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Innovation and Adaptation Lifts Company to the Top of its Game.

Company News Wednesday, August 31, 2011: Action Equipment Company (Pty) Ltd

Action Equipment Company (AEC) has been a market leader in specialist forklift services for more than three decades – a success it owes to its constant ability to keep up with the times.

Leading forklift truck specialist, Action Equipment Company (AEC), pins its success down to innovation and aggressive marketing strategy, which helps it stay one step ahead of the competition.

AEC has been at the forefront of providing its clients with top quality service in sales, rental and repairs on a wide range of forklifts, reach trucks and sideloaders since 1971.

Through its ability to adapt to the various market forces, which have put its competitors out of business over the years, the Johannesburg-based company is today on of South Africa’s most trusted forklift specialists.

AEC Managing Director Tom Milligan explains: “What sets us apart from our competitors is our ability to adapt. This industry is constantly changing – whether it be technologically or through new government safety legislation, and it is our main focus to always stay one step ahead.”

AEC is one of only a handful of companies in South Africa that offers clients full peace of mind with Fleet-Watch; a web-based GPRS asset management system that allows the company to access real-time data across an entire fleet anywhere in the country, 24hours a day.

“Through the Fleet-Watch system, we are able to monitor everything on a machine, from when it is first started, up to the exact date that it requires its next service. This means that clients do not need to stress about any technical issues because we take care of them,” says Tom.

Currently, around 20 per cent AEC’s fleet is installed with Fleet-Watch, although the company intends to introduce the system to its entire fleet in the near future. Another ground-breaking and exclusive service that the company offers its clients is a forklift Free Condition Report (FCR).

AEC Operations Director Gary Davies notes: “A full 200 point check is carried out by technical specialist for no charge at all. A written, itemised quotation is then provided to the client, but it is totally up to their discretion whether they want to use our services or not.

“We have been offering this service for the past 15 years, and it is definitely something that has made us a tried-and-trusted name, because at least 70 percent of quotes are turned into business.”

Safety is becoming an increasingly important issue in all forms of industry, and AEC continues to lead the way in the forklift sector by offering unrivalled safety-related services to its clients.

Tom adds that safety legislation requires that machines are tested every 12 months to 110 percent of their capacity. AEC offers this service to its clients, using a specialist engineer accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa.

All tests are carried out on the client’s premises, and the results are recorded in a Forklift Register for every forklift, as required by law.

The company also provides a full forklift inspection – which forms part of an overall safety requirement, whereby the forks and the lift chains are checked for wear-and-tear.

Tom notes that South Africa is keeping up with worldwide trends in safety, and he is confident that AEC will continue to lead this trend locally.

“Operator licensing is a regulation which has increased safety tremendously since its introduction,” says Tom. “We provide full training and certification for customer operators on their premises, whether it be for an individual or a large group of 30.

“This new legislation has enabled us to avoid many horrendous accidents, by offering the right training and education in controlled environment.”

What’s more, customer training is provided by an experienced professional, who spends time in a classroom environment teaching theory, and days of practical exercises. The operator licence is valid for two years.

“You can’t just pull levers and steer in order to operate a forklift. You also need to be able to read and interpret signs, which is why this training is so vital,” explains Tom.

As many businesses still come to terms with the devastation that the global economic downturn has caused, AEC predicts a surge in the demand for forklift rentals.

“The industry trend globally is headed towards rental because of the huge costs involved with ownership. We have noticed an increase in short-term rentals of at least 35 per cent. This is because companies are reluctant to spend when there is economic uncertainty, and rental is perfect answer,” notes Garry.

Short-term rentals can be run on a daily or weekly basis. AEC also offers long-term rental contracts, which could last up to five years.

The benefits of taking out a long-term rental contract is that for a fixed monthly fee, AEC accepts all responsibility for maintenance and servicing of the forklift and guarantees availability. AEC recently signed two large rental contracts worth more that R8-million.

AEC is catering for this huge demand by offering more than 300 forklifts in its rental fleet – ranging from the small one-tonner, to the heavy-duty ten-tonner.

Although the rental business is booming, it does not come without its challenges. Forklifts come in various, ranging from diesel and petrol, to gas and electric.

The machines also have varying lift height, ranging from three metres to nine meters. AEC must ensure that it has enough availability of all the models to meet client expectations.

Garry concludes: “The single biggest problem facing us in the rental department is the availability of models, which we must ensure are in stock.

Different operations require different forklifts, but the 2.5 ton diesel with a four metre reach is the bread and butter on the industry and is definitely the most popular range of truck.”