Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85672
Home-grown rental F Compact Power Equipment Centers come on strong with 405 locations in The Home Depot stores rom a start of seven locations in 2009, Com- pact Power Equipment Centers are now in 405 Home Depot Tool Rental Centers, growing by 100 locations in the fi rst four months of 2012 alone. "We don't have to worry about bricks and mortar," says Andy Lew- is, CPEC marketing communications director. "The facilities are already there – and in prime areas." CPEC sees its three-year growth potential extending to 1,000 Home Depot Tool Rental Centers. CPEC, a separate company, formed its partnership with Home Depot in 2008, coming to the table with a long history in compact equipment. In the mid-1990s, CPEC founder and former landscape con- tractor Roger Braswell brought what is now known as the Toro Dingo from Australia to the United States. After forming parent company Compact Power in 2003, he bought Mertz Manufacturing and its Boxer line of mini skid steers. Seamless experience Renting a CPEC machine is de- signed to be seamless with The Home Depot Tool Center experi- ence. When contractors rent tools they can also rent a machine, and put it on one bill. Each machine is either towable or comes on a trailer. "We look for equipment that can be towed behind an F150-size pickup," Lewis says. CPEC's sister company, Compact Power Services, has 270 mobile service technicians that help make sure the 2,500 machines in its fl eet are rental ready. Contractors can also buy used rental machines from CPECdirect.com. In the past year, CPEC has formed equipment partnerships with Terex, Kubota and Altec (see sidebar), which Lewis says works out well for local dealers of these brands. Participating dealers stage the equipment, provide parts and in most cases, do warranty work. "We're putting out brand new equipment," Lewis says. "These days, a contractor may be hesitant to buy, so he rents." And if that contractor's work picks up, he's already familiar with the machine, and likely to buy, he says. "The dealer didn't even have to demo it." Tim Bauer, national accounts manager with Kubota, echoes this sentiment. "We're getting reports that it's driving sales to the dealer," he says. "The agreement has al- lowed us to increase our presence in the rental market." EW rentsmart | by Marcia Gruver Doyle Rental ready All CPEC equipment is either towable or comes on a custom-made trailer. (The ASV PT50 is now the Terex PT50.) While it varies from store to store, the average fl eet size for a CPEC location is eight to 12 machines, selected from the following: JLG T350 towable boom lift Altec DC610 or Terex Woodsman chipper/shredder Canycom and Kubota (available in Canada only) concrete buggies Boxer 300, 400 and 500 Series mini skid steers with landscaping attachments Kubota, Terex or IHI compact excavators Terex PT30 and PT50 compact track loaders Toro or Carlton stump grinders Kubota BX25 or Allmand TLB-325 backhoes Boxer, Toro or Barreto trenchers EquipmentWorld.com | April 2012 37