HAE EHA HIRE AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2023

Another year, another stellar Hire Association Europe Event Hire Association

(HAE EHA) Hire Awards of Excellence is in the bag with the glamorous evening having taken place on Saturday 22 April 2023 at Grosvenor House, London. In its sixteenth year, the show celebrates the outstanding achievements of hire and supply companies across the UK’s plant, tool, equipment and event hire industries. As CEO Paul Gaze said on the night: “People really are our greatest asset, and it is important that as a sector we work together to help promote careers and look for a much wider and broader range of candidates. We have some inspiring finalists for the 2023 Awards.” This year’s host was former Royal Marine and Elite Team Coach, Scotty Mills. The ‘secret weapon’ behind the success of the England football team at the 2018 World Cup kept everyone entertained and inspired with his commentary throughout the evening. The first accolade of the evening was for the Outstanding Contribution to Hire Award. With many worthy recipients across the plant, tool, equipment and event hire sectors this is an extremely tough award to give. But with 23 years’ experience across the sector and for championing improvements to the way the hire industry tackles mental health, Asif Latief, Managing Director of Boels Rental, took the applause and the award. Chairman of HAE EHA, Neil Bravery, commented: “Our industry, with the support from your Association, is committed to reducing its carbon output as part of the overall government initiative towards net zero. We all know we have a very long way to go but, as an industry, we are slowly starting to see change within our fleets; with battery technology progressing at a fast pace making corded machines very much a thing of the past. Will battery technology really be the way forward for heavy plant or will hydrogen be the fuel of the future? Who knows, perhaps the answers are in this room.

“The transitional cost to hirers switching to a greener fleet can be an additional 40% so, without government support, being able to meet these targets as a hirer will be almost impossible. The good news, however, is the government has made a commitment in this year’s Budget to talk to the construction industry which in real terms will affect the hire sector. It’s a start, we have a way to go. Let’s hope that the government recognises the support our sector so desperately needs.”

Paul Gaze explained what the Association has done to make a difference on members’ behalf over the last year: “We have increased the support in Hire Certification Services and we continue to deliver a range of accreditations such as SafeHire, SSIP and HITS. Through our public affairs work led by Mark Bradshaw we lobbied and worked with Government Agencies and bodies, getting hire and rental classified as essential retail using the various covid lockdown guides. Mark works with the Home Office and represents members’ interests on the various groups seeking to reduce fraud and theft in the sector, liaising with the Police and other agencies. “As an association we have engaged with new partners to deliver valued services to members. This includes utilities, commercial finance, a legal support helpline, business sales and crucially insurance. The work we have undertaken in developing the HAE EHA Insurance Service offer through Towergate Insurance Brokers has been transformational. The breadth of support on offer is making a real difference, allowing our members to focus on what they do best to support their clients and customers.”

The Hire Awards are considered the crown jewel of the industry’s annual awards and the recognition and exposure they impart to the winners and high achievers are respected throughout the industry. They further encourage companies to invest in individuals and R&D to the benefit of staff and customers alike. The judges in this year’s competition commented that the quality of submissions was outstanding, especially with the stringent criteria required for entry, making the judging harder than ever. The winners in every category are well and truly deserved.

The full list of this year’s award winners:

Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by CITB: David Smith, Vp Brandon Hire Station

Best Use of New Media, sponsored by Executive

Hire Show: HSE

Converted Hire Achiever of the Year: Oscar Norman, Sunbelt Rentals

Digital Catalogue of the Year, sponsored by Snorkel UK: HSS Hire

Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, sponsored by Stallard

Kane: Boels Rental

Hire Achiever of the Year, sponsored by Point of Rental Software: Oscar Norman, Sunbelt Rentals

Hire Manager of the Year, sponsored by HireTrain: Boyd

Crombie, Vp Brandon Hire Station

Hire Industry Product of the Year, sponsored by Worldpay from FIS: Niftylift, HeightRider 17 All-Electric

Hire Industry Supplier of the Year, sponsored by The Hire Exchange: Point of Rental Software

SafeHire Plant, Tool & Equipment

Hire Company of the Year

Turnover under £10m, sponsored by The Hire Exchange: PSM

Plant & Tool Hire Centres

SafeHire Plant, Tool & Equipment Hire Company of the Year

Turnover over £10m, sponsored by HAE Insurance Services: Carrier Rental Systems

SafeHire Event Hire Company of the Year, sponsored by Hire Certification Services: Sunbelt Rentals

Sustainability & CSR

Initiative, sponsored by SRL Traffic Systems: Garic Website of the Year, sponsored by JCB Sales: Vp Brandon Hire Station Workshop Manager of the Year, sponsored by PSM Plant & Tool Hire Centres: Oscar Norman, Sunbelt Rentals

Young Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by SSIP: Harry Watts, HSS Hire

Specialist equipment rental group

Vp plc, and its nine businesses worldwide, has won Plant Charter Gold status for its procurement, innovations and training standards. Working with each business’ procurement and product managers, the group scored 13 out of a possible 15 points to attain the highest Gold standard in the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s (SCSS) Plant Charter which aims to help the UK’s built environment drastically reduce onsite emissions to air that are harmful to human health and the planet.

The SCSS is an online learning platform aiming to develop the skills required to deliver a sustainable built environment. The Plant Charter is a set of minimum standards evaluating one’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and air pollution. Vp was tested on its minimum standards, engagement, awareness and education, and innovation.

Vp’s long-term environmental strategy is tied to its science-based target commitments of net zero by 2050 across the entire value chain and 100% renewable energy procurement by 2030.

Measures towards this have included completing a scope 3 inventory for the first time, submitting science-based emissions targets to the Science-based Target initiative for validation. With the scope 3 inventory complete, Vp is prioritising carbon reduction initiatives across its entire value chain.

Over half of Vp’s carbon footprint relates to the use of its rental fleet but the group is reducing this by moving towards an increasingly lower emissions-based fleet, and where fossil fuel-powered fleet still provides the best solution, invests in the latest technology to ensure the cleanest and most fuel-efficient engines.

The Group is also embedding software which will enable quantitative monitoring and evaluation of supplier sustainability performance. This will enable Vp to track supplier self-reported Scope 1 and 2 emissions and start two-way supplier conversations to influence positive behaviour and focus on sustainability just as much as price, quality and service.

Other elements of Vp’s long term strategy include increasing renewable energy procurement, switching to EVs in its commercial and company vehicle fleets where appropriate, reducing its reliance on natural gas for heating, and closer management of electricity, gas and water consumption through contract consolidation, meter reading automation and continual improvement of electricity and gas efficiency as part of their ISO 50001 certification across all UK sites.

Vp’s environmental programme manager Fred Pilkington said: “This Plant Charter Gold status is one of our top achievements for the year and demonstrates our leading commitment towards reducing air pollution and carbon emissions. It is a priority for Vp to accelerate our transition away from rental assets powered by fossil fuel towards those powered by battery and solar, as well as non-powered products.”