The Benefits of Renting Material Handling Equipment
Warehouse and factory floor management requires harmonizing many different material handling operations to keep production or order fulfillment running smoothly. If your company is considering adding to its fleet of material handling equipment, investigate the pros and cons before deciding whether to purchase / lease or rent forklifts and aerial lifts to eliminate production bottlenecks.
Buying new equipment for warehouse or material handling operations will require a large financial investment into equipment that starts depreciating the moment it’s delivered. Some business owners may look at the total expense of renting over an extended period as a disadvantage. However, if you need equipment right away, especially for peak demand operations, the ability to rapidly increase your material handling capabilities without a huge investment of cash will bring in immediate revenue for your company.
The point can be taken that during immediate and high demand periods, renting is the better option. The reserved cash flow from an increase in business can be used to purchase equipment at a later date, when the company is certain the increased orders will continue for the long haul.
Tips for Selecting the Right Material Handling Equipment
Once you have decided that renting the required equipment is best for your company, partner with a reputable material handling distributor that knows the equipment and can guide you in selecting the right material handling equipment for your operations. Here are some things you should know before entering a material handling equipment rental agreement:
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Know Your Floor Layout
This includes aisle widths, ceiling heights, and how employees pickup and store pallets and boxes. If your inventory layout, access routes, or the position of dock delivery doors pose a challenge to the efficient distribution of material, speak with your distributor about equipment options that may address these issues.
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Choose Quality Over Cost
Renting allows you to choose the best solution for your warehousing and distribution needs. Renting a forklift with enough power, capacity, and reach will be more profitable in the long run compared to purchasing budget-friendly equipment. Reputable rental suppliers will offer safe, well-maintained and economical options to fit a variety of material handling equipment rental needs.
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Ask Important Questions
In addition to rental rates, understand the terms by asking questions: are there additional fees?, what is the return policy?, and is schedule maintenance included? The material handling distributor may offer week-to-week, month-to-month or longer options. If you’re not completely sure how long you will need the forklifts discuss the minimum and maximum rental length terms.
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Discuss Delivery Options
Find out if you will need to pick up the equipment or if it will be delivered. A professional material handling company will usually have standard delivery options that are convenient for customers.
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Inspect The Rental Equipment
Upon delivery, inspect the equipment for damage with the delivery driver present. Take note of any damage, non-working features, and make sure the engine runs smoothly. Keep in mind that you may be responsible for any undocumented damage when the rental is returned to the distributor.
Whether you need a single forklift or a range of material handling equipment, renting will minimize your costs in the long run, while increasing the workload capacity and efficiency of your operations. Contact us to discuss our material handling equipment rental options for a wide variety of operations -from internal combustion LP forklifts to specialized warehousing products such as wire guided order pickers, electric rider double jacks, single reach and double reach lift trucks.