Headquartered in Banbury UK, GEM Tool Hire and Sales offer a one-stop-shop that caters to all of your plant and tool equipment requirements. Established in 1979, the business has grown substantially, operating out of two depots and boasting an impressive 200+ years of combined experience with their growing team.   

Recently, inspHire had the pleasure of visiting GEM's Banbury depot to speak with Steve Moore, Managing Director, and Carl Ashford, Director to discuss their success story. Taking it back to the late-70s, Steve's father, Gordon Moore and his partner, Alan England, opened up a small arcade that offered standard tool hire. Within 12-months, it became apparent that the concept of hiring was becoming increasingly popular and with this, the business expanded significantly, moving into a larger premises and widening their services to include the sales of tools also. Now 10 years later, GEM Tool Hire and Sales operate out of two depots in the UK, all while being supported by their inspHire Office solution.

With business growth came the need for a dedicated rental solution

Operating a one-stop-shop service beyond 'simply' hiring, GEM offer an extensive selection of plant and tool equipment. From wallpaper strippers and gardening products, right through to power tools and diggers, it really is possible to hire anything! In addition, GEM are also fully equipped with a huge range of accessories and consumables too. However, with this extensive offering comes the need for a rental management solution. 

“Back in 2019, we felt that the software we had at the time wasn’t adequate for the hiring segment. We wanted to enhance our hire offering and felt that inspHire’s functionality suited what we needed to achieve. We utilise inspHire Mobile which has improved our services levels and has definitely shifted us towards digital. This has enabled us to cut down on manual work, as well as reduce paperwork as we can capture information electronically, such as signatures. From a look-up perspective, inspHire provides a quick snapshot of where everything is, such as what’s out on hire, and our reporting is much better." - Carl Ashford  

Dedicated to delivering the best one-stop-service 

With over 3,000+ products available to hire, GEM Tool Hire are constantly evaluating their fleet to ensure they are up to date with the latest technological advances and health and safety regulations. Being members of the Hire Association Europe (HAE), GEM have been awarded a prestigious safety certificate from the international trade organisation. The certificate is awarded for meeting a six-point programme of customer care. To meet the requirements of the HAE, all equipment is serviced and tested before every hire, as well as ensuring all documentation is stored effectively, including safety test results. 

"GEM Tool definitely prides itself on its high standard when it comes to the health and safety of our equipment. But, what differentiates us from national companies is that we are a family-run business. Our team, the majority of who have been here from the beginning or a significant period, offer professionalism, localism and genuinely go above and beyond for whoever walks through GEM's doors. It could be a regular customer, general public working on DIY projects or builder merchants, delivering the best customer service is what we're good at." - Carl Ashford  

A big thank you to Carl Ashford and Steve Moore at GEM Tool Hire and Sales for sharing their success story with inspHire. If you would like to find out more about GEM and their impressive range of plant and tool products, you can visit their website here.