A new way to hire
September 1st 2008

Briggs Equipment, the UK's national Cat Lift Truck distributor and service provider, has launched a new service designed to suit the changing economic climate and meet customer demands for greater contract flexibility.

In the UK materials handling market around 80% of fleets are leased on long term rental contracts, and the rest are either on short term rental or purchased outright. Long term rental (LTR) is preferred by large and small customers alike due to the benefits of lower taxation and releasing of capital into a business. FlexiHire is of benefit to customers who want a more flexible alternative to LTR to reduce their financial risk while simultaneously being able to tailor to their own customers needs.

With the FlexiHire service customers can hire their fleet on a five year contract but withdraw with one month's notice (after a 12 month period) with no penalties.

The product is based on a five year reducing payment plan, and over the five year period the amount payable will be the same as that of an LTR contract.

Richard Close, chief executive officer of Briggs Equipment said, "In these times of economic uncertainty we are all becoming increasingly aware of our bottom line. We have developed the FlexiHire service with our customers in mind to enable them to de-risk their business with a shorter contract option, while keeping the same level of quality and service which has become synonymous with the Briggs long term rental brand. FlexiHire has enabled us to actually reduce the cost of running a materials handling fleet year on year for our customers by 5-10%, in comparison to market and economic trends which look set to push the price up." The product retains all the benefits of an LTR contract with maintenance all inclusive, including breakdowns, planned maintenance and thorough inspections and it is available across a broad range of brand new equipment. For a company spending an average of £140 per week on a short-term 12 month contract, they could be saving £55 a week through the FlexiHire service (just £85/week).

Essentially Briggs Equipment is now able to offer customers the best of both worlds: long-term rates with short-term flexibility.

"The FlexiHire service gives our customers increased control over both their contract and their fleet," said Tony Rooney, sales and marketing director at Briggs Equipment. "It allows them to flex their business to meet the changing needs and requirements of their own customers." The development of the FlexiHire product came about from research and consultation with customers. In initial research, conducted in 2006, over two thirds of respondents said that it is important to them to have service packages that are flexible and tailored to their needs, but only a third were satisfied with the current UK offering. This pointed to a service gap in the UK market.

Briggs saw the opportunity in this gap and launched this new service to fit this observed need.

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