Going green brings savings
5 August 2021
Perhaps the biggest single obstacle in the adoption of sustainable equipment alternatives is the common perception that they are more expensive.
Certainly the R&D costs of new technology and the associated infrastructure are considerable. However, by considering the whole-life costs of equipment, savings obtainable from service and maintenance reductions and the opportunities that can arise in opening up new markets, overall cost reductions can be achieved.
One manufacture promoting this argument strongly is Snorkel which, as reported earlier, is developing a wide range of battery powered lifting and access machines.
“A battery compact scissor can be used indoors and in areas like food processing environments and cold stores,” says Andrew Fishburn, VP Strategic Accounts EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia). “That means a hirer can target users in more markets with an electric machine and gain more revenue as their contractor clients undertake additional work.”
Andrew has developed calculating software to show the sort of savings that might be achieved in a range of typical scenarios.
This works out costs and equipment payback times using data like machine purchase price, the hire rate, usage level and comparative diesel related costs. It also takes account of parameters such as the cost of electricity for recharging and service and maintenance.
Using typical costs in a number of imaginary situations, an end-user still saves money over the duration of a contract if the hire rate increases to reflect the higher initial purchase cost. This is because of the lower cost of electricity than diesel, which the hirer might well have been supplying them with anyway.
“Above all, it achieves the goal of enabling the contractor to meet their green obligations but we can also show how their overall costs can go down,” says Andrew.
He points out that, with the ban on the use of red diesel fuel in construction machinery from next April, end users should already be expecting costs to increase considerably.
“Against this background, hirers can take the opportunity to talk to their customers about their green obligations and the long-term costs.
“Ultimately it comes down to how well you know your clients, how detailed your knowledge is of the costs you need to achieve, and your ability to identify which parameters matter most to each particular customer,” says Andrew.
By calculating costs and the associated operational savings, hirers can show their customers how green machines can save them money, as well as helping to save the planet.
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