16.03.2007

Nationwide spends £15 million

Nationwide Access, the UK's largest powered access rental company, has ordered 500 new lifts, worth over £15million as part of a major replenishment programme. A further £15 million has already been earmarked for 2008 deliveries.

The units scheduled for delivery this year include 354 scissors, 112 booms and 47 truck mounts, the primary suppliers being Genie, CTE and Skyjack.

Peter Whittall, managing director of Nationwide Access said “2007 marks a year where Nationwide will steal a march on its competitors both in terms of the high spec fleet we will offer and the value added services we will provide.”

“Our fleet mix has been significantly enhanced and now represents not only the UK’s largest fleet in numbers but also the largest and most comprehensive fleet of 100ft plus booms, 22 metre plus scissors and 34 metre plus truck mounted platforms. complemented by more niche equipment such as tracked booms and compact personnel lifts”, adds Whittall.
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A 37m Bronto was among recent fleet additions

“Nationwide has, in the past, neglected some advanced machine features, but, with the new generation of powered access, we’re selecting the best specification machines to fully address our customer’s expectations for when they work at height.”

The company says that the fleet investment has been driven by the strategic change within the company. See Nationwide announces new organisation

“A true customer focus is the bedrock of our efforts in 2007; something we’ve been guilty of overlooking in the recent past” confesses Whittall.

"The company has broken down previous internal barriers with the introduction of a general management structure, with general managers having full P&L responsibility for their regions with a regional sales force reporting directly to them. This structure makes us more responsive to our customers, from hire desk to executive boardroom, the message we’ve instilled is that we’re here to listen and early signs of the new approach are very encouraging”

Vertikal Comment

Nationwide is out to regain its direction in the UK market place having lost its way somewhat in recent years. This investment clearly supports the changes in its management structure, announced earlier this year.

Among the new orders are a number of niche and specialist machines, including large spider type lifts from Omme and Ascendant 7.5 tonne truck mounts. Products that the old Nationwide would have avoided.

You can be sure that there is a certain element of ‘friendly’ rivalry between Nationwide and its regional rental colleagues within the Lavendon UK group, such as Panther Platform Rentals and AMP which will help drive the Nationwide team.

The net result for aerial users and the industry is positive, although competitors might well have preferred Nationwide to have continued with its old policies and practices?

However …. Nationwide has a fleet of almost 6,000 units - 500 units a year will eventually result in a 12 year old fleet looking at it from a very simplistic point of view.

It is true that the company has also spent a good deal on high quality factory rebuilds of a large number of its Genie booms and on refurbishments of other lifts but this only buys time. It needs to be buying 1,000 or more lifts a year or shrinking the fleet if it is to lower its average age.