The past two years have brought about unprecedented worldwide obstacles and economic disruption that has hit business owners especially hard. While industry experts predict a strong 2022 for the construction industry, there are still a number of undeniable challenges.
According to a recent study, Construction Equipment Rental Market, the global construction equipment rental market is set to gain traction from $98 billion in 2018 to a projected $145 billion by 2026. In today’s economy, contractors and dealers are opting for rentals to reduce the size of their fleet and lower the complexity in organizations that may otherwise affect logistics, maintenance and procurement.
The demand for rental equipment is steadily increasing, and so is the competitive landscape for rental fleet organizations. Now, more than ever, fleet owners need to empower their businesses to help grow their ROI and stay profitable in a time when margins are tight.
Case in Point: Wacker Neuson
Mini excavators are highly in-demand equipment used in utility work, residential and commercial construction, road work and municipalities. Wacker Neuson, a manufacturer of light and compact construction equipment, saw the need to fill a market gap in the 4-ton compact tracked excavator market, and filled it with the development and launch of its ET42.
The model was designed using voice-of-customer research findings showing that North American customers not only wanted more power and performance in a smaller package, but also improved visibility and comfort for the operator. The new ET42 delivered all of this and met U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final requirements and is available for rent.
Having powered numerous machines with Perkins engines over the years, Wacker Neuson once again turned to Perkins to determine the right engine for its new excavator model. Engineers ultimately chose to power the ET42 with the Perkins 403J-E17T 48-horsepower diesel, water-cooled, three-cylinder turbo engine.
“The engine is an ideal fit for the compact excavator,” says Martin Spandl, technical project lead at Wacker Neuson. “With the combination of the high-powered, smaller diesel engine and an electronic-controlled hydraulic pump we can run the machine more dynamically and can run the maximum available torque of the engine. The pump system and the engine system work together in a completely new way at this power size. And the electric override allows the operator to limit the torque of the pump depending on the load, so the engine isn’t overloaded.”
Rental Support Program
Perkins allows rental fleet owners the opportunity to self-support with its Rental Support Program for the ET42 and other construction equipment. Unique to the industry, Perkins offers its customers direct access to tooling, training, online parts ordering, warranty claim submissions and more.
Perkins’ Electronic Service Tool gives customers a solution to quickly diagnose repairs and perform engine tests, allowing fleet owners the ability to self-support. No more long downtimes, especially when companies are shorthanded. Repairs are fixed in-house, avoiding third-party excessive costs and getting equipment back in working order.
Additionally, the Perkins Rental Support Portal provides technicians with troubleshooting guides, service and parts manuals and a service parts lookup that helps them maintain and repair Perkins engines used in any application.
In the field, every moment counts. When a rental machine is out of commission, so is a company’s bottom line. Products like the ET42 are not only powered by a Perkins engine, but also come with the support of the Rental Program that will help keep fleets at their peak and power company profits.
