SIMON TOMBLIN: 20 YEARS SINCE ROCKET LAUNCH s

imon Tomblin is waiting patiently for our meeting to commence. Meanwhile, technology (my technology I should add) decides it wants to be techy, and when we finally connect, Simon is sat calmly at his desk without any hint of frustration. The phrase you ‘can fly to the moon’ (but you can’t get a decent internet connection) is springing to mind, which brings a smile to my face, as I realise, I am interviewing the original Rocket man; the Founder and Managing Director of Rocket Rentals!

It is 20 years since Rocket Rentals was launched. It’s a great name, so I ask about the inspiration behind it.

Simon reflects: “Plans were in place to start the new business, but I was struggling to come up with a company name. I wanted a memorable business name, nothing dull! I was with my mother and stepfather; we were stuck at an airport, on our way back from Bauma in 2001. There were a few of us, floating all sorts of weird and wonderful suggestions. It was my mother, who in the end, said, “well, what you do isn’t rocket science”.

The penny instantly dropped. Cue Rocket Rentals!”

So, Rocket Rentals Ltd was formed in Gloucester and I’m amused to learn that the business address is no other than, Area 51 named after Nevada’s mysterious “Extra-terrestrial Highway” linked to all sorts of conspiracy theories. (Very quickly, I realise that Simon has a real sense of humour!)

“It was a bit of fun really. What better address for Rocket Rentals to have than Area 51? Mind you, it took a lot of persuading the Post Office to register the address. You’d be amazed what hoops we had to jump through, especially as we have now taken it to our new premises,” laughs Simon.

Simon explains how the business started out in a modest way, but has grown so much over the years. Despite growth, it remains a familyowned business providing plant, access and tool hire services to customers in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Oxford and Swindon. Rocket Rentals moved to new premises about 7 years ago, and in recent years, opened separate premises dedicated to tool hire on a nearby industrial estate. It’s become a respected and well-known business in the area, with many loyal customers who have been with Rocket Rentals from the outset.

“These longstanding customers have become friends. As a smaller business in the industry, we’re more like a big family, and our customers have become an extension of our family. We’re a closeknit team who cares, and genuinely loves what we do, and that dedication shines through to our customers.”

It’s clear to see that Simon is “110% committed” to the company he has created. I’m curious to know how he first got into the construction industry, and where the impetus came from to start Rocket Rentals.

“I was practically born into this industry. My father, Ken Tomblin, has a plant hire business, Bison Plant Hire, and I remember going out with him as a child, and climbing onto machines at any opportunity. I instinctively knew I was destined to follow this path. After leaving school and travelling, I came back at the age of 18 in need of money, and went to work for my stepfather, David Meek, initially on his farm. When rain stopped play, David would take me off the farm and get me on a machine, and I got to know all the other drivers. The rest snowballed from there.”

Simon found himself getting more involved with David Meek Plant Hire, which at the time had about 100 operators, along with self-drive equipment. It was only when a member of staff went on maternity leave in the early 1990’s, that Simon was given the opportunity to work in the office, helping out on the hire desk. Personnel moved around, and Simon took over the role of Plant Manager, originally to provide cover in a temporary capacity. He was only 19.

“It wasn’t supposed to be permanent, but I was young and hungry for success. I ended up proving that I could take on the responsibility on a permanent basis. I learnt so much about the industry, and what it was like to work for a larger company. Access equipment was the main focus, and I think there were about 500 machines on the plant side then. David Meek had a contracting division at that time. We were going through a transition of reducing dozers and scrapers, to create a larger self-drive fleet, so we were turning the ‘big metal’ into smaller equipment and making it stand on its own two feet.”

After 9 years, that business was sold. Simon then went on to become a director and shareholder of Plantforce Rentals up until 2002. That was when he had the urge to start a venture of his own.

“I felt the time was right. I’d gained wide-ranging experience; from my father’s company to a large organisation when I worked for David Meek, and then to Plantforce, which was a smaller business.”

And, so Rocket Rentals was launched and Simon’s dream took off.

“When I set up Rocket, I had a clear direction in my mind. My priorities were to invest in state-of-the-art machinery and give customers great customer service, to build a respected brand.”

“David (Meek) helped me get the business up and running. I couldn’t have done it without him; his knowledge and guidance steered me in the right direction. He has been in the industry a long time and it was great to have his wisdom. I don’t think there was anyone finer at buying equipment than David Meek,” says Simon adding, “I hope I learnt something from him!”

The early days of Rocket Rentals proved quite an adventure. Simon explains how it started in a small way. The first purchase was for 8 JCB telehandlers for hire to David Wilson Homes, with more machinery and equipment added from there, including zero tail swing machines from Kobelco, which Simon considered to be “light years ahead in that market.”

“I set out do things properly with high-calibre equipment. The aim has always been to be flexible; to be reliable and make the customer’s life easier, and that’s how the business is run today. So, we made sure that blades were offered with every excavator, a complete set of buckets were available, trackers were fitted for security; and that everything was top-spec, and all the covering paperwork was in order. We have taken that stance ever since.”

He adds: “Selecting the right equipment for the hire fleet was easy; the hardest aspect was turning it around quickly because it was good kit and we used to thrive on high utilisation. From day one, we sent everything out valeted, and took great pride in our presentation. It made Rocket Rentals stand out, and we adopt the same attention to detail today.”

Simon recalls those early days with real fondness, saying that they “were great fun”. He started off with a 7.5t lorry and he would make deliveries during the day and come back in the evening to do the admin.

“We tried using third-party transport, but this took control out of our hands, hindering our ability to be flexible too. I decided we needed to be in control of our own destiny. So, in addition to the 7.5t lorry I used to drive, we bought a 32t rigid truck with beavertail. Today, we have 8 trucks in our fleet. Although we don’t make money out of transport, it gives us complete control of our deliveries and collections. This is so important given our focus on service, and when you leave it someone else, that isn’t always conveyed to our customers. I say to our drivers, and engineers, that ‘you’re my ambassadors’ because they meet customers more than I do.”

Knowing how important service was (and still is) Rocket Rentals’ first employee was an engineer. Gradually more engineers were recruited, as the company grew. And grow, it certainly has!

Rocket Rentals moved to purposebuilt premises at its current location in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire in December 2017. It had taken a year to get planning permission and six months to build. It was a project that Simon thoroughly enjoyed being involved in. He made it his policy to use locally based suppliers to support the local economy, while also making the building as eco-friendly as possible. PV panels on the roof, harvesting of rainwater, repurposing packaging are just some ‘green initiatives’ deployed by Rocket Rentals.

“I feel strongly about ‘buying local’ and we’ve always had a conscience about sustainability and recycling. It’s not always possible, but we like to do it where and when we can. When we were building Rocket HQ, I think the furthest supplier came from the Forest of Dean for electric gates and fencing. Otherwise, all our suppliers were virtually on our doorstep.”

The same philosophy applies to employees, with Simon saying that all the team live within about a 5-to-10mile radius. It is clear that he is a real supporter of local communities, and the local economy which makes it easy to understand why Rocket Rentals has become such a prominent business in Gloucestershire.

More recently, Rocket Rentals expanded further, and opened a dedicated facility for the tool hire side of the business. It’s on a local industrial estate about 200m away from Rocket HQ.

“The timing could have been better, I must say. We opened our new Tool Hire facility in February 2020 and were in the process of telling everyone all about it, when the pandemic struck and soon after, Boris delivered the dreaded news that we must all ‘stay at home’. These were uncharted waters. With a recession, you can normally see it coming and prepare, but the pandemic was entirely different.”

Taking heed of the Government’s announcement, Rocket Rentals closed the Tool Hire business for the first two weeks of lockdown, following the lead of builders’ merchants. Everyone at Head Office (except for Simon and one lorry driver) went on furlough.

“It was a real challenge. You can’t work from home in our industry, and we had a relatively new team working in Tool Hire. We followed the guidance, and worked until the end of March which gave us time to get all the machinery PDI’d, so we had everything in the yard available for hire. It meant when we started hiring out again in April and May, when sites began to gradually reopen, we were all set to go again. I am pleased to say we were well-prepared.”

Rocket Rentals carried on trading during these months, and by June/July 2020 gradually gained some normality, despite some ongoing challenges. Simon made sure he spoke with each employee who had been furloughed every Friday, to stay in touch and see how they were coping.

“It was such a strange time during which, like all businesses, we had to adjust to, very often dealing with matters on a day-by-day basis. Managing the outgoings on finance was certainly a challenge, especially when it was so difficult to get hold of finance companies at that time. This made decisions around planning ahead and deciding whether to take payment holidays incredibly difficult. That said, I must say, JCB Finance stood out and were fantastic throughout.”

We talk about how Covid has influenced buying habits, and how people’s expectations have changed with more consumers now making, and even relying on, online purchases. Simon believes the pandemic, amplified by the cost-of-living crisis, high inflation and economic uncertainty, has impacted on customer behaviour.

“We’re finding that hire periods for machines are often much shorter, with more one or two-day hires, so machines are in and out all the time. It means that we’re working harder than ever before, requiring swift turnarounds to get the machines prepared and ready to go back on site again. Managing people’s expectations can be hard, but we are good communicators and maintain regular contact with our customers. We may be working harder than ever before, which is common in many different sectors, but I still find plant and tool hire a great industry to be in.”

We talk about the changes that low and zero-emission equipment is bringing to the industry. I ask him what investment Rocket Rentals has made in eco-friendly plant and equipment.

“We’re at Stage V across the board now, and trucks are Euro 6 because we operate in Ultra-Low Emission Zones with Bath and Bristol on our doorstep. We’ve had to get ahead because of the areas we work in. We’ve got our own charging facilities here, and we recently bought our first zero-emission electric miniexcavator, a Bobcat E10 micro. We’re hoping to add more. The electric micro machines are an ideal solution for indoor use, for underpinning or reduced floor digs, because you don’t have any fumes to deal with. I do query why manufacturers have focused on electric 1.5t machines – they don’t fit through doorways, so I wish more had gone down the micro-machine route. It would really accelerate ‘electric progress’ in the hire industry.”

Rocket Rentals has also invested in JCB electric tracked dumpers, which Simon says are working really well along with the micro and look “very promising”.

“I think electric is best suited to machines up to 2.5t. I’m still unsure about electric compaction though, especially the double-drum ride-on rollers so the jury’s out on that one. We’re having a lot of conversations with customers about ‘electric’ battery powered machinery, but I feel the charging infrastructure is still holding us back, especially in our area. We’re not city based, and our customers may have the desire to ‘go electric’ but just don’t have the power options.”

He adds: “We’ve recently taken delivery of some hybrid machines, so these are probably the best steppingstone towards electric vehicles. Of course, electric access equipment has been around for a long time, but that works differently. There’s much talk about electric, but I’m looking forward to seeing how hydrogen powered machines work. It will be interesting to see JCB’s hydrogen powered generator, which makes complete sense in my mind. I think it could be transformational to generator power.”

Simon believes that financial challenges are still ahead, such as the rising cost of equipment and energy costs, which all need to be justified, emphasising that “getting those hire rates up is a real struggle.” (Simon doesn’t dwell on this, and seems fairly resigned to the fact, but from talking to people in plant hire, I am starting to build a picture of how challenging this is to the entire sector, especially for the smaller privately owned plant hire companies.)

“There are quite a few companies selling up now, with a lot of people feeling they’ve done their time in the industry. I’m lucky to have age on my side and I still love doing, what I do. I enjoy it so much; it doesn’t feel like coming to work so I feel very fortunate.”

It is evident that people are very important to Rocket Rentals, from the people who work there to the community they live, and of course, the customers. Simon is a real ‘people’s person’ who is passionate about the industry, and enjoys nothing more than to meet up with, or chat to the people involved it. He says he is always accessible to his customers, and his phone is never far from his side, going on to say, that he doesn’t like relying on emails.

“Emails can be too impersonal. I believe it’s important to talk to people. This is an industry that is all about relationships.”

Simon is always in the hire office, saying how much he “gets a buzz from it on a daily basis.”

“THERE ARE QUITE A FEW COMPANIES SELLING UP NOW, WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE FEELING THEY’VE DONE THEIR TIME IN THE INDUSTRY. I’M LUCKY TO HAVE AGE ON MY SIDE AND I STILL LOVE DOING, WHAT I DO. I ENJOY IT SO MUCH; IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE COMING TO WORK SO I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE.”

We talk about the team at Rocket Rentals who are so vital to the business. Simon is full of praise for them.

“The team is so important, and we really look after each other here, in and out of work. I want people to come to work with a smile on their face and go home with a smile too. I often say that I spend more time in the office with them than I do with my own family. We all muck-in and we all talk to each other. Mental health is such a big issue for this industry, and we take that seriously too.”

He adds: “We’re masters of juggling and as a team, we make it happen for our customers, which is rewarding for us all; you can feel the buzz. It’s impossible to plan your day here, but we know we can be flexible with the ability to pivot quickly should we need to. We don’t have to go to Board meetings to make decisions, we just do it there and then, which is why many customers prefer dealing with smaller companies.”

Apparently, the Rocket Rentals team celebrate all sorts of occasions, and enjoy fish and chips together on the last Friday of each month.

I can’t help but smile when I hear Simon talk about this team. If you go on to the Meet the Team section on the Rocket Rentals website, you will learn some interesting facts. For example, Mel on the Hire Desk plays rugby for Dursley Ladies and is a level one qualified skydiver; Jim, the Service Engineer would like to travel the world in a motorhome; Steve, an HGV driver, enjoys going to ballroom dancing classes. There’s many more … And apparently Simon, aspires to have a micro-brewery one day, and has already starting dabbling!

“I’d like to launch some Rocket beer one day. We did go to a brewery to have some produced – they were called ‘It’s Not Rocket Science’, but I’d love to brew some of our own. Maybe one day!”

So, what does the future hold for Rocket Rentals?

“I think we stay on the same trajectory, that we have traditionally followed, while always being progressive and having our eyes open to new innovations in machinery. We are passionate about our industry and making a difference. We get involved with all sorts of forums, working with organisations such as the CPA, HSE and CECA to make working on site safer; with better welfare on site.”

Simon ‘lives and breathes the industry’, that’s for sure, and as we are nearing the end of our meeting, he reiterates the importance he places on business reputation.

“We truly care about our reputation. It’s everything to us here at Rocket Rentals. We don’t have salespeople on the road; most of our business stems from word of mouth. So, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a sole trader or a national contractor, you’ll get the same level of service from us.”

Simon is evidently so proud of Rocket Rentals, its people and all that the company has achieved, but far from complacent. Talking to him, he comes across as modest and down to earth, with a very friendly persona that makes you feel at ease. And we all know that personality goes a long way in the construction plant and equipment industry!

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