RM Online - Transport your equipment

Management, storage, retrieval and transport of your party inventory are four basic daily activities at any active party rental business. Investing in quality transport and storage equipment not only protects your investment, but also allows you to raise your business image a few notches.

"It varies across the board, depending on budget, what rental companies invest in for transport equipment," says Debra Shipper, marketing manager for Event Equipment Sales, Countryside, Ill. "It's no longer the case that you should look just at protecting your investment. When you deliver products or when customers pick them up, if you are using quality transport materials, it adds value to your image. It shows you are taking the time to care for your products."

Custom-made transport equipment is available for the basics: dishware, glassware, chairs and tables. The rental industry has long used basic milk crates and racks, but there is some specialization taking place, based on industry trends.

"With glassware there is a variety of transport equipment, and these crates are typically custom-made depending on the kind of glassware, such as high-end products," Shipper says. "This is driven by the fact that rental companies today offer so many different kinds of glassware rather than just one basic style, which used to be the norm."

For plates and other dishware, Shipper is seeing a move toward milk crates that are reinforced with strong-er sidewalls and bottoms. "The milk crate is so versatile and smaller than racks and much more easy to handle.

"It's important that rental stores look for something that encases the whole height and width of the products they intend to carry. There are so many products out there that don't cover the height, and that just leaves more potential for damage," Shipper adds.

Moving carts also are proving popular, especially for maneuvering on-site in tight locations, according to Doug Deal, co-owner of Deal Associates in Roxboro, N.C.

"One of the big things to consider is that for outside events, a hand truck can expedite delivery because you can set up closer to where the truck is," Deal says. "In addition, the truck won't damage lawns because of the large pneumatic tires, so it's great for weddings and setting up graduation parties."

Besides thinking about transporting equipment to and from events, it's also important to consider your warehousing and storage needs.

"The important consideration is not to be locked into old ways of storage and warehousing," Deal says. "We're finding that rental store owners are really looking at new approaches and actually many of our new products have grown out of needs that rental store people have communicated to us."

Shipper says store owners need to look at making the most efficient use of their vertical space.

"What you want is something flexible so that you can stack chairs, for example, in a way that they will securely interlock together," she says. "Warehouse storage is a prime area for chair carts because they maximize efficiency. It's more important to think about protecting your equipment so that there is less damage potential, even within your own staff."

Another hint is to use your existing forklift or hand truck to move some of your inventory within the warehouse. "A certain number of china and glassware crates can be stacked and shrink-wrapped to a skid as long as the product you are using is quality," Shipper noted.

According to Deal, the firm's Mongo Mover hand truck has really proven popular for these kinds of applications.

People are really appreciating the savings in labor these units afford them because it is one area that can be controlled, Deal notes. Page 130 From Page 128 One Deal rental customer has 12, six of which are motorized. It allows one person to pick up and deliver 2,000 to 3,000 chairs.

Deal says rental store owners have also come up with applications of their own. "We had a customer in Redmond, Ore., who took his Mongo Mover and modified it for moving plastic Bistro and gold-painted chairs. What he did was weld a couple of fittings on so that he could pick up the chairs from underneath the seats."

And for the rental store that also has a general rental business, the hand trucks can be rented out to do other loading jobs.

"It all boils down to taking a hard look at the volume of events and the sizes that you are accommodating," Shipper says. "The growth of the event business and the subsequent growth in competitiveness means that party rental operators have to be efficient and organized."