HSE International ISSUE 100 | Page 47

“In terms of sales, we ensure our clients have peace of mind when they purchase a product and they have confidence in the backup service we provide in managing the asset.” tiny for a lot of effort. We now focus on selling only to our customer base and this works well, is very popular and makes a reasonable margin. “For work wear and PPE, we now have a partnership with a long established business who stock our stores with the top 30 popular and fast moving product lines. They manage the stock levels monthly, change stock to suit seasonality and all we have to do is sell it! Our supplier thinks this is great and they now have 11 additional shops! “In terms of sales, we ensure our clients have peace of mind when they purchase a product and they have confidence in the backup service we provide in managing the asset. We offer service, repair, test and calibration, which many online retailers cannot do. “Our clients tend to have heavy usage with equipment and often need the powerful “top end” tools to do their work. Many of our clients have been lured by online offers for tools that seem too good to be true, and if they purchase a £50 drill for example, it soon becomes apparent that it is not fit for purpose. Therefore, we simply ask our clients what usage they will have for a tool and provide them with the appropriate item to suit the job. “We also have a Collection and Delivery service for our client’s equipment and can repair items they own but may not have bought from ourselves. TRAINING “During 2013, many of our clients were asking about training, particularly in the growing field of Working at Height. We formed a partnership with a new company called WHS Safety Solutions, which was set up by one of our most loyal customers. WHS offered training for IPAF (International Powered Access Federation), PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers and Manufacturers Association), First Aid, Working at Height, Confined Spaces and multiple other construction based requirements. “In January 2014, the company was offered to us to buy as the owner was very busy concentrating on his core, rapidly growing Dry Lining business. It made perfect sense for One Stop Hire to buy WHS and benefit from the training expertise the company had to offer. We came to a deal and One Stop Safety Training was born. “At One Stop Safety Training, our aim is to improve health and safety knowledge and encourage good practice within all relevant sectors. All trainers have expert knowledge and a wealth of experience, and courses are delivered at a professional standard in state of the art facilities using the latest training techniques. We take a flexible approach to training, offering evening and weekend courses alongside online access to certificates and training needs assessments. This allows employee training to take place alongside work commitments without anybody having to take time off. “One Stop Safety Training Solutions is able to deliver over 100 courses nationally from our Blackburn Training Centre. Our Training portfolio offer ranges from IPAF, PASMA and SMSTS (Site Management Safety Tr