Q&A: Nigel Potter

9 July 2021

Nigel Potter is managing director of NPH Hire ‘N’ Sales Ltd in Bristol which specialises in compact plant of up to three tonnes. He’s certainly busy at the moment. And he loves machines...  

How did you get into the industry? 

Originally I was building in the Bristol area. I hired a roller for a project but for various reasons I hardly had time to use it. All of a sudden I had racked up a £1,200 bill, so I thought I may as well buy one of my own - then I could use it as and when without further bills. So I bought a digger and a dumper from a builder who was retiring but people kept asking to hire them from me. In 2006 I established NPH Hire ‘N’ Sales Ltd to buy and sell a few machines, hiring them on both an operated and non-operated basis, and the rest is old history.

How’s business at the moment? 

It is absolutely manic busy and it’s very difficult to keep up sometimes and make it all happen for my customers. Somehow it seems to all work out but only with loads of effort. I’m working seven days a week currently.

Are any markets or sectors particularly strong?

Mainly micro diggers and small skip loaders. A lot of private customers are at home on furlough sorting their gardens, and small builders are busy with house extensions. It’s almost like a second wave of activity: people did garden and landscaping projects last summer, and they have now realised that they won’t be going on an overseas holiday this year and so are investing in more ambitious home improvements.  

What are some of the most recent additions you’ve made to the hire fleet? 

This year already four extra Bobcat E10z micro diggers, three Kubota U17-3 minis, two Thwaites 1-tonne skip loaders, two new tilt-rotating selector grabs to go on our two new full-spec twin auxiliary Kubota U27-4s, and a Kubota KX057-4 that we purchased last year due to demand for work with various attachments that we hire like tree shears, hedge cutters, breakers and flails. 

That’s a lot of new equipment!

I was going to sell seven machines but I’ve had to keep them all because demand is so strong. I’d also like to recruit more operators but you just can’t get labour at the moment. Other companies say the same. Perhaps a lot of them are still at home on furlough. 

What items did you supply for the three most recent hire orders you received? 

A 3-tonne Kubota mini, a Thwaites dumper and an Epiroc SB102 breaker to a regular customer doing a new-build house project.

What do you think are the main challenges facing the industry? 

Every hire company probably needs to think about their rates because they were driven down so severely in the 2008 recession and have hardly recovered. 

Any other challenges? 

The price of materials is rocketing. Stone and gravel have gone up three or four times in recent months and it’s the same with cement. Suppliers say there will be further increases later in the year. And because steel prices are going up, some manufacturers can’t give you a firm price when you want to place an order. So we’re ordering to secure a place in the queue, knowing that we can cancel if we have to. There’s even a two-week lead time on machine tracks from my main supplier and that’s never happened before. And once costs go up, in my experience they rarely come down again. 

Has this had any knock-on effect?

I’m saying to all my hire customers that, as my costs are going up, I will have to increase my hire rates at some time in the future. So far no-one has objected because they know I will always give them a fair deal.  

 What annoys/frustrates you? 

People and products being late. 

What was your favourite school subject?

Metalwork. I actually started making things for the school, including sets of spring-loaded cricket stumps that I designed, and goal posts for the football pitches. I also helped the teacher out and taught some of the other kids how to weld. In fact, I recently built the body of my latest delivery truck myself. I bought a box lorry, took the box off and built the cab and body on the chassis. I’ve also got a tractor at home that I’ve converted to run on a different engine. I love great engineering and that’s why I like hire so much.  

If things had been different, what other career might you have chosen?

As I say, I love the hire trade and only wish that I’d started in it earlier. When I left school I worked as a car and commercial plant fitter, then left and went into the motor trade buying and selling cars, plant and trucks. So I have had quite a few different trades, but I love hire the most. 

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given, or that you would pass on to others?

Treat others as you want to be treated. And never worry about how much money you’re getting because, if you’re good at your job, money just follows you. 

Tell me a surprising fact about yourself or the business.

Every hour in the day brings surprises in this industry.

What new skill would you like to learn?

Computers. I can use the internet, type a document, answer an email and handle a spreadsheet, but I haven’t got the time to master much more. Because I’m machinery minded, I can’t really relate to computers: there aren’t any moving parts to see!  

What’s the secret of success? 

Do your best and be loyal. 

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I have won the lottery being in this trade, as I’m hiring out machinery every day (technically selling it) and I still own it.  

Finally, is there anything you would like to say about the trading outlook or future plans? 

I think the next few years will be good due to housing demand but things will slow down as rising costs take effect - and the government inevitably slides extra taxes into us. All I say is invest wisely and keep a nice reserve for the future.