Basic HTML Version
History, trends and industry credibility
Allen Besseling has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Kennards Hire
14 | HIRE
AND
RENTAL
NEWS
| NOVEMBER 2012
INDUSTRY IN FOCUS
With 26 years in hire behind him, and a
considerable history with the company,
Allen Besseling has been appointed Chief
Executive Officer of Kennards Hire, stepping
into a role which is a natural fit given his
long association with the Kennards family
and brand. Recently Hire and Rental News
caught up with Allen to look at his career in
hire; consider the future and find out what
it is about this industry that keeps him, as so
many others, coming back for more.
Q: What is the history of Allen Besseling’s
career in hire?
I started in Hire with a company called
Macbro Rental in January 1986, one
year out of school. The following year I
moved to Canberra as an Assistant Branch
Manager. Macbro were later acquired by
GKN, a large UK publicly listed company.
I was made a Branch Manager at 20 in
charge of the Fyshwick Branch in Canberra.
I later became an area manager back in
Sydney at age 22. I left GKN for 18 months
and worked in scaffold and then went
back to work in hire with GKN as an Area
Manager. GKN was then acquired by
Kennards Hire in 1994.
While at Kennards I was made State
Manager NSW and later General Manager
of NSW, ACT, and QLD. In 2002 I put a
proposition to the Board to start Kennards
Lift and Shift as a joint venture. This was
agreed and in January 2003 Kennards Lift
and Shift began trading.
In August 2010 there was a change of
strategy around ownership models and L&S
was 100% acquired by Kennards Hire along
with the Concrete Care business. I was then
employed as the CEO of specialist businesses
until this most recent appointment.
Q: Why hire? What is it about this industry
that keeps you here?
In hire you never get bored. As an
industry it offers a wide range of
opportunities and job functions. It’s an
extremely pragmatic industry where
competitors are often great friends.
Q: What does it take to successfully run a
business in challenging times?
Keep costs contained and cash tight to
take full advantage of any opportunities
that will invariably become available. The
team must always be engaged and fighting
for the cause and continuous improvement
is the mantra. Customer service is the
paradigm and while costs are restrained
the one area that can’t be impacted is the
customer interface.
Q: What areas does the industry need to
focus on - business wise?
More consolidation within the hire
industry is inevitable. The higher capital
barrier to entry, coupled with the onerous
requirements and liabilities for business
around workplace health and safety and
around product liability will make it difficult
for many smaller business to operate.
Q: What is happening in hire worldwide?
The two large trends overseas are
technological and structural. Technology is
becoming a more important piece of the
business environment whether it relates to
the equipment or at the transaction end.
On the structural side O/S are embarking on
consolidation and economies of scale.
Q: How important is the industry
association?
Kennards Hire has always seen value in
the industry association because it helps
elevate professionalism. The idiom “a rising
tide lifts all ships” is one that fits nicely.
Visit: www.kennardshire.com.au
HR
rental and inventory management software
www.Orion-Soft.com.au
(03) 9016 4101 | info@orion-soft.com
“I wish I had started using Sirius Pro 10 years ago!”
Kevin Rebriro, Anytime Hire
Orion Software’s solutions are tailor made for the
hire industry. Be it machinery, audio visual,
scaffolding or marquee rental, we have a solution
that will fit your needs.
Call us for your free needs
analysis
.
Take your business to
new
heights