rate Report is provided to Canadian Rental Service as a free service to the Canadian rental industry. Rate data shown are national averages generated by quarterly surveys of 325 Canadian rental stores. For in-depth analysis and a chance to interact with EquipmentWatch researchers, tune in to the next Counter Talks podcast. See canadianrentalservice.com for details.
Number of rental companies: 54
Number of stores: 455
Number of rates collected for the 10 subtypes in Q2:
28,100
Number of rates collected for the 10 subtypes in Q3: 29,888
A RAPID RISE
Industry veterans come together to build a successful rental business.
The equipment rental industry can be a tough business to break into in Canada. Some would argue that it’s near impossible to build a new rental company from the ground up in the already highly competitive markets, such as the Greater Toronto Area.
by ANDREW SNOOK
Trudy Baxter was Rapid Equipment Rental’s first addition to its team back in 2013. Fast-forward six years and the company now employs 108 staff across six locations in southern Ontario.
But one company has been defying those odds at an almost feverish pace. That company is Rapid Equipment Rental in Mississauga, Ont., which specializes in rental equipment for the construction sector. Five industry veterans founded the relatively new company in 2013, each with decades of experience. Those industry leaders – Steve Shinoff, Jule Elia, Joe D’Ovidio, Spiro Marinos and Frank Heller – opened up a new rental house in Mississauga with very limited startup cash. In only six years, they have grown the company to six locations in Mississauga, Hamilton, Ajax, Barrie, Brampton and Toronto.
What’s been the secret to the company success? One factor is the company’s vast experience in the industry. Each of the founding members is between 50 and 70
years of age, and most have decades of experience in rentals.
“We’re all triple-A personalities with an expertise in developing and keeping relationships,” says founding partner Jule Elia.
In addition to having strong senior leadership, Rapid Equipment Rental prides itself on having great people on staff.
“We’re only successful with their help,” says founding partner Joe D’Ovidio. “People make or break us.”
The company currently employs 108 people across its six locations.
“Customers know what they get when they pick up the phone. When I first came on to do sales they said, ‘Oh my God, I’ll finally have someone that will answer the phone.’ This is one thing I’ve tried to instill in my people. We are what makes the dif -
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ference,” Elia says. “We make ourselves available and keep our phones on at night. We bring insight to their everyday experience, whether it’s helping them be faster or cleaner or more efficient. I think we bring a lot to the table.”
Some of the company’s staff left their previous positions at rental houses to come and work for the senior founders due to positive past experiences working with them. One of those employees is office manager and human resources manager Trudy Baxter, Rapid’s first addition to its team in 2013.
“We all knew each other before. They needed someone to help with invoicing, collections and day-to-day,” Baxter says, adding that the rental industry is very much a family affair for her. Baxter’s oldest son works at another rental store, while her youngest is an employee at Rapid. “Once you get into it, it seems to be a business where you might move around, but you don’t leave.”
She says her favourite thing about working there is helping the customers.
“I love solving problems and helping them get out of a bind, or to do that last-minute delivery,” she says.
Despite being able to find great staff, manpower is still a challenge for the rapidly growing company.
“Finding qualified people is tough,” Elia says. “Nobody goes to the university of rentals to become a rental specialist. People fall into it.”
“I don’t think any of us anticipated the growth so rapidly,
but we’ve been able to make it work,” adds Baxter. “Staffing and retaining people is what makes us stand out as an employer.”
Baxter says she regularly looks at available benefits options to make sure they offer competitive plans to employees. She
Rapid Equipment Rental focuses on servicing the construction equipment rental market and boasts a wide array of aerial work platforms and earthmoving equipment in its $100-million fleet.
Technician Marvin checks out a Skyjack lift. Retaining talented staff has been one of the strengths helping Rapid to succeed..
also makes sure the culture at Rapid is another vital part of how the company retains its best and brightest.
“We work together. We problem solve together. I think it’s important to show that we value everyone’s opinions,” she says. “We might not go with that opinion, but they know they can bring us something of value.”
THE POWER OF SALES
Of Rapid’s 108 staff members, there are 14 full-time salespeople who are considered vital to the company’s success.
“I’m a big believer that salesmen are the lifeblood of your company – especially in rental, if you can keep your people,” Elia says. “The first year I did all the outside sales with Steve [Shinoff]. We took on our first salesperson in 2014.”
As the number of salespeople grew, so did the sales. The company now boasts close to a $100-million rental fleet that is largely comprised of earthmoving equipment and aerial work platforms. Not too shabby for a company only six years ago that started with fairly modest working capital. And the company doesn’t keep any piece of equipment for too long. The equipment worth up to $100,000 is typically replaced every three years. The equipment worth between $100,000 and $250,000 is largely replaced every five years. And the equipment worth more than $250,000 will typically be replaced every seven years.
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first hire in the office, but now with over 100 employees there’s too much to do for any one person.
“This way we always offer our customers state-of-the-art equipment,” Elia explains.
“We’ve been successful because we’re partnered with some of the biggest suppliers – Volvo CE, Case, JLG,” adds D’Ovidio. “We came back to the people that helped us build the last company, to build this one.”
Rapid’s fleet fulfills a wide variety of needs for construction rental customers, offering equipment such as air compressors; air tools and accessories; compaction equipment; concrete equipment; electric tools; excavators; breakers; forklifts; generators; heaters, fans and dehumidifiers; ladders; levels; lifts and booms; lighting equipment; skid steers; bulldozers; backhoes; wheel loaders; conveyors; pressure washers; pumps; welding equipment and much more.
Rapid also offers its customers a full line of safety training services to ensure their clients’ employees go home safe at the end of the day. The company offers training for aerial work platforms, forklifts and telehandlers (Class 1-7), WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System), excavators, skid steers, working-at-heights, and R.O.T. propane training.
RAPID EXPANSION
Despite Rapid’s already impressive expansion to six locations over six years, the company has shown no signs of slowing down its growth throughout southern Ontario.
“We see ourselves travelling west to Kitchener, London, Woodstock and finally to the border in Windsor,” Elia says.
The founders of Rapid Equipment Rentals created a company mandate for ensuring the success of the company. That mandate is, “Providing our customers/partners with care, quality and a distinct level of comfort with the knowledge that Rapid will always try to exceed their level of expec-
2019-10-16 9:38 AM
Dacia DeMarchi helps with administration. Baxter was the company’s
tation; and encourage and empower our employees to make educated and entrepreneurial decisions on behalf of Rapid that will enhance and strengthen the relationship with our customers.”
“We want to become a regional player as an independent,” D’Ovidio says. “We want to be known as a good rental house. We just want to offer good customer service, new equipment and a good rate.”
As for the older founding partners, none of them have any interest in packing things up anytime soon. Just ask Elia.
“I’d like to be here until I can at least bring the company to $50 million in sales,” she says.
With Rapid’s promise in its company mandate of “Great service, great equipment at great prices,” and the speed at which this company is expanding, one can certainly believe that Elia’s milestone will be met sooner rather than later. CRS
Daniel Faith, Baxter and Frank Pirillo have a laugh in the office. Rapid’s core of experienced professionals hopes to drive its expansion across southern Ontario. That dream looks to be in reach, considering the remarkable expansion they’ve seen in just six years..
2020
Jan. 7 - 9
Landscape Ontario Congress Toronto, Ont. locongress.com
January 21 – 23
Manitoba Ag Days Brandon, Man. agdays.com
January 21 – 23 IBS Las Vegas, Nev. buildersshow.com
Jan. 22 - 23
Canadian Concrete Expo Mississauga, Ont. canadianconcreteexpo.com
Feb. 4 – 7 World of Concrete Las Vegas, Nev. worldofconcrete.com
Feb 5 - 6
Executive Hire Show Coventry, U.K. executivehireshow.co.uk
Feb 4 - 6
International Roofing Expo Dallas, Texas theroofingexpo.com
Feb 10 – 12 The ARA Show Orlando, Fla. arashow.org
Feb 12 – 13
Buildex Vancouver Vancouver buildexvancouver.com
Feb 19 – 23
BC Home & Garden Show Vancouver bchomeandgardenshow.com
Stick to your strengths
A strong referral may help more than heroic efforts.
by Russ Dantu
It always amazes me how some companies try to delve into more than they probably should. For instance, in my other business, I have lots of competition, just like most of you have. I sell branded promotional items and corporate apparel to a variety of different industries. When people need a whatchamacallit, a thingamajig, or a doohicky, they come to me and I help them source it, brand it and they walk away happy.
In the past few years, some of the big box office stores have started to dabble in my type of business. This did lead to several of my customers going to try them out because they thought they were going to save a lot of money. The thought was that these are nationwide companies so they must be able to offer a better price. Every customer who approached them (that I know of) came back to me after with the same sort of responses.
“They don’t have a dedicated rep to work with us. It’s whoever is in the store and most can’t answer the most basic of questions. They have to call us back.”
“There isn’t that level of expertise that you offer us, Russ.”
“I ordered three jackets and four shirts and they shipped it in three different shipments and charged me freight three times. It cost me about 30 per cent more than what you charged me on my last order. I’ll never do that again!”
Occasionally, I, too, get asked if I can do something for my customer that really isn’t what I do. There are two thoughts on this: Do it anyway because you don’t want to risk losing a customer if they go elsewhere.
OR
Help them find someone who will take really good care of them.
I almost always opt for option two. I am secure enough with my customers that I believe we have a strong relationship and they
won’t wander away. If they do, then maybe they aren’t the best customer to hold onto anyway.
When we help a customer solve a problem that we cannot, we are going that extra mile to ensure they find what they need. Secondly, we’re cementing our relationship just a little bit more by being willing to help them locate a source when there will be no revenue in it for us. Third, if we attempt to do something we usually don’t do, the chances of something going wrong and actually costing us more money than what we make is a big reality.
When we develop relationships with other businesses that compliment ours and we can refer business to them, they in turn, will want to reciprocate. I’ve seen it many times before. When we do something nice for people, eventually they want to do something nice for us. It’s called the Law of Reciprocity.
In your business, do you stretch yourself trying to work on projects for your customers that might be better off left for someone else? Do you find that it’s a huge hassle where all you end up with is a headache? If you answered yes to either question, I challenge you to develop a network of service professionals that complement your business and who you have no issues recommending to your customers that may need specific services you don’t offer. You just might be surprised how much additional business comes your way from the other suppliers once they see you passing referrals their way. And you’ll definitely keep your customers happy.
Remember, if you truly want to take care of your customers, stick to what you are good at.
Russ Dantu is at 30-year veteran of the rental industry and has been delivering workshops, seminars and keynotes on customer service for over 15 years. Visit russdantu. com. CRS
MOST VS. MOST IMPORTANT
The problem these days is too much information.
Telematics for the off-highway industry took a while to get off the ground, and for good reason. There were too many data points being transmitted and not enough real value being delivered.
by DAVID SWAN, product manager for technology and innovation, Skyjack
Early telematics solutions sought to give as much information as possible. But a flood of data quickly leads to overload and the user just tunes out.
When it comes to telematics solutions, less can be more if the less that you’re getting is properly analyzed and effectively communicated. Our industry needed something that targets the right data, and something designed specifically with input from an OEM has been proven to be the best solution for off-highway fleets.
DATA DELIVERY
Companies that were getting into telematics for off-highway early on went one of two ways: they focused on what worked for on-road telematics products, placing a large focus on speed, location, and hour meters; or they just completely unleashed the data and pummeled their customers with every data point they could generate off of the machine.
Finding the middle ground between these two philosophies can make a huge difference in the value that’s provided by an off-highway
telematics product. Getting mission-critical data that’s delivered in a way that fleet managers and service personnel can understand is the only way they’ll be able to take action. Having an OEM with a hand in the design process is the most effective way to ensure fleet managers get data that’s accurate and most important to them.
IDENTIFYING WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Once a telematics solution has been set up for success, with a well-rounded development team behind it, fleet managers can start pinpointing what’s most important to their business. Data like battery life, historical charging patterns, and control orientation, can help service technicians better respond to the end user through remote visibility. These data points can contribute to fewer on-site visits, which means less time spent idle, and getting
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equipment to be able to deliver on those data points. This enables fleet managers to better plan scheduled service, increase billing precision, and increase utilization on its equipment.
SKIP THE DATA OVERLOAD
It can seem like getting more data points from a telematics product means that you’re getting more out of it, but that’s just wrong. There can be millions of data points flowing through telematics products from its equipment. It would hiring additional staff for fleet managers to be analyze all of the data that’s transmitted and identify what it means, it would not only take weeks to determine a solution to a problem, but it would also be incredibly expensive.
The best way to pinpoint the data that’s most important to you and your business is to work with your OEM and your service provider – sometimes they’re one in the same – and talk about your goals. What data do you want your telematics product to provide, and which processes do you want to improve? Getting a solution that answers those two questions is the key to getting the most effective solution for your business.
SOFTWARE SHOWCASE
TRACK EQUIPMENT USE
8 tvh.com
TVH in the Americas, a provider of replacement parts and accessories for the material handling and industrial equipment industries, offers telematics
solutions from Gem One. Its monitoring systems allow rental stores to easily track and manage
equipment remotely. Users can receive real time updates of incident; track and record all preand post-operational checklists ensuring safety compliance; and know who is operating the vehicle. These systems can easily be
installed on any make and model of forklift, making them a suitable choice for mixed fleets. Gem One offers different types of monitoring solutions, which can be customized with accessories to fit specific needs.
CANADIAN SOLUTION
8 orion-soft.com
Sirius-E, from Orion Software, is a robust rental software solution built to help streamline rental operations and grow business with realtime information. Orion has leveraged 30 years of deep knowledge of the rental industry to create a Canadian software solution. Featuring multi-branch capabilites; a modern user interface; alerts on the go; dispatch and logistics; inventory control; mobile apps; availability management; intelligent maintenance; inspection and repair planning; crew management; project management; relevant business analytics and dashboards; comprehensive accounting features; collection automatization; procurement tools; and a new web portal for asset management, Sirius-E is designed as an all-in-one, future-proof product. Powerful, yet flexible and customizable, Sirius-E is sold in 30 countries and used by over a 1,000 companies. It improves collaboration and workforce productivity and unleashes growth with an integrated transactional web portal to help rental stores increase their bottom-lines.
TRAINING IN VIRTUAL REALITY
8 seriouslabs.com
Serious Labs has introduced Serious:XR, its new XR platform. The new extended reality (XR) collaborative worksite platform is designed to train and assess remote
workers for plant, industrial and other types of worksite operations. The Serious:XR platform allows trainees to conduct practical and emergency operations in a safe environment, while building and assessing employee safety, efficiency and proficiency. The XR platform allows multiple users to collaborate remotely from anywhere in the world with other team members, trainers, and subject matter experts in a simulated virtual environment. By using a virtual reality kit which includes a corded headset, gaming laptop and internet connection, the user is immersed in a virtual world. Serious Labs’ extensive team of VR designers have created customizable “modeled environments” training modules for jobsites in a variety of industries including construction, energy, plant facilities and utilities.
Trainees and instructors can communicate, interact and certify in the collaborative VR environment.
Experiential learning has been shown to lead to greater comprehension and retention, and the safe training environment allows the user to learn from mistakes without risk of injury or damage.
EASILY HIDDEN
8 dpltel.com
DPL Telematics has announced the release of
the AssetView mini tracking system. AssetView Mini is an advanced solution for wireless monitoring and remote tracking of any powered or unpowered asset to improve logistics, manage inventory and curb theft. The tiny, portable GPS unit is completely self-contained and may be hidden on any asset, installing in seconds. The AssetView Mini allows owners to remotely monitor any asset accurately from an intuitive, internet-based software package and mobile app. It uses no external wiring or antenna, featuring quick, unwired attachment to any asset in a true hide-andtrack installation. The unit is compact and portable, measuring only 3.3 by 2.5 by 0.94 inches. It may be rotated between company assets and hidden easily. Internal battery power is supplied by three AAA 1.5V batteries the customer can replace. The AssetView Mini is self-
powered for up to three years on daily updates, or up to six months with more detailed tracking. Users can use the wireless communication features to activate recovery mode or set movement alerts from the software or mobile app. The AssetView Mini features an IP 67-rated and UV-stabilized design, making it waterproof for deployment in harsh environments.
Software services are provided on a month-tomonth agreement with no long-term contract, eligible to deactivate and reactivate anytime without penalty.
NEW TIME BLOCKS FEATURE
8 icranetrax.com
A1A Software continues to expand features of iCraneTrax, making the fleet and personnel management software more robust for the needs of equipment rental companies. iCraneTrax captures complex data from the most sophisticated crane and lifting equipment, then combines various business communications into one tool to improve coordination and communication between
sales people, dispatchers, operators, managers, and mechanics. Quote proposals, service agreements, and dispatch tickets can now be customized, giving users control over which fields to display in the job information, job description and header sections of printouts. For example, terms and conditions can now be added to the service agreement. The time block feature, which allows users to assign equipment and personnel for a designated time period, assists with payroll and provides more accurate availability of equipment that can be called out on rent. Now default time blocks can be created for standard uses such as labour or equipment runtime, making data entry more efficient. Likewise, it is now possible to specify typical workdays on crane utilization reports. Plus, time blocks can be displayed in job notification emails and can be optionally added to dispatch tickets.
DO MORE ONLINE
texadasoftware.com
Texada offers a comprehensive cloud-based platform for managing every aspect of an equipment rental business. With Texada, rental companies can handle more than just rentals and inventory. The platform fuels rental business growth by delivering rental management workflows; a mobile app for field service; online customer
access; an e-commerce store; secure payment processing; and visual reporting tools. Texada’s flagship rental management solution, Systematic Rental Management (SRM) is the central nervous system of the platform. SRM assists store managers with tracking equipment from purchase to disposal, through such features as rental reservations and contracts; cycle billing and rental returns; pickup and delivery management; equipment work orders; merchandise and equipment sales; document emailing; and inventory barcode printing and scanning. Business owners can also cut out third-party accounting software by leveraging SRM’s full accounting modules for accounts payable, accounts receivable and general ledger. For service departments, Texada FleetLogic allows dispatchers to connect with field mechanics and drivers in real-time. Work orders, delivery tickets and custom inspection forms can be created, assigned, and updated through the mobile app to allow for smoother control over teams working on the road. Customers can gain new ways to work with a rental store when it launches an online rental store with Texada GateWay. This e-commerce extension allows operators to connect their websites to Texada SRM, helping customers request reservations anytime, anywhere. The customer access portal also enables
customers to manage open contracts, view their rate calendars and pay invoices online with their free customer account that instantly syncs with SRM records.
EXPANDING MOBILE CAPABILITY
8 point-of-rental.com
Point of Rental has been delivering mobile capabilities in rental software since implementing wireless alerts in 2011. From Rental Essentials (2014) to Inspection App (2017), the company has pushed the boundaries of mobilebased rental. In 2019, the company built a new home to unify its app offerings and provide a fully connected mobile interface for its users. POR One was built from the ground up, with offline support in mind, so rental teams will have access to data even in areas without reception. The app launched with Mobile Workforce, which allows users to collect delivery signatures, take condition photos, clock in and out with geo-stamped locations, and send delivery or pickup notifications. It also features new in-app messaging functionality, instantly connecting employees throughout a rental business to one another with no exchange of phone numbers or calling the front counter necessary. POR One can be a single point of sign-on for users at businesses with
several mobile functions, like UnlockIt, the company’s automatic locker app. Point of Rental will continue to incorporate more mobile features into the app.
LOADED WITH FEATURES
8 rentmaster.net
RentMaster rental software is frequently updated with new features and improved performance. It offers unlimited categories and subcategories to organize inventory. Unlimited product information means instead of entering the same product information again and again for the similar inventory items, RentMaster keeps a separate database of product information so when new inventory items are added the user simply selects the associated product and adds some additional information (serial number, price, status and so on).
Ordering is made easier with real-time inventory availability checks. Existing customers can be quickly selected from a list or enter new customer information on the fly. Custom order status values are available including reserved, shipped, received, canceled and so on. RentMaster users can easily make quotes and turn them into orders by adding customer information. RentMaster rental software will automatically detect and complete customer information if it can find a matching customer record with the same name or phone number. Customers
can be categorized in customdefined categories (business, individual, school, church and so on) and searched by any field. Available reports include inventory, customer, orders, rental agreement, invoice, billing statements, mailing labels and much more. Powerful records filtering options allow users to filter and sort the records by any field using different criteria (date, status and so on).
INTUITIVE INTERFACE alert-ims.com
Easily schedule heavy equipment maintenance, manage internal and customer work and evaluate utilization of heavy equipment and return on investment with Alert’s equipment maintenance software. Manage parts and heavy equipment sales from purchase order through receiving, pricing, sales and service with Alert’s construction inventory management system. Alert’s unique and advanced Counter Intelligence System improves the efficiency of counter operations with integrated credit card processing, bar-code checkin, signature capture, fax and email, driver’s license imaging and much more.
boasts high-rated service and support (96 per cent customer satisfaction).
SET UP ONLINE STORE
booqable.com
Alert EasyPro’s construction equipment rental management software is easy to use by being intuitive. It has powerful billing, reservations, dispatch and transportation-management features. Alert Management Systems also offers dependable support and
It’s never been easier to rent out products from a website and give customers the convenience to book online. Rental operators can use Booqable to get more reservations, simplify order management and grow business. Set up products, pricing methods and business hours to lay the groundwork for the rental store, all on a platform that combines an intuitive online booking system with easy-to-use rental software. Display products and rent-now buttons on the website and get full control over descriptions, colours, and translations. With Booqable, customers can browse and search rental products whenever they want, on any device. Customers no longer have to reach out to check what’s in stock. Booqable shows availability in real-time and gives people the freedom to select a rental period or choose from pre-defined time slots and durations. Rental stores can increase revenue by letting customers pay online with a credit card or PayPal account. Online payments are connected to bookings, making them easily trackable, so nothing falls through the cracks.
SAFETY FIRST AND LAST Knowledge and skill
by Jeff Thorne
Having competent supervisors is great for business, and employers that define and manage competencies sends a powerful message to the whole organization regarding the importance of knowledge, skill, ability and the desire to perform. Unfortunately, many organizations do not have a system that allows supervisors to achieve and maintain these skills, or supervisor competency criteria is not defined at all.
There’s a difference between knowledge and skill. Knowledge is knowing what, when and how to do something. Skill can be defined as being able to perform the activity correctly. Competent supervisors must embody both. What employers must realize is that skills often require practice, measurement and feedback to develop into an ability. Knowledge and skill may come with experience, however, not all supervisor competencies are innate and not all competencies are learned over time. Here’s an example. Becoming an effective leader and communicator requires knowledge and skill, but it also requires desire and practice if they are to be integrated into a supervisor’s repertoire. If a supervisor is tasked with delivering communication sessions and this is not a current skill, it will not develop into an ability without appropriate training, practice and feedback.
Similarly, specific knowledge such as applicable regulatory requirements and standards would not be learned through on-thejob experience alone. Additional training in what and how legislation applies and what standards apply is most certainly required, as is the supervisors desire to improve and gain further knowledge. A little from bucket A, a little from bucket B.
Now let’s bring these ideas down to safety. When it comes to monitoring compliance to your health and safety program, supervisors must determine which aspects of the program apply in a given situation and which standards need to be adhered to. Supervisors should have a thorough understanding of the safety plans in use and the obligations and expectations outlined in them – that’s knowledge. Supervisors then must walk
the talk and monitor activities, and to be able to recognize deviations from the plan and respond in a manner that will correct the behaviour –that’s a skill.
Supervisors must know the principles and practices of hazard identification, assessment and risk control. Then they have to develop the skill to identify hazards presented by various tasks and situations, routine and non-routine. Supervisors have to know how to conduct risk assessments and review completed risk assessments to build their knowledge of the hazards particular to your environment. Then they have to be able to control hazards by establishing control measures, communicating the controls and verifying the implementation of risk controls.
Supervisors have to know enough about standards and legislation to take reasonable steps to implement a compliance program. This is a provincial requirement that employers and supervisors share. It’s a basic relationship; the employer establishes the system that will ensure compliance to the greatest extent possible, then provides knowledge of it to the supervisor. The supervisor then uses their skills to fulfill the duties and responsibilities assigned to them. When non-compliance is identified, supervisors must be able to document observations, address unacceptable risks and behaviours and document action taken to correct the behaviour. Workers need competency, too, and supervisors must verify that workers are competent to perform assigned tasks. This can be achieved through auditing prescribed training. Additionally, if a supervisor observes workers completing a task or operating machinery outside of established safety standards, a competent supervisor would stop the work activity and confirm worker competency.
Competency involves knowledge, skill and ability. Having competent supervisors isn’t just good safety management – it’s a great business strategy. CRS
Jeff Thorne is the training manager at Occupational Safety Group.
