Higher and Hire

Neil Nixon speaks to Warwick Stephenson of SRS, about the continued success of the North of England based Company. 

Almost 30 years have passed since the business selling pressure washers to local farmers from its base in North Yorkshire. The company - SRS - remains a Premier Distributor for the Karcher range, but there is little else to remind customers of where the comany began.

A visit to SRS now, located on a farm in beautiful, rolling Yorkshire countryside, reveals a major international business that is leading the way in cleaning technology and customer service, sourcing products from around the world to meet the needs of its customers, large and small, through sales or rental.

In addition to its relationship with Karcher, SRS is best known for supplying the NSS and PowerBoss ranges to the UK market. As Europe’s largest PowerBoss distributor - and the UK’s sole distributor since 1995 - SRS can exclusively provide its range of industrial sweepers and scrubbers driers for both indoor and outdoor use. SRS has also been the largest worldwide distributor and sole UK distributor of NSS equipment since 1990. NSS offers a full range of floor cleaning equipment for all types of floors in a commercial or industrial environment.

Warwick Stephenson of SRS, explained: “With an enviable reputation spanning almost thirty years, SRS Cleaning Equipment is now one of the UK’s leading specialists in the sale, lease, hire and maintenance of sweepers, scrubber driers, burnishers and pressure washers. Our family-run company has enjoyed continual growth thanks to our reputation for flexible and proactive service and our highly-skilled and experienced team. We now employ 45 people on our five acre site as well as a network of sub contractors around the UK in our maintenance division.”

So what gives SRS the edge over some of its competitors? One of the key elements to the continued sucess of SRS is how it has adapted to the needs of its market sectors. SRS was one of the first UK companies to offer rental as an alternative to the purchase of cleaning machinery. The last three years have seen the business invest heavily in its hire fleet which now offers in excess of 650 sweepers and scrubber driers, which can be used on long or short-term contracts. SRS’s flexible contracts mean that clients can easily upgrade or downgrade their requirements to meet with changing demands in their industry. The construction industry, for example, is the biggest user of the sweeper rental service, the majority of which are hired on a shortterm basis as a build reaches its conclusion.

Stephenson continued: “Our wide range of easy-touse and maintain rental equipment allows us to efficiently satisfy customer demand, wherever they may be in the UK, fully-supported by our experienced team of engineers both on site and on the road. Every client benefits from a dedicated SRS account manager who continually assesses how best to meet on-going and constantly changing needs.”

Working across a variety of sectors, including distribution and warehousing, factories, airports, retail and car parks, SRS offers clients all over the UK flexible solutions to meet their requirements. Whether it’s a one week hire of a sweeper or a five year lease of a scrubber drier, SRS responds to client needs 24 hours a day. 95% of all parts and consumables are held on site allowing the same-day delivery of spares, minimising downtime of both rental and purchased machines.

In addition to its rental business, which has helped the company significantly grow its business year on year particularly over the last five years, SRS continues to operate a full sales and backup service for customers wishing to purchase machines. Indeed, this side of the business has also enjoyed significant growth in recent years. The range of NSS and PowerBoss machines means that SRS can meet virtually every sweeper or scrubber drier requirement, from the very smallest walk-behind machines to the very largest ride-ons.

Stephenson concluded: “As a competitive, forwardthinking company, we are constantly improving the range of machines we offer to our customers. In addition, we are continually renewing and upgrading our fleet of rental machines, enabling us to offer reconditioned ex-hire equipment for sale. All ex-rental machines have been maintained by the SRS workshop team throughout their working life and come with a full warranty.”

The sectors SRS operates in are probably the most competitive in our industry. Only the strongest survive, but more critically, only the best thrive - and SRS is one company showing real growth, year on year, through understanding the needs of its customers, and moulding its own business to ensure it meets and exceeds these demands. It continues to innovate, and benefits from the product development initiatives of SRS operates a repair and servicing workshop at its base in North Yorkshire. some of the world’s best equipment manufacturers. With a keen eye on its business objectives, the future for SRS looks assured.