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Eco interest revs up

2 August 2021

Eco interest revs up

I heard about an interesting indication of growing demand for eco-friendly equipment during a recent conversation with Mat Llewellyn, managing director of MHM Plant. 

Mat tells me that sales of the company’s SSY Eco diesel generators have risen sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

As their name suggests, the machines are environmentally friendly versions of MHM’s popular SSY 6kVA and 10kVA generators. They have an automatic start/stop function like those found on cars, which starts the engine to deliver power on demand. 

“Since the first lockdown last year, interest in the SSY Eco machines has been increasing steadily in both our sales and re-hire operations,” says Mat. “In fact, hirers are now asking for them by name.” 

This shows that efficient machines powered by diesel or clean equivalents like HVO still have a role to play. 

However, Mat tells me that hirers are also now showing greater interest in solar and hybrid solutions. Since Covid-19 restrictions eased, he has been travelling to see companies throughout the country and they are enthusiastic about the new technology. 

“Again, a year or so ago hirers would say that their customers were very traditional and would only use conventional diesel machines. But increasingly they are looking for new solutions.

“One reason for this is the phase-out next year of red diesel for construction machinery and so users are exploring products that will reduce fuel usage, such as our solar hybrid generators and our ST-9 LED solar lighting tower (pictured below). 

“Another factor is that contractors are winning business at sites that insist on eco-friendly equipment. 

“An independent hirer in London recently had an urgent enquiry from a customer who needed a sustainable lighting tower for an HS2 site where they were working as a sub-contractor. 

“They would normally provide diesel machines but we were able to supply them quickly with a ST-9 on a re-hire basis. So it’s not just the larger companies that are winning business for eco-friendly machines and I’m delighted that more users are embracing these technological advances,” says Mat. 

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Eco interest revs up

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