How it works
This page says what happens, in what order, and who does what. It also says what has to be ready before we arrive, because that is where the days get lost.
Supply in five stages
Every stage has one person responsible and one deliverable. Durations will be written in here as soon as our contractual lead times are settled: until they are, we do not display them.
- 01
The call
Who: You and our hire manager
What: You describe what you need to power, over what period, and with what connection already in place. In that same conversation we tell you whether this is a case for a hired battery, or a case for something else.
- 02
The survey
Who: Our engineer, on site or from drawings
What: Heavy goods vehicle access, ground bearing capacity, available footprint, means of unloading, distance to the connection point. On a straightforward site, a drawing and photographs are enough.
- 03
The delivery
Who: Our haulier
What: The equipment arrives, it is unloaded and set down in the agreed position. The outgoing condition report is signed at that moment.
- 04
The connection
Who: Our engineer, with your electrician
What: Connection, energisation, checking of protective devices, load test. You leave with the procedure to follow and the number to call.
- 05
The collection
Who: Us
What: De-energisation, disconnection, removal, incoming condition report. The hire ends when the equipment is collected, not when you call.
The four ways a battery works
It is not for you to choose: that is our job, from your load curve. We describe them here because you will hear them talked about, and because recognising your case in one of them will save you a call.
Peak shaving
The battery discharges during the few minutes when your site exceeds its contracted capacity, and recharges the rest of the time.
- Who it is for
- A site whose supply is enough on average but not when a machine starts, when a shift opens or when several vehicles charge at once.
- The tell-tale sign
- You rarely trip, but always at the same time of day.
Off-grid site
The battery is the only source. It recharges from a source brought to the site, between two periods of use.
- Who it is for
- A remote site, an event in open country, an unequipped port area, use in sessions with long quiet periods.
- The tell-tale sign
- There is nothing to connect to, and the need is intermittent.
Supporting a generator
The generator runs at its best efficiency, the battery absorbs the variations and takes over in the quiet hours. The generator stops instead of idling.
- Who it is for
- A site already fitted with a generator, where night-time noise, fuel consumption or engine fouling are a problem.
- The tell-tale sign
- Your generator runs a lot and works very little.
Back-up and continuity
The battery stays charged and takes over at the moment of an outage, long enough to finish an operation or start another source.
- Who it is for
- An operation that cannot be interrupted: a pour, a control room, an incident command post, a cold store.
- The tell-tale sign
- An outage of a few minutes costs you more than the hire does.
What has to be ready before we arrive
This list exists because a failed delivery is paid for twice: the lorry leaves still loaded, and the date slips. It prints out and is handed round at a site meeting.
| What has to be ready before we arrive | Whose job it is |
|---|---|
| Heavy goods vehicle access to the setting-down pointWidth, turning circle, headroom, gradient, ground condition along the whole route, and not only on arrival. | You |
| Ground bearing capacity at the setting-down pointThe mass of the equipment and its bearing area are given to you in the quote. Checking the bearing capacity is for you or your engineering consultant. | You |
| Means of unloadingDepending on the model and the site, unloading is done by the lorry or calls for lifting equipment. That is settled in the quote, never on the day. | Us |
| Footprint and clearancesReserved area, clearances around the equipment, circulation kept open, protection against impact from plant. | You |
| Connection point and distanceExact position of the board or the source, real distance to the setting-down point, cable routing and protection where cables cross. | You |
| Protective devices and electrical coordinationRating of the upstream protective devices, earthing arrangement, coordination with your existing installation. | Us |
| Someone on site at the deliverySomeone who knows the site, who can sign the condition report and open the gates, at the agreed times. | You |
| Energisation and load testChecking of protective devices, a real test, handover of the procedure to follow and of the number to call. | Us |
If the delivery cannot go ahead
A lorry that cannot get in, ground that will not take the load, a connection point that is not ready: the journey is chargeable, and the date slips. It is written in the quote, and avoiding it is precisely why the survey exists.
A project in the works?
Let’s talk about it now.