Feature: Pumps – Rental momentum

There has been plenty of news from the pumps sector in the last few months, not least the decision by manufacturer Tsurumi Europe to enter the rental market by setting up a new rental operation in Strasbourg, France.

The move came as the company acquired its Belgian distributor and rental company Marine Motors & Pumps (MM Pumps). Tsurumi said the new wholly-owned French rental company – Tsurumi Pompes Location (TPL) – would focus on the country’s rental potential and grow its presence in the market.

The manufacturer has been present in the French market for years through its subsidiary CE2A-Tsurumi France, located in the south of France. Now, thanks to this new development, the company said it would serve the market directly for both customer’s distribution and rental requirements.

Tsurumi said TPL would stock a large number of pumps and accessories, and employ a number of qualified pump rental professionals. It added that the MM Pumps business in Belgium will support its operation and growth in France, both technically and logistically.

TPL head of operations Gaetan Beaulieu said, “The French dewatering pump rental market is a major area where we see the main submersible pump players.

“Now is the perfect time for Tsurumi to establish its own rental operations to cover unreached rental customers and capitalize on growing market potential.”

Tsurumi said it had thousands of pumps at its warehouse in Belgium and almost all of its 250 pump models, with power outputs up to 110 kW, were available for rapid delivery. Tsurumi also has a large stock of spare parts in Germany as well as support from CE2A-Tsurumi France.

“Availability is everything,” said Daniel Weippert, managing director at Tsurumi Europe. “We are very excited to be able to make our pumps available to customers in France – not only by existing stock outlets in our dealer network, but also by direct rental, even for special applications.

“At the same time, our new rental operation in France aims to strengthen existing relationships to equipment rental companies by giving them the opportunity to rent larger and special pumps at short notice.

Renter-manufacturer

Another renter-manufacturer in this sector is Xylem, which manufactures Flygt and Godwin pumps, operates in 150 countries and has a rental bank of 20000 products worldwide.

Newly-appointed dewatering rental manager for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific, Kieran Gagg, said, “We are seeing a continued shift across our customer base from purchasing dewatering equipment to renting it.

“The rental market is growing as more customers look for a ‘pay-as-you-go’ option, likely due to scarcity of capital and economic uncertainty.”

Mr Gagg said there were many benefits to renting, including less capital investment and the fact that equipment is maintained and stored by the provider.

“Renting can be a smart option for customers who do not need to invest in equipment for what can be a temporary need. Calculating the true cost of owned equipment can be tricky while renting means there is a definitive cost and bottom line.

“In addition, renting equipment includes full maintenance which means no major repair costs – no need for workshops, large storage areas, spare parts inventory, maintenance record keeping or mechanics – in other words, no additional maintenance payroll.

Mr Gagg added that there was also a growing trend to outsource expert advice to solve complex water and wastewater challenges with customised solutions.

“Xylem ‘packages’ dewatering equipment with engineering expertise and dewatering project management as part of a rental agreement. This delivers peace of mind to the customer as we analyse the need, develop a tailored solution and implement a complete solution to the dewatering problem, managing the entire challenge for the customer from start to finish.

“More often than not there are many different elements to a particular project. For example, customers may be faced with a dewatering issue as well as the need to treat wastewater before it is removed and pumped elsewhere.

“It is important that the dewatering partner a customer chooses to work with can provide solutions for the wide range of challenges water can pose.

“When faced with a problem, customers look for the right solution at short notice. Our rental teams work with customers to develop the most effective and comprehensive response to the challenge quickly, not just providing pumps,” said Mr Gagg.

Another factor fuelling the growth of rental is the introduction of strict off-highway diesel emissions laws in the US and Europe – currently Tier 4 Final and Stage IV respectively. These regulations affect the engines that power dewatering pumps. As well as reducing emissions, these new cleaner engines have added expense to the cost of purchasing dewatering pumps, and renting can be a more cost-effective way of adhering to the regulations.

“These standards are demanding some adjustment across the industry,” Mr Gagg explained. “Renting dewatering diesel pumps is a clever way to ‘test drive’ Tier 4 engines as well as ensuring that customers have the correct pump for the job at hand, within budget.

“We work closely with customers to install the best Tier 4 compliant pump to solve a particular challenge. Renting also allows for adjustment of equipment to meet the changing needs of a particular application. As Tier 4 engines are in constant cleaning mode, it is important to select a unit with a correctly sized engine for best results.”

Xylem also offers alternative pumping solutions such as Godwin electric driven Dri-Prime or Flygt submersible pumps, and variable frequency drives to meet varied needs.

“The new diesel engines are just one of the many technological advancements we have introduced over the last year. For example, our new Field Smart Technology works in tandem with Godwin’s PrimeGuard pump controller enabling customers to constantly monitor and control equipment remotely to ensure optimum efficiency,” added Mr Gagg.

Substantial growth

Meanwhile, the UK pump hire business of manufacturer Selwood has also seen “substantial growth” over the last few years, according to the company, and has become much more of a service provider than simply a pump hirer.

The company offers a specialist installation service, incorporating site surveys, method statements and risk assessments, on a national basis backed up with a 24 hour, seven days a week service.

Pump hire managing director Richard Brown said, “We have entered into an exciting stage of our development and are taking pump hire in the UK to the next level.”

On the manufacturing side of the business, a particular focus in the development of the Selwood pump range has been to meet the strict new emissions requirements in North America and Europe that other players in the sector have also been focussing on.

Director of engineering Lawrence Bradbury said, “Emission legislation is upon us all and whilst it presents significant engineering challenges, we are using this as an opportunity to streamline our designs. This will allow us to extract the best deal for all our customers, with commonality of engines and canopies throughout the ranges”.

Selwood’s range of contractor’s pumps was originally designed and developed for its own hire fleet, which is why it claims the pumps are so popular amongst rental companies around the world.

New low-emissions units in the range include the 750 m³/h maximum flow Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim-compliant H200, which is currently on field trials; and the Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim-S150, which boasts a maximum flow of 320 m³/h. The company said pumps supplied to non-regulated countries would continue to use the standard range of engines.

And there is also a new name in the European pump market in the form of Kabarda Pumps, a Belgian-Dutch joint venture based in Lochristi, Belgium. The company has just launched its new Screw Impeller Pump (SIP) self-priming diesel range, which it claims consume up to 55% less fuel than most equivalent models in the market.

Three SIP models are available, targeting the construction, industry and utilities sectors. The SIP 75-3, SIP 100-4 and SIP 150-6 models offer maximum flows of between 125 m³/h and 432 m³/h, and come encased in a robust canopy with an integrated digital control display.

Another new pump on the market comes from SPP, which presented its new E Series autoprime pump at this year’s Flood Defence Forum, which took place in December last year at the London ExCeL Centre in the UK.

Designed for tough dewatering, sewer over pumping and bypass applications, SPP said the E-Series came with an optional single vane open impeller for handling raw sewage containing stringy/fibrous solids and semi solids up to 100 mm diameter.

It was also developed to be portable and lightweight, featuring a compact manoeuvrable design to allow models to be trailer transported and easily shipped.

SPP business manager Duncan Jackson said the company had worked hard to reduce the number of components in the latest pump, as well as simplifying servicing and maintenance access

“We are adding to our existing Q-Series autoprime range with this new model.

Mr Jackson added, “In terms of demand from rental companies in 2015, we expect to see some increases across Europe and internationally – we also supply into Australia and have had a recent order here. The UK Environment Agency is also talking about big investments.”

This is a feature from the March issue of IRN. For the full feature, including extra images and box stories, or to see other features from the issue, please subscribe to the magazine: http://www.khl.com/subscriptions