The path of lease resistance

With demands in Australia’s rental market constantly changing, Rentco is now diversifying its transport and logistics offering with a large-scale order of FRP vans from Vawdrey Australia.

When truck and trailer rental business Rentco celebrated its 20th anniversary of operation in 2014, it did so with little fanfare. It wasn’t as if the highly successful company dismissed the milestone – it simply chose to treat the occasion as “business as usual”.

To the rest of the industry, though, Rentco’s anniversary showcased just how consistent the humble Western Australian business has been over the past two decades, especially in light of the ever-changing requirements of its customer base, which the company says has now moved towards more specialised equipment.

“Rentco is on the move and by listening to our customers we are making decisions and changes in our fleet to accommodate their needs,” says Paul Scott, National Business Manager.

“As Australia’s economic landscape shifts, Rentco aims to make quick adjustments that keep us ahead of the game. Our focus must be on how we can meet the challenges of the future, which is why we are bolstering our market leading position with a mixture of quality equipment, excellent service, clients and suppliers.”

As part of a comprehensive internal market analysis, Paul says Rentco also sought advice from some of its customers as to where to invest – and the message was clear: “After a full review of the Rentco fleet, we identified that the best place to start was the fast-moving consumer goods market, since there is a constant demand for dry freight trailers,” Paul says – revealing that those clients include businesses transporting for supermarket chains, parcel freight and retail outlets.

In March 2016, Rentco placed a large-scale order for more than 30 units consisting of 45 and 48-foot tri-axle FRP dry vans, with several of those units going into service in late April.

“After looking at some of the major trailer builders, we decided on Vawdrey’s FRP van range for a number of reasons,” Paul says. “Vawdrey is a great company to deal with and builds high quality equipment. It also diflucan online stands behind its product and backs it up with good warranty practices on a national scale.

“This latest order was in addition to the purchase of 35 new retractable skel trailers in 2015. As with the last one, price and speed of delivery were important factors in making our purchasing decision.”

Most of the trailers are capable of carrying up to 24 pallets, but the heights of the units differ. “The order includes FRP vans built at low heights, 3.9m high and 4.3m, which we refer to as a ‘jumbo height’. From a vehicle access point of view, the varying heights will cater to the different docks our customers deliver to.”

To improve safety and visibility, Vawdrey fitted each trailer with translucent roofs and roller rear doors. “The roof material is lightweight and provides good natural light; making for a safer environment for the operator,” Paul says. “The roller doors also suit the logistics sector as they are more efficient to use and safer when unloading at a dock.”

Rentco views its expansion into the fast-moving goods market as a logical step forward, given customers’ requirements are also shifting in that direction. “We’re not just about getting bigger as a business, we’re about making the right choices that fit the current demand,” Paul says.

“In recent years, we have invested more resources into additional specialised equipment such as tankers, side-loaders, terminal tractors, refrigerated vans and lightweight skels. Now, we are adding FRP vans to that mix. After all, the smarter the fleet operator is and the more equipment options at their disposal, the more profits they bring in. Our goal at Rentco is to provide that capital to help generate more growth for our customers by growing our offering.

“The expansion of FRP van rentals also gives us more appeal across the country. This is a new direction for Rentco and demonstrates how we react to customers’ feedback and their needs.” He says thanks to the new FRP vans from Vawdrey, Rentco clients now have more options to suit their work, while giving Rentco can expect a sustainable service going forward.”