Fullest confidence throughout Europe

Boels rents out everything that’s needed on construction sites, from small power drills to 22.5 ton crawler excavators. And does so in eleven countries throughout Europe. A company that uses so much equipment also has a lot to maintain and repair. Wherever hydraulic components are needed, the company relies entirely on HANSA‑FLEX’s Europe-wide service network, regardless of whether it’s a case of damage on a construction site or scheduled maintenance in a Boels workshop.

Boels was founded in 1977 in the Netherlands and has developed into one of the most prestigious Europe-wide rental companies for tools, machines, catering and event equipment. It has 400 branches in eleven countries, with more than 150 of them in Germany. Customers include private individuals as well as technical businesses and construction companies. “Whenever a tool or machine is required for a project, Boels makes it available”, explains Thomas Stoffel, Technical Manager at Boels Germany. It is in the nature of things that a great deal of hydraul­ics is used in construction machinery. The power of oil pressure is used in thousands of machines, ranging from excavators to work platforms.

Whether private person or craftsman: time pressure always rules in building projects. The last thing anyone needs is machine failures, and that’s why a rapid response is essential. “We promise our cus­tomers that if a machine breaks down due to a defect, we will find a solution within one day”, says Thomas Stoffel. Numerous Boels mechanics are in action for these operations. However, if a customer reports hydraulic damage, they call in the HANSA‑FLEX specialists. The two companies have been working together for 15 years. The close partnership began at Boels headquarters in Sittard, the Netherlands. Owing to the initial positive experience, the rental specialist gradually transferred responsibility for the entire Netherlands to HANSA‑FLEX. When Boels wished to standardise its hydraulic service for the whole of Europe, HANSA‑FLEX was able to provide the required service with its international network and proven solutions-oriented approach. Key Account Manager Marius Vennemann, Head of Department Peter Düring and Sales Manager Martin de Man are now the central contacts for Boels at HANSA‑FLEX. They ensure that hydraulic damage is repaired quickly and reliably throughout Europe.

If hydraulic damage is reported, the Boels branch sends a fault report to a central HANSA‑FLEX email address. “It’s important to us to have a clear process in which everyone knows what to do and doesn’t first have to check who is responsible”, says Thomas Stoffel. At HANSA‑FLEX, 12 dispatchers are on standby for Germany, recording fault reports 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They then deploy the Rapid Hydraulic Service vehicle, which can fulfil the task as quickly as possible. “Our dispatchers use GPS data to see which vehicle is in the vicinity”, explains Marius Vennemann. “The system also reports how quickly they will be available, so that we can react optimally.” In this way, the vehicles of the Rapid Hydraulic Service are in operation about 7,000 times a year.

When the HANSA‑FLEX technician arrives on the scene, Boels relies completely on him. He alone assesses the damage. “When it comes to invoicing the customer, the judgement of the HANSA‑FLEX expert is of decisive importance”, says Thomas Stoffel. After all, if customers are responsible for damage caused by operating errors or carelessness, they have to pay for it themselves. However, if the machine failure is due to wear or a technical defect, Boels has to pay for it. The technician’s assessment is also a valuable contribution to the workflow in other areas: if it becomes clear on site that it is not hydraulic damage, he provides immediate feedback together with a reliable assessment of where the problem could lie. This enables the Boels branch to react quickly and appropriately. Once the HANSA‑FLEX technician has repaired any hydraulic damage, he reports back to the Boels branch that the order has been completed and the machine is ready for operation again. This means that Boels always has up-to-date status information.

Boels also relies on its hydraulic partner for safety. “Occupational safety is a crucial issue for us”, Stoffel confirms. Anyone wishing to rent machinery from Boels is always informed about the protective equipment which is required. In the case of particularly essential safety measures, such as fall protection for aerial work platforms, the corresponding equipment is always included. In addition, only machines that have been tested in accordance with industrial safety regulations are supplied to customers. The tests are carried out by trained Boels staff. In order to be able to guarantee these standards, Boels also works togeth­er with the testing organisation DEKRA. “With safety-relevant repairs to the hydraulics, we need to be able to rely fully on our partner working professionally, reliably and with quality materials. And, in this case, we can”, says Stoffel.

However, HANSA‑FLEX is not only in demand at Boels when the Rapid Hydraulic Service is needed on construction sites at short notice. The cooperation also covers scheduled maintenance work on large mach­ines. When chain excavators or aerial work platforms are fitted with completely new hydraulic hose systems at the five central workshops in Hamburg, Berlin, Willich, Karlsruhe or Munich, the Industrial Service is called in together with the Rapid Hydraulic Service. Such a project usually takes several days or even weeks. Whether it’s scheduled maintenance work or emergency repairs – Thomas Stoffel is very satisfied with his hydraulic partner: “Hydraulic iss­ues are no problem for us or our customers because HANSA‑FLEX provides us with a professional solution that deals with them quickly and efficiently.”