Welfare Hire Nationwide, part of the Kelling Group, is setting the standard for modern, environmentally conscious specialist equipment hire. Their unique offering positions the company as an ideal partner for rail projects.
Kelling CEO Stephen Moore said: “The current climate presents the rail industry with both opportunities and challenges, which we support through our specialist ECO products along with unrivalled service to our clients.
“The drive for expansion of freight services, improvements in customer experience and modernisation of the network all point towards the need for ongoing significant development of rail infrastructure. In addition, the call for even greater sustainable performance in all aspects of rail work continues to grow ever louder. Welfare Hire’s approach and long-term strategy aligns perfectly with the needs that network owners and operators experience in meeting those challenges.”
Along with its sister company in the Kelling Group, Access Hire, the UK’s largest specialist in long term hire and lease of vehicle-mounted access platforms, Welfare Hire conducts its business with five core principles in mind: Quality, Service, Environment, Wellbeing and Value. Backed by dedicated ‘Kelling Guarantees’ for each principle, the Group prides itself in providing young, innovative market-leading vehicles and equipment, at competitive rates, all with premium levels of nationwide support from a highly experienced team.
“We’re a partner rather than a supplier, ensuring that projects run smoothly with high-quality, energy-efficient products and unrivalled service,” Moore explained. “Our equipment is designed to help clients address a range of challenges from improving staff wellbeing to meeting carbon emission targets. And, with the largest, most modern fleet of towable welfare units in the UK, we can mobilise quickly and efficiently.”
Innovative features for a reduced carbon footprint
The Group has over 3,500 assets, growing 20% annually and continuous investment and innovation in the fleet has resulted in an average asset age of just two and a half years.
Welfare Hire’s Commercial Director, Andy Grayshon, explained that a range of innovative design features set these units apart from other products, making them more user-friendly and better for the environment.
For example, traditional welfare units typically have chemical toilets, which need to be emptied and serviced weekly. Welfare Hire offers Smart XL Water ceramic toilets, which, thanks to a water flushing system and significantly larger tank, are more hygienic, whilst requiring less frequent services.
“This reduces service vehicle movements on sites by around 60 per cent,” explained Grayshon. “By making this smart change, customers can benefit from significant savings of CO₂ emissions each year, whilst lowering operational costs and transport risk on site.”
Welfare Hire’s use of smart hybrid power also sets it apart from the competition.
Grayshon added: “We led the way by introducing lithium/solar hybrid power for both our mobile lighting towers and welfare units. This enables silent, green running from battery for longer, reducing the reliance on generator power, leading to significant fuel and cost savings, and much less noise pollution.”
He added that, for many clients, fuel costs can fall by up to 94%.
When it comes to installing equipment, Welfare Hire relies primarily on its own fleet of modern, low-emission towing vehicles. This results in flexible, low cost and carbon deliveries with greater site accessibility. Welfare Hire’s expert drivers help customers to install welfare units, which can be set up in just six seconds. With no need for HGV deliveries, collections or relocations, costs and emissions are also driven down with this aspect of smart eco service.
“We want to help customers realise efficiencies and savings at every stage of the process,” Grayshon explained.
Proven sustainable results
With this in mind, Welfare Hire is rolling out a smart telemetry system across its products. This digital system enables customers to optimise power and services utilisation, and to manage them efficiently. Whilst data on eco power use and carbon reduction is collected as standard for every unit on hire, this extended volumetric data is even more valuable for reporting on ESG performance.
The result is that partners are able to accurately report on fuel, CO2 emissions and cost savings for site set up equipment, as a key element within their sustainable reporting.
During 2022, Welfare Hire also launched their Eco and Social Value calculator, which enables partners to project the cost, fuel and emissions savings they can achieve with Welfare Hire products for upcoming sites. Drawing on accurate, verified empirical data over many years from real projects, this innovative tool helps customers to make truly informed decisions. It’s just one of the reasons a range of Rail contractors and Network Rail choose to partner with Welfare Hire.
“We’ve been working with Network Rail, as well as a variety of Tier One contractors on CP6,” Moore states. “We can add a lot of value around innovation, sustainability, quality and wellbeing and look forward to working with more contractors in the rail industry. With our help, we know that our partners will be able to implement savings and efficiencies, whilst delivering smarter and more modern approaches to their projects to help future proof their business.”
Visit www.kellinggroup.com/ for more details.
Photo credit: Kelling Group
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