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IN THIS ISSUE - 4th Quarter 2008
Welcome: Equipment rental in an uncertain economy.
Meet Our People: Get to know our newest Store Managers:
Allan Carruthers and Duncan Stafford.
Report From The Regions: Reaching New Heights (Safely)
In The Snow Capital Of Canada.
Jobsite Tips: Aerial safety.
Subscribe-To-Win: Get every issue of The Gazette delivered to
your email inbox. It’s free and you, too, can be our next prize winner.
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Welcome
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In these uncertain times, prudent businesses and homeowners alike are being extra careful with their finances. As you look ahead to plan for your projects and equipment needs in 2009, it’s a good time to reflect on how your “rent vs buy” decision can be a useful tool for coping with economic uncertainty.
Access to credit is a serious concern in the U.S. and, while our situation in Canada is less critical, our financial institutions are also tightening the purse strings on loans and lines of credit. In that light, preserving your credit is an important advantage of renting equipment. Renting turns the acquisition of equipment from being a capital cost to an operating cost. Your credit is untouched when you rent, so it’s still available when you need it most for larger projects or leaner times.
This is especially true when you are considering specialty equipment. It can be difficult to choose the right piece of equipment to purchase for your fleet. What type of machine will you need most? What size should you get? New or used? What attachments or ancillary equipment should it have? When you rent, you can match your equipment to the job on a day-by-day basis. You never find yourself with an expensive asset sitting unused.
The cost of renting also adjusts itself to your cash flow. When you are busy and earning, you simply ramp up your equipment fleet to suit the workload. When you hit the slow season, you have no financing payments to make. Every rental dollar pays!
Equipment rental also offers numerous hidden savings, too. If you own a heavy piece of equipment, you have to haul it to wherever you’re working. When you rent from SMS Rents, we deliver it for you, so you save the trailer cost as well as the extra wear on your truck. Any equipment you own needs regular maintenance. Even if you’re a qualified technician yourself, you won’t earn any income by overhauling your machine, and you will never get the chance to recover the downtime. At SMS Rents, your equipment is always Job Ready, in prime working condition and equipped with the up-to-date productivity features.
Count on SMS Rents to help you make your equipment investment go further. Have a safe and prosperous new year.
Marcel Langlois, President
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Meet Our People
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Years of experience give Allan Carruthers
a personal appreciation of customer needs.
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A few minutes with Allan Carruthers,
Rental Operations Supervisor
SMS Rents, Mississauga, Ontario
Nearly 20 years of working in construction jobs led Allan Carruthers to the rental business 7 years ago, and then to Mississauga where he is now leading the launch of a brand new SMS Rents store.
Allan worked as an equipment operator before he first moved inside as an equipment buyer for a construction firm. “I have operated 80% of the equipment I rent out now,” he says, “so I have a good feel for what the people on a jobsite expect when they rent.” Allan has particular knowledge of the various types of aerial lifts used in construction work. “Often, I end up telling my customers what they need when they call. I can explain the different types of lifts and booms to help them make the right choice for their reach and site conditions.”
The 12,000 sq. ft. (1200 m²) facility just opened this past Fall to serve a large area from Milton, west of Toronto, through to the Peterborough area east of the GTA. The store already stocks a large aerial fleet, and is expanding its range of construction equipment as needed. “If the customer wants it, we’ll get it and rent it,” says Allan.
The Mississauga team also works closely with our Heavy Equipment Centre based in nearby Brampton, so customers can find larger machines than most typical rental stores can handle.
A dedicated sports fanatic, Allan looks forward to building his store’s connections with the local community. The store recently added a towable barbeque to its inventory, expressly to have available for charity fundraisers.
A few minutes with Duncan Stafford, Store Manager
SMS Rents, Nepean, Ontario
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“Team players” at the Ottawa store.
Kevin Nolan, Yves Dorion, Eric Bachand, Duncan Stafford, Brian Mckibbin.
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Duncan Stafford’s career in the rental business began right where he is now – at the SMS Rents Nepean store providing rental equipment to contractors throughout the Ottawa Valley. “Actually, it was a buddy of mine that got me started,” Duncan admits. “He got me a job here as a rental tech in 1998. I’ve been on the job here ever since.”
The Nepean store serves a large territory. While the city of Ottawa is a key area, the store covers regular customers throughout Gatineau, Orleans and Kanata, reaching as far as Cornwall, on occasion. “Historically, this has always been a general equipment rental store with a focus on construction, especially aerial equipment. Since we opened this location, we have been developing new areas with a greater range of equipment for construction and with more products to serve the needs of homeowners.”
While he began on the technical side of the business, Duncan says his most valuable experience for managing the store has been in customer service. “I’ve done a lot of on-the-job learning, interacting with customers to make sure they have the right equipment for the right job at the right place and at the right time.”
As new members of SMS Rents, Duncan says his staff has learned that this company backs them up in being flexible and making decisions for customer service. “It’s good to know that everyone is on the same page; they’re all team players.”
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Be Job Ready For Winter
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Roofing contractors survey the damage atop an articulated 45’ boom lift supplied by SMS Rents.
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The province of Quebec routinely receives high levels of snowfall in the winter – Quebec City has an average annual snowfall of 3.84 metres, while Montreal averages 2.25 metres per year. Contrast that with the 1.33 metres and 1.267 metres Toronto and Calgary respectively receive annually. By any standards, that’s a lot of snow, but last year the province had a much higher than average snowfall. That amount of snow combined with warm weather and rain during an early thaw in February 2008 created all kinds of problems for Quebec homeowners and businesses who were faced with damaged and leaking roofs. Roofing contractors were overwhelmed with calls for service from distressed customers.
Éric Giguère, Manager of SMS Rents Quebec City store, remembers the situation well. “Our phone was literally ringing off the wall with calls from roofing contractors and homeowners looking for rental equipment to help them clear roofs and balconies of heavy wet snow and deal with leaking roofs,” Giguère says. “Owners of flat-roofed houses and commercial buildings were particularly hard-hit when the rain and warmer weather came in February.”
Giguère recalls filling multiple rental requests for aerial equipment like scissor and articulating boom man-lifts, heavy wheel loaders, telehandlers and small skid steers fitted with grapples to clear up debris caused by roof collapse and leakage. Generators and portable lights were also in demand in cases where the electricity had been lost, Giguère says.
“Because we had all of these items in stock and Job Ready, our SMS Rents store became the one-stop shopping centre for many customers looking for suitable equipment to help them deal with the crisis,” says Giguère. “We supplied everything from water pumps and generators to medium and heavy equipment like aerial lifts.”
“Normally, most people in Quebec start thinking about and planning for winter around the middle of October,” says Giguère. “Last year, the first snow came early in November – and because of the cold, once it’s here, it doesn’t melt and it just keeps piling up. Predicting snowfall from year to year is a coin-flip, but SMS Rents will be here for contractors and homeowners looking to purchase or rent equipment to help them clear snow-laden roofs and deal with problems caused by leaking roofs.” He hopes that when people think about winter that they recall the events of the past year and are proactive in their planning.
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Jobsite Tips
Keep up on aerial safety
Safety is always paramount in aerial work, but never more so than in winter. Every worker on the site needs to be extra careful watching for the jobsite hazards that come with snow, ice, cold and wind. Here are a few reminders:
Aerial Lifts: Every lift is different so make sure the operator is properly familiarized with the machine and manufacturer’s manual. Every operator needs to be trained on:
- Electrical, slip & fall, and falling-object hazards
- Maximum intended load, load capacity for straight lifts, side lifts and lateral movement
- Pre-start inspection procedures including checks on: operating and emergency controls; safety devices; outriggers and guardrails; personal fall-protection gear; wheels and tires; air and fluid leaks
- Safe positioning on a level surface that won’t shift or slip (tough on winter worksites) as well as ground hazards such as holes, drop-offs, bumps, and debris
- Safe distances from power lines and other obstructions
- Setting outriggers, brakes, and wheel chocks on soft or slippery ground
For fall arrest protection: Always use the correct safety belts, harnesses and lanyards for your working conditions. Inspect your equipment at the start of every day and replace any equipment, including ropes, that has been involved in a fall. Inspect all webbing, ropes and hardware for signs of wear, distortion, stretching, age or chemical damage.
SMS Rents ensures that all your rental equipment and gear is properly inspected and certified when you receive it. Then it’s up to you to keep up with safe practices on the work site. If you have questions, ask your SMS Rents representative or check out these website:
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: www.ccohs.ca
• CPRW/Center for Construction Research and Training: www.cpwr.com
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Equipment Protection Plan –
For Peace of Mind When You Rent
SMS Rents offers a peace-of-mind solution that is ready made for contractors large and small. It’s called EPP (Equipment Protection Plan) and it covers all hazards including fire, theft and accidents while your rented equipment is working on your jobsite. EPP provides the protection you need against the cost of replacing lost equipment, and it will also reduce your liability substantially if your rented equipment is damaged or stolen while in your care.
Visit us at www.smsrents.com and find out more about our EPP.
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Big job ahead? Call toll-free: 1-888-864-6311
Contact the SMS Rents - Heavy Equipment Centre to find a selection of larger machines that other rental stores just don’t carry. We’re the rental specialists for big earthmoving equipment including excavators up to
70 tons, wheel loaders to 13 tons, 36-ton articulated haulers and heavy-duty attachments such as hammers, grapples, frost picks and special booms & sticks.
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Explore our easy-to-use website features... and visit often!
Did you know our website has information that can help you with any number of rental decisions and questions? Visit www.smsrents.com and you’ll find many useful features and shortcuts to make online equipment rental as easy as visiting our stores. Check out the website subjects below and make a habit of visiting it often to keep in touch, discover new offers, save time and order your rental equipment online:
- Frequently Asked Questions section and feedback form
- Special promotions announcements
- Full list of our rental equipment
- Heavy Equipment Centre with 888 access
- Notification of new equipment arrivals
- Links to industry (training, management, etc.)
- Online ‘Rental Office’ with Quote Request, Rental Contract
- Credit Application forms, plus the new EPP information
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Ricky Brunet of Timmins Contracting accepting his Stihl Chainsaw.
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Subscribe-To-Win
Thank you to everyone who subscribed to the 3rd quarter 2008 issue of our electronic version of The Gazette newsletter. Winner of our last draw was Ricky Brunet.
Simply visit our website and follow the links to join our email list today. Get the latest rental news from SMS Rents delivered four times a year to your inbox. And by subscribing, you are automatically entered and could win a fabulous prize from SMS Rents. It’s just our way to keep you Job Ready.
BIG NEWS. BIG REWARDS.
Sign up and win today.
Ontario
BRACEBRIDGE, ON • (705) 645-8366
BRAMPTON, ON • (905) 453-2272
GUELPH, ON • (519) 836-9801
KAPUSKASING, ON • (705) 335-3622
MISSISSAUGA, ON • (905) 564-2787
NORTH BAY, ON • (705) 476-0404
OTTAWA, ON • (613) 226-1099
STONEY CREEK, ON • (905) 664-5225
SUDBURY, ON • (705) 560-2960
TIMMINS, ON • (705) 264-2000
Quebec
DORVAL, QC • (514) 636-8515
QUEBEC, QC • (418) 654-2020
SAINT-BRUNO, QC • (450) 441-1317
SMS Rents – Head Office
5985 McLaughlin Road, 2nd Floor, Mississauga, ON, Canada L5R 1B8
Tel: 905.283.2780 / Fax: 905.625.6538
Toll Free: 1.877.329.6531
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