IT Industry Today
Ardent Hire Builds Better Business and Customer Service with Infor
Plant Hire Specialist Manages £150m Fleet with Infor d/EPM
Published 28 February 2017
FARNBOROUGH Feb. 9, 2017 Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialised by industry and built for the cloud, today announced that plant and capital equipment specialist Ardent Hire has invested in Infor Dynamic Enterprise Performance Management (d/EPM). The application will be deployed throughout 14 sites in the UK and is set to deliver improved consistency and visibility of both operational and financial data, helping to reduce risk and improve customer service.
Ardent was formed in 2015 by the buyout and merger of established plant hire companies, One Call Hire and Fork Rent. Across the newly formed company, Ardent operates more than 7,000 assets worth a total of more than £150m, including the largest telehandler fleet in the UK. However, as a result of the merger, Ardent had different systems across accounting, hire and fixed asset register functions. This led to inconsistent data, delayed reporting, increased risk and an inability to deliver the best asset use information to customers.
Following a thorough review of the market, Infor d/EPM was chosen because of its ability to combine both operational and financial data, and to act as a basis for further development of the information Ardent can offer to customers. The first step will be automation of regular reporting tasks and the addition of management by exception. Later developments will include the analysis of the optimum time to dispose of assets and the inclusion of data directly from the assets themselves.
³In our business, excellence is linked to the data that can be gathered on an asset,² said Tom Gleeson, Group Commercial Director, Ardent Hire. ³The better the data, the better the decisions we make as a business and the better we can service our customers. For example if we have a consistent picture of equipment out on hire versus that in the workshop, we have a much more effective view of our capacity. Or if we use an accurate picture of the time an excavator is with a customer as a base, we can begin to overlay the time that asset was actually in use, which creates a powerful piece of information for our customers.²
³Asset hire companies such as Ardent stand to reap a lot of return from some of the new technologies such as the Internet of Things, but they must establish a strong foundation first,² said Jon Casey, vice-president, financial solutions, Infor. ³An integrated platform that links financial and operational capabilities enables hire companies to realise internal improvements as well and enhance their offering to the customer base. This will quickly help drive growth and create a keen competitive advantage.²
Ardent was formed in 2015 by the buyout and merger of established plant hire companies, One Call Hire and Fork Rent. Across the newly formed company, Ardent operates more than 7,000 assets worth a total of more than £150m, including the largest telehandler fleet in the UK. However, as a result of the merger, Ardent had different systems across accounting, hire and fixed asset register functions. This led to inconsistent data, delayed reporting, increased risk and an inability to deliver the best asset use information to customers.
Following a thorough review of the market, Infor d/EPM was chosen because of its ability to combine both operational and financial data, and to act as a basis for further development of the information Ardent can offer to customers. The first step will be automation of regular reporting tasks and the addition of management by exception. Later developments will include the analysis of the optimum time to dispose of assets and the inclusion of data directly from the assets themselves.
³In our business, excellence is linked to the data that can be gathered on an asset,² said Tom Gleeson, Group Commercial Director, Ardent Hire. ³The better the data, the better the decisions we make as a business and the better we can service our customers. For example if we have a consistent picture of equipment out on hire versus that in the workshop, we have a much more effective view of our capacity. Or if we use an accurate picture of the time an excavator is with a customer as a base, we can begin to overlay the time that asset was actually in use, which creates a powerful piece of information for our customers.²
³Asset hire companies such as Ardent stand to reap a lot of return from some of the new technologies such as the Internet of Things, but they must establish a strong foundation first,² said Jon Casey, vice-president, financial solutions, Infor. ³An integrated platform that links financial and operational capabilities enables hire companies to realise internal improvements as well and enhance their offering to the customer base. This will quickly help drive growth and create a keen competitive advantage.²
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