Building tools for rental is the ultimate torture test. We ace it!
Let me tell a little story here if you don’t mind humoring
me for a moment.
There was once a large, national company that provides
rental tools as part of their business. They have stores all across the country
and wanted to begin offering siding brakes to feed the needs of their professional
and DIY customers. When they wanted to grow their specialty tool offerings Van
Mark met with them at length and felt that we were the right option for them
and their customers, due in part to the outrageous durability we bake into all
our products. However, when the time came to make their decision, they elected
to focus on price alone when outfitting their stores and chose to go with a lower
priced option. We were disappointed, as you might expect, but the story doesn’t
end there.
Fast forward a few years to when this company reached out to
us to reopen our previous conversations, due to the surprisingly high cost of
ownership and maintenance requirements that they were dealing with when it came
to the products they selected. They mentioned that the tools were constantly being
returned requiring adjustments, maintenance, or replacement parts. So much so,
that their ROI (return on investment) numbers were a fraction of what they
forecasted. They quickly realized that saving a few dollars up front ended up
costing them far more over their projected term of ownership than they ever
anticipated.
So, they switched out the brakes in ALL their rental stores,
across the country, with Van Mark brakes in an effort to curb the amount of
maintenance time and dollars spent keeping their rental brake fleet
operational. Now, decades later, they still only buy Van Mark brakes for
their rental stores. This is partly because they have also been able to extend
the time between replacing their rental brakes by an additional year. They
couldn’t be happier with the results of their changeover, thanks to the reduced
maintenance costs, and the extended interval that allows them to earn even more
profit from the same tool before requiring a replacement.
If this isn’t an example of an A+ grade, I’m not sure what
is.
What does this mean for you?
Well, it proves that our brakes are built rental tough, and
when properly cared for can easily last for decades, which allows them to pay
for themselves numerous times over. Plus, it demonstrates that the maintenance
requirements on our cam-locking brakes are far less than you may expect. Since
rental tools are often far more abused and neglected by renters, plus they are commonly
improperly used due to the lack of experience with the correct operation. So
basically, brakes live their hardest life in a rental fleet. So, imagine the
lifespan of a Van Mark brake that is properly cared for.
Here are some of the key reasons why we are the #1 rental brake brand:
1. Quality & Durability
o
They rarely fail on their own – most repairs are
due to damage.
o
Customers don’t take care of them, yet they
stand up to the abuse.
2. Ease of use
o
Fully featured, so a pro can take advantage of
the brake’s full capabilities.
o
Easy to learn on, which makes it great for DIY
or first-time users.
o
Provides consistent and professional-level
quality of work.
3. Parts readily available
o
We still offer replacement part solutions for
almost all our brakes since 1964.
o
Made in the USA so replacement parts can be sourced
in a matter of days.
o
Many fasteners are common sizes, readily
available at a local hardware store.
o
Wear items are inexpensive and are also available
in a complete tune up kit.
4. Minimal maintenance requirements
o
No adjustments to reset after rental use.
o
Few adjustments for renter to accidentally
adjust out of the specified range.
o
Easy to clean.
5. ROI
o
Reduced maintenance and cleaning time required
upon rental return.
o
Low-cost replacement and wear parts.
o
Fair purchase price.
So, to summarize, if you want to know which tools are the
best investment, check out what the rental stores carry, since they deal with
these tools every day, in their worst possible environment, and have to keep
them up and running regardless of the condition they are in when they are
returned from a rental. We will earn top marks on this, and you can too. Call
us to discuss the best brake to help you meet your goals.
