As the economy rebounds and construction sites re-open across our region, so does the need for delivery of construction rental equipment. The utilization trend for construction elevators for 2013 has been one of a steady uptick with the expected spikes in the summer months. However, with another turnaround season on the horizon and no noticeable signs of commercial construction slowing, fleet owners are stretched. During the recession of the past five years, fleet owners were able to provide short lead time deliveries as there was an abundance of equipment on the ground. Times have changed and now we are faced with a much different set of challenges. Clearly, these are challenges we welcome. With greater demand come higher utilization rates, higher rental rates and longer lead times. How does a rental fleet owner make adjustments to these changes while maintaining high customer service?
Century Elevators, a provider of rack and pinion elevators, located in Houston, has been following the market trends and has prepared for this eventuality by more than doubling the number of elevators, hoists and transport platforms in the rental fleet to meet the demand of this growing market. This makes Century Elevators the owner of the newest and most technologically advanced fully developed fleet of this type of equipment in the United States.
Another statistic Century Elevators is following is the higher than average requirement of quick ship rental elevators. Noticing and responding to this, Century Elevators has implemented a new program for what it is calling “Rapid Rentals.” Rapid Rentals are those elevators that are required on the jobsite within a week or two of purchase order. Rapid Rentals allow Century Elevators to offer quick ship or expedited equipment to its customers at the prevailing rental rates plus a standard fee for the accelerated make ready shipping.
Century Elevators has recently purchased, renovated and moved into a new 40,000-square-foot facility with the space and equipment required for a modern make ready line complete with a newly designed and erected 100-foot test tower to test each elevator prior to shipping. Century Elevators has added to its growing team with new qualified technicians and an improved project management group structure that streamlines the flow of the elevator from purchase order to erection.
Safety is the foundation at Century Elevators and it adheres to a very strict safety doctrine in order to maintain an incident-free environment. Weekly safety meetings, an established safety execution plan for each project and random safety checks throughout its facility and on jobsites allow Century Elevators to stay incident free. With safety as a covenant, Century Elevators maintains a low EMR with a total incident rate of zero since its inception.
Century Elevators has long been known as the safety company that rents elevators. By implementing this new Rapid Rentals approach to delivering equipment to its customers, Century Elevators can safely and quickly deliver the required elevator to the necessary jobsite with greater ease and better customer satisfaction than ever before.
For more information about Rapid Rentals or to receive a quote, visit www.centuryelevators.com or call (281) 667-3000.
