Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/674548
I DA U N I V E R S A L M ay -J u n e 2 0 1 6 41 TRENDS AND TIDBITS continued from page 33 Utility One Source, the nation's leading provider of vocational equipment and services, and the parent company of Custom Truck & Equipment (CTE), recently announced its plans to intro- duce the equipment rental industry's fi rst proprietary a ermarket call-in center. is comprehensive service network will enable all rental customers to call in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to initiate repair with UOS' team of equipment experts. Headquartered in Kansas City, the a ermarket service network will leverage more than 150 trained technicians with veteran knowledge of UOS' equipment portfolio; by the end of 2016, the network is projected to expand to more than 200 technicians and 18 full-service facilities, adding offi ces in Atlanta, GA, Orlando, FL, Fontana, CA, New England, Northern California, and the Pacifi c Northwest. rough all facilities within the network, customers will have access to UOS' a ermarket parts portfolio, currently off ering more than $40 million in on-hand equipment parts inventory. "UOS is pleased to have achieved all forecasted milestones in developing the a ermarket network and its supporting proprietary technologies and systems. In the continued pursuit to expand our geographic footprint and the value it off ers all customers, UOS will further pursue off ering a full-service facility within four hours and a mobile tech within two hours of the furthest service request," said Tom Vale, president of A er- market Services for Utility One Source. Every call into the call-in center will be answered by one of UOS' expert mechanics; UOS estimates that, due to the comprehensive training of their equipment experts, nearly 50 percent of all inbound service calls will be resolved by the end of the call. If necessary, the customer will then be connected to the closest service manager, who can either resolve the issue at the closest full-service facility or dispatch a mobile tech to their location. roughout all steps of the process, progress will be monitored by the French construction equipment exports are reported to have grown in 2015, while imports fell, leaving a positive trade balance of €534 million. e fi gures come from CISMA (the French association of manufacturers of construction equipment and material handling technology), which noted that France was one of only a few countries to record a positive trade balance. French construction equipment exports recorded a total value of €2.52 billion in 2015, an increase of 4.2 percent compared to 2014. It was reported to be driven by the ongoing economic recovery in major partners' countries, but also by the dynamism of U.S. construction activity. Imports fell by 15.4 percent (€1.9 billion), a result of the weakness of the French internal market. e positive trade balance reached a value of more than €534 million. Utility One Source Announces Initiation of Call-in Center, Rental Equipment Industry's First Proprietary Service Network call-in center to ensure that the equipment and customer are back up and running on their jobsite as quickly as possible. In the future, customers will be off ered the option of having UOS track the status of their equip- ment year-round, monitoring manufacturer analytics to identify and communicate potential equipment issues before issues occur. For service and mainte- nance, contact the call-in center at 888-U1S-CINC (888-817-2462). For more information on UOS' compre- hensive service network, visit www.utility1source.com. ● www.digitaljournal.com, 4/16 France Trade Balance Positive Exports grew for cranes, up 21.5 percent. Exports of road construction equipment and road maintenance equipment were up 11.5 percent, and earthmoving machines increased by 10.6 percent. However, exports of concrete equipment decreased by 15.1 percent, and exports of crushing and screening equipment, plus conveyors, fell by 19.3 percent. Western Europe still was found to be the main destination for French equipment, but the U.S. featured prominently with an increase of 18 percent. In 2015, the U.S. held the top position, ahead of Germany. On the other hand, exports to Russia fell dramatically, a decline of 57.9 percent, while exports to South America fell 16 percent. Exports to Africa were down by seven percent last year. ● www.khl.com, 4/16