SMS Rents relocated its Guelph, Ontario, Canada, store to new, larger facilities with space for an expanded fleet and more efficient maintenance, the company said. Store manager Kevin Roberts said SMS had been looking for a new facility since early last year.
“We serve quite a large business area here, anywhere west from Georgetown into the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge ‘tri-cities’ region,” he said. “With our access to large equipment and our growing number of customers, it was important for us to acquire a facility that can support the scope of our operation.”
The Guelph fleet already includes an extensive range of aerial and construction equipment, power tools, handtools and jobsite supplies. Each SMS branch develops its fleet to meet the specific needs of local or regional businesses and contractors; meanwhile the Guelph branch can take advantage of a pool of heavy equipment, such as large excavators and other earthmoving machines, shared by other SMS Rents stores in southern Ontario.
“This really makes us different from a lot of the other rental houses in the area,” added Roberts. “Regional customers can turn to us for this type of equipment without having to travel a long way to get it.”
The added space will accommodate more specialty equipment, such as the trailer-mounted Hydra Platform bridge inspection system recently delivered to the Guelph branch. “With all the infrastructure projects currently underway, there’s quite a demand for this kind of platform to help bridge inspectors and maintenance crews do their work as quickly as possible.”
The 9,000-square-foot facility offers more space for servicing equipment. “There’s a better flow from rental returns, to washing, to preventive maintenance to restocking, with a centralized parts area, too,” Roberts said. “Our technicians have what they need within arm’s reach, so they don’t spend so much time walking to get the material and tools.”
Roberts has added to the sales and returns team and hopes to add more personnel. SMS president Marcel Langlois added that the store’s increased visibility and easier access to main roads and highways, along with expanded fleet, will contribute to the Guelph branch’s growth.
Based in Mississauga, Ontario, SMS Rents is No. 52 on the RER 100. The company has 14 branches in Ontario and Quebec.
