Discovering Sustainable and Practical Tool Hire and Plant Hire Opportunities

Hire on rails

21 June 2021

Hire on rails

Like the many other people who attended, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Rail Live in Warwickshire last week. The weather was glorious and, following the easing of lockdown restrictions, it was great to be able to meet people face-to-face and see products at close hand. 

Held at Quinton Rail Technology Centre near Stratford, the event showcases equipment and services for railway construction and maintenance. A number of tool hire and plant hire companies participated, highlighting environmentally friendly products and initiatives.

Speedy’s focus (amongst the pictures below) was Energise, its ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategy to become a net zero company by 2050. The stand display included water harvesting and recycling systems, welfare units running on HVO D+ (a cleaner version of hydrotreated vegetable oil giving even greater emission reductions) and Speedy’s latest electric fleet delivery vehicle. 

Sam Peet, Speedy’s sustainable environment manager, points out that ESG extends well beyond operational aspects and is also about serving the wider community. She tells me that the company is, for example, planting flowers at its national service centres in order to attract bees and butterflies, and the company has an active programme of involving local schools in environmental initiatives to engender a sense of community. 

As recently reported on the blog, Energise has received a major accolade from the Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies.

Vp’s extensive display (below) comprised equipment from various group operations including Brandon Hire Station, the mechanical, electrical and plumbing specialist MEP, the ESS safety and survey business, UK Forks and, of course, Torrent Trackside – Vp’s rail hire activity. 

A strong theme on the stand was ‘Site of the Future’, a concept that Torrent has trialled successfully to reduce fossil fuel usage. This includes battery powered rail specific plant which operates at lower noise levels and is effectively carbon neutral.

Vp states that the initiative has been well received by Torrent’s customer base, including Network Rail, which sees it as a “pivotal supply chain partner to help drive their own carbon reduction targets over the next five years.” 

More than 60% of Torrent’s fleet capex spend in the current financial year is expected to be in substitutional, battery and solar powered, products.  

Dominating Garic’s stand was the Armadillo XL+2 Halo (below), a Genquip Groundhog GP500 welfare unit with a roof-mounted telescopic floodlight for safety and security. 

Dimmable LED lamps are incorporated and the unit is solar powered, with a backup diesel generator. 

The interior is available in two configurations, one with a canteen and an office, and the other with a larger canteen area. 

The specialist hirer, Total Rail Solutions, recently announced that it will stop fuelling its plant and machinery with diesel and will instead supply customers with equipment using HVO, from Crown Oil.

Paul Bateman, CEO of TRS, said that “the operational process to transfer is relatively straightforward as the new HVO fuel can be mixed in the tank with any residual, until the supply becomes pure, so there will be no disruption in supply or down time on site.

“Our average annual fossil fuel consumption in plant is 500,000 litres. In launching this initiative we anticipate a reduction of up to 90%, giving a net reduction in our average annual emissions of up to 90%. In addition, HVO is sulphur free, so not only is it cleaner for the environment, but it is also kinder and less corrosive in our engines.”

● Explore the site for news of hire-oriented products I came across at the exhibition, including equipment from Hilti, VSL, Husqvarna, Prolectric and Milwaukee

Hire on rails
Hire on rails
Hire on rails

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