Essential service
15 September 2020
Amongst the unsung heroes in the hire industry are the workshop technicians and mobile engineers who maintain and repair machines so customers can keep working.
It’s a service that’s all the more important for contractors who need to maximise their efficiency following the lockdown disruption.
I’ve been speaking with David Paterson, director of D & S Plant Services based in Coatbridge, near Glasgow. His team of 12 engineers service welfare cabins, generators and machinery across the country for companies including Genquip Groundhog, MHM, Trime, Mobile Mini and Pickerings.
“We’re certainly busy but there are a lot of sites that still haven’t re-opened,” he tells me. “We obviously can’t gain access to the machines which means there will be a backlog of servicing work we’ll eventually need to get through.
Solar benefits
“We get a lot of requests when people want to use equipment that has lain idle for months and won’t start, perhaps because the battery is flat. One interesting thing is that ‘eco’ solar powered machines have been able to trickle charge themselves throughout, which is another benefit they offer besides environmental friendliness,” says David.
D & S Plant Services personnel have had to adapt their work procedures in the light of Health & Safety guidance surrounding the coronavirus.
“We now have kits in the service vehicles to sanitise welfare cabins and machines, waiting half an hour for the treatment to take effect and spraying the equipment again once the work is finished.” Two new vans were recently added to the service fleet.
“We receive a lot of positive feedback from customers which is really gratifying,” says David. “They appreciate what we do. Selling equipment is just half the story: it has to be backed up with excellent service in the field.”
Last year D & S Plant Services relocated to larger premises covering 3,000 square feet. It was previously a five-a-side football complex and the bar area has been turned into a very stylish training facility - for welfare cabin technicians, that is, not soccer players.
