Dru Dubois is Hills Machinery’s used and rental equipment manager.
Hills Machinery, with eight branches across the two Carolinas, has established itself as a leading full-service construction equipment distributor. Hills Machinery's partnership with Case Construction has greatly contributed to that reputation.
Now, Case Construction is testing a new service with Hills Machinery that takes used machines and reconditions them back to retail-ready condition. After that, they are available at a lower cost vs. buying new construction equipment, making them an attractive alternative for many contractors.
The dealership has opened Case ReNew Centers at three of its branches, where contractors can get a range of lease return and other used equipment refurbished by one of Hills Machinery's certified Case technicians.
ReNew Centers are now being utilized at Hills Machinery's Charlotte, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; and Charleston, S.C., locations, according to Dru Dubois, the distributor's used and rental equipment manager.
"Case Construction started with off-lease compact track loaders that they would identify as being good condition, lower-hour units that came off lease," he said. "Then, we identified the three stores where we would send the loaders to have them reconditioned. We do a 100-plus point inspection on each of them through our separate Case Certified Used program first to make sure there is nothing mechanically wrong with them."
He added that with that done, Hills Machinery will send a list of repairs that need to be performed to Case Construction for approval before the dealership completes the repairs.
"We recondition those units, after which they get a 500-hour, one-year warranty from Case Construction, and Hills Machinery resells them as certified ReNew units," DuBois said.
The ReNew Centers at the Carolinas dealership have proven successful.
"The market's reaction has just been excellent," DuBois said. "Depending on how many we get from Case New Holland, we are seeing a big increase in demand just out of the ReNew program, which, I would say, has increased our sales. It has helped tremendously because these are good, quality machines. We have gone over them thoroughly, and customers have a good feeling about them."
Case Construction has responded to the ReNew Centers' success, as well.
Recently, the manufacturer made the decision to start sending wheel loaders and backhoes to Hills Machinery for its technicians to refurbish under the ReNew effort. In fact, the Columbia store just received its first wheel loader, Dubois said.
"I believe it is already sold and the program hasn't even hit the ground down there, yet," he said. "They send these machines from other dealers from all over the country for us to renew."
Case ReNew Teams With Case Certified Used
Dubois explained that his shop facilities in Charlotte, Columbia and Charleston go through an inspection program before performing ReNew upgrades, and they are given a list of requirements before starting work.
"Our technicians are factory trained on how to work on Case machinery. There is a separate list of what to look for and the inspections we are doing on this equipment," he said. "It is a completely different inspection from everything else that we do. Each of our service managers, along with our corporate service manager, has had discussions with Case Construction on how this program is to be applied to the different machines we are sent."
He noted that there are similarities between the Case ReNew and the Case Certified Used programs. For instance, those machines sent to Hills Machinery to go though its ReNew Centers are owned by Case Construction. Alternatively, the Certified Used equipment at Hills has been purchased by the dealership itself from local customers or through lease end returns the dealer ship purchases from CNH Capital prior to being refurbished.
"Either way you are getting a quality machine that has been through our shop, where it is meticulously reconditioned before being put out there with the backing of Case Construction and Hills Machinery," Dubois said.
Contractors have found the ReNew program to be a highly effective, money-saving venture that adds value, warranty and the manufacturers assurance of quality.
"It is amazing to see the amount of interest in used units," DuBois said.
For more information, visit www.hillsmachinery.com.
(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2021 Construction Equipment Guide. All Rights Reserved.) CEG
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