The needs of equipment rental customers can be as varied as the industries they serve. For Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. (HERC), a longtime leader in the equipment rental industry, diverse customer needs have been the impetus for the company’s continued growth. Touting expanded product lines, new locations and even a brand new division, HERC is continuing its 42-year tradition of successfully serving the industrial and construction segments by offering independent contractors, large companies and all size operations in between complete tool and equipment rental solutions to support their short- and long-term needs.

A tradition of growth
Growth is not new for HERC. In fact, it’s been the name of the game since the company was founded in 1965. With a strong presence in the industrial segment from the very beginning, HERC’s evolution has included the addition of on-site operations for industrial plants, a centralized hub opened in Deer Park, Texas, in 2003 to support Plant Services operations for the Gulf Coast region, and the implementation of online Account Services technology, enabling customers to easily track tools and equipment in real time. And as customers’ needs have grown, so has HERC, adding more capabilities and locations to better serve its clientele.

Plant Services
Whether refineries, paper mills or power plants, it’s no secret that operating and managing a plant is a full-time job that requires intense planning. With big machines, even bigger budgets and millions of dollars of equipment and products at stake, every machine and every minute is critical. That’s why efficient, well-run plants require a trained staff, the proper raw materials for production and the right equipment to ensure a site is optimally functional. And that’s where HERC’s Plant Services comes in.

With a network of distribution centers located throughout North America, Plant Services is a dedicated industrial operations division of HERC that offers tools and supplies such as air compressors, aerial equipment, trucks, forklifts, welders and pumps. But the division provides more than equipment and products; it offers total asset management, from providing equipment for an off-site location, to setting up on-site operations with a full-time HERC staff managing a customer’s equipment needs. Additionally, HERC is capable of providing fully stocked and manned tool trailers with a tracking system and can add inventory to existing clients’ trailers to reduce capital outlay for short-term projects.

“Plant Services can fulfill a variety of customer needs, including planned turn-around projects, facility upgrades and simple one-time equipment rentals,” said James Fiscus, Industrial Sales Division manager for HERC’s Deer Park staging location. “The division can also step in during unplanned operational emergencies, such as power outages or disasters that leave equipment or entire facilities nonfunctional.”

Plant Services strives to combine the highest quality products with the utmost in customer service, offering five levels of support:
• Rentals — a program that supplements customers’ equipment fleet with reliable, late model Hertz equipment that offers state-of-the-art safety features.
• On-site rental services — an outsourced Hertz rental fleet with in-house capabilities. This service brings on-demand rental equipment fulfillment and the personnel to support it directly to customers, giving plants the convenience of a Hertz store within the facility.
• Availability — a level of service that reduces equipment availability cycle time by forecasting customers’ equipment needs and properly stocking the plant with ample equipment. Equipment needs are therefore handled proactively, helping to reduce or eliminate work stoppages and unbudgeted emergency equipment rentals.
• On-site fleet management — the highest level of outsourcing, in which Hertz both provides and manages the equipment.
• Mobile tool rooms — a proactive asset management system “on wheels” that provides customers all the equipment they need, when and where they need it.

“Determining which level of support a customer needs is a complex process that involves customer input and Plant Services strategy,” explains Tony Gonnella, vice president of HERC Sales.

He also notes that Plant Services’ ability to be on location at a customer’s site helps managers gain tremendous insight into customer operations.

“When we’re involved in the planning, we can better determine the needs,” Gonnella said.

To support a planned turnaround, for example, a Plant Services manager would help a client develop a timeline for the completion of a job, accounting for every minute of a production schedule. Management also helps the plant determine what equipment needs to be rented, for how long and whether equipment purchase would better fit the plant’s needs and budget. The manager would also help train the plant’s employees to use unfamiliar equipment and help ensure safety guidelines are met.

The industrial segment’s diverse and constant needs have led to new growth in the Plant Services division. HERC now has hubs in Philadelphia and Chicago, with new locations scheduled to open next year on the West Coast.

Safety first
HERC also stays ahead of the curve, identifying new areas in which its unique combination of reliable, brand name equipment and top-notch customer service can further support and promote clients’ business goals. One such example is HERC’s new specialized division: Trench Safety Services.

Launched in June, the HERC Trench Safety Services Division comprises two product lines: trench shoring and confined space safety. The focus of the division is to provide equipment and products that help clients ensure the safety of their employees in the workplace. Equipment such as excavation braces, manhole shields, slide rails, vertical shores and retrieval equipment have applications in various lines of work, including pipeline repair, ditch digging and water treatment. In addition to supplying products and equipment, HERC — a member of the National Utilities Contractors Association — strives to help its clients become more aware of and better implement safety regulations. 

HERC even champions safety issues, approaching OSHA with suggestions for new safety regulations and improvements to existing safety policies, said Mark L. Turner, director of Trench Safety Services, Southeast Region.

HERC is one of only a few companies that has a dedicated confined space safety program. Another unique feature is that each of Trench Safety’s branches is backed by a team of trained safety specialists who work with sales staff (who are also trained in safety) to troubleshoot clients’ safety issues. Clients who may be delving into confined space entry for the first time can take advantage of HERC’s comprehensive confined space entry training — a service that not many other equipment rental companies offer.

HERC Trench Safety currently has branches in Orlando, Jacksonville, Pompano Beach, Fort Myers and Tampa, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Nashville, Tenn.; and is quickly expanding, with seven more locations scheduled to open in markets throughout the South and Southwest by 2008.

Service Pump and Compressor
HERC’s Service Pump and Compressor specialty division combines high-capacity pump rentals with the ability to customize and spec pumps to meet the individual circumstances of customers. 

New locations in SeaTac, Wash., and Houston — where Service Pump is working on a turnkey bypass project with a major petrochemical company — and future locations opening in the Northeast and Midwest underscore the division’s physical expansion. In the world of product lines, Service Pump and Compressor has experienced tremendous expansion of its electric air compressor business.

“Portable air solutions have primarily been diesel fueled, and the increased cost of diesel has led to a growing demand for electric air compressors,” said Stuart Porter, general manager for Service Pump and Compressor, who points to the cost savings and environmental benefits as additional positives of this emerging segment of the business.

Also new to the Service Pump and Compressor division is the growing demand for larger pumps — 18 inches — and high-pressure industrial pumps.

“Customer demand for larger portable pumps has increased throughout the country and in order to meet that demand, Service Pump and Compressor has added to our line 14- and 18-inch pumps, as well as high-pressure pumps,” explained Porter. 

More power
One HERC division that is definitely high energy is Power Generation Services, a division that supplies portable power solutions and power distribution equipment. The division began with specialty unit generators that ranged in capacity from 15kw-500kw. Now, Power Generation Services’ product line boasts generator capacities ranging from 10kw-1,000kw. Select generator products also feature super silent operation, which decreases noise pollution; environmental self-containment, which limits liability and the risk of spills; and 24-hour fuel capacities, which makes jobs and operations more efficient and cost effective for customers.

All of the generators HERC rents are equipped with self-contained fuel tanks that allow them to be used as mobile power sources, and HERC’s technical staff and service technicians are available to help customers design customized systems and deliver and install generator equipment.

With 18 existing locations across the United States including Jacksonville; Atlanta; Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C.; Washington, D.C.; Toronto; Houston; Baton Rouge, La.; Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia and Newark, N.J.; as well as 10 new locations scheduled to open around the country in the coming months, HERC Power Generation is covering all corners of the United States and locations in between.

“The recent expansion enables Power Generation Services to mobilize fleet quickly and efficiently across the country in the event of an emergency or natural disaster,” said David Scott, manager of Power Generation Services Division.

Emergency contingency plans also continue to be a standard, with HERC Power Generation Services offering customized emergency contingency plans to its national client base. This ensures businesses will not be without power during an emergency event or natural disaster, a strategy that Scott said has become very commonplace in the industry post-Hurricane Katrina.

General Rental
To increase services and products for small to mid-size contractors, HERC has begun a General Rental program. General Rental locations feature redesigned layouts, conducive to easy shopping and are stocked with a more diverse product line, including lawn mowers, floor sanders and buffers, trenchers, paint sprayers, ladders, pumps, scaffolding and more. The locations are still anchored by a wide assortment of construction, earthmoving, electrical, aerial, safety and industrial equipment.

HERC has 115 locations in the United States and Canada operating in the General Rental program, including 24 new or renovated locations opened in 2006 and 15 opened between January-August 2007. To support the General Rental openings, HERC hosts grand opening celebrations that have proved to be a very successful component of the company’s marketing strategy. Almost all of the events drew more than 400 attendees. Several, including grand openings in Oklahoma City and Bakersfield, Calif., drew more than 1,000 people.

“The success of our General Rental events underscores the importance of HERC’s strategic growth as a full-service equipment rental company,” said Gerry Plescia, president of Hertz Equipment Rental Corp.

The future 
HERC’s reach currently spans North America, with 275 locations in the United States, Canada and abroad, with 85 locations in France and Spain. But the company will be stretching its global wings even further as it looks to tap new markets in Europe and Asia.

Even as it breaks new ground in burgeoning markets, product lines and industry segments, there are several constants that will continue to anchor the equipment rental leader and propel its success.

“HERC partners with clients to offer business solutions that save them time and money and help them operate more efficiently,” said Plescia. “Our fleet is among the youngest in the industry and comes from the top manufacturers in the business. But perhaps most important is that’s all backed by our team of knowledgeable, experienced professionals who are committed to exceeding customer expectation through top-notch service.”

Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. offers daily, weekly, monthly and long-term rentals of tools and supplies, as well as new and used equipment for sale.

For information on HERC, or for the nearest location, call (888) 777-2700 or visit www.hertzequip.com.