Sometimes looking at a challenge from a different angle can offer a more efficient solution.
Family owned Ridgway Rentals serves customers the length and breadth of the UK, even as far afield as Jersey and the Outer Hebrides. The difference is that they do it all from their single – but very large – depot in St Martin’s, near Oswestry in Shropshire.
Founded in the mid 60’s by Bob Jones, Ridgway was originally a successful dealer for JCB machines. As time passed, the business moved its focus to the rental of plant equipment. Wind the clock forward 50 years and Ridgway Rentals is proudly still a family run plant hire business. With a 25 strong workforce, they have a team dedicated to looking after their customers all over the UK.
Managing Director, Stuart Jones, picks up the story, “The way we operate is really quite simple. By having a close-knit team of really good people working for us, we can ensure the service our customers get is always 100%. Likewise, we only choose really high quality equipment, because the last thing we want to do is upset our customers by sending out a second rate machine.”
Ridgway’s fleet of around 400 machines is certainly extensive. Their fleet of excavators ranges from 1Ton up to 50Ton, and includes long reach machines for dredging as well as high reach demolition machines and wheeled excavators. Customers can also hire dump trucks, wheel loaders, dozers, and in fact pretty much every machine imaginable.
One look around the depot and its obvious that three quarters of the fleet is Komatsu. On enquiring as to why, Jones explains, “For us, the quality of equipment we supply is paramount and our customers have come to expect that. Komatsu machines have proved themselves time and again to be well made, reliable and super strong. Our customers like using them and our engineers know them inside out so they really make a lot of sense. Over the last twenty years, I’d estimate we’ve had around 750 Komatsu machines of various shapes and sizes!”
A closer look at the Ridgway fleet reveals some very high tech products from Komatsu too. Customers can choose one of the Komatsu Hybrid excavators, which recover and store energy whilst the machine is slewing. In the right application these can cut fuel consumption by over 30%. Also available are Dozers and Excavators with intelligent Machine Control. This integrated system uses GPS technology to guide the machine incredibly accurately, allowing jobs to get completed much faster.
“Buying in to these new technologies early was very important for us” says Jones. “If we can help to save our customers time or money, then we will. The intelligent Machine Control system for example, is fully factory integrated, so there are no fragile sensors bolted on where they could get damaged. From our perspective as a plant hirer, it’s a much more robust solution and our customers seem to be loving it too.”
Ridgway continues to take the customer’s needs seriously, by specifying their excavators with hammer, shear and rotate circuits. On the Komatsu machines these are all linked to the monitor and control panels, making them super easy for the operators to use. Additionally, demolition spec side skirts are fitted. This obviously protects the machine, but more importantly protects their customers from unwanted damage charges.
“The other great feature of the Komatsu machines is their built-in telematics system, Komtrax. For us to have real-time visibility of our machines remotely is invaluable”enthused Jones. “For example, if water is detected in the diesel filter, or a machine starts overheating, or a fault code pops up, we can contact the customer immediately to alert them. Then either the customer can take action, or if needed we can get an engineer on the way within minutes. Either way, the system allows us to prevent further damage, unwanted expense or downtime, and our customers really value that.”
The machinery itself is only ever part of the equation though, so what is it that keeps Ridgway looking to Komatsu? “We’ve got a relationship with the dealer Marubeni-Komatsu that goes back 30 years, which I think in itself speaks volumes.” explains Jones. “The people we deal with there, whether it be in sales, the parts department or in service, are all absolutely brilliant, knowledgeable and dedicated to helping us. We know we can rely on their expertise and advice whenever we need it, and that counts for a lot.”
The Komatsu CARE service program that’s included with the machines is also absolutely perfect for us, covering all the scheduled maintenance for the first three years or 2000 hours. The program even includes two exchange DPF units and provides a warranty on them for the first 9000 hours, which gives us real peace of mind.
“Looking after our customers is our number one priority and the way the team at Marubeni-Komatsu look after us, enables us to do just that.”
Ridgway Rentals can be contacted on 0800 51 51 55 or online at: www.ridgwayrentals.com.
For further information regarding Ridgway Rentals please contact:
Stuart Jones, Managing Director – Ridgway Rentals Ltd, Earthmover House, Ridgway Business Park, St Martin’s, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 3PZ.
