After the somewhat dreary media headlines of recent years it has been refreshing, over the past few months, to read about the increasing levels of confidence that are gradually returning to the economy.The UK’s unemployment rate, for example, is now the lowest it has been for almost six years – an encouraging sign that businesses are investing in resources and looking to the future.
That same positive outlook is evident in the conversations we’ve had at Riverside Waste Machinery too. Enquiries have rocketed and we are now talking to a number of new prospective customers – including SMEs and multinational blue chip organisations – who are all striving to devise smarter ways for managing their waste.
Some are choosing to purchase their new waste baler outright, indicating perhaps that the capital investment worries experienced by many during the economic downturn, are beginning to ease. Elsewhere other firms are asking us about rental agreements with 3-5 year terms that, for some companies, would have posed too great a commitment during the recession. We’re being approached by entrepreneurial start-up companies too, who are armed with ideas to revolutionise the way they, and the wider industry, tackle ‘waste’. The recycling buzz is certainly getting louder.
Interestingly, we’ve also witnessed an increase in the number of enquiries we’ve had for our mid-range waste balers and larger vertical and horizontal machines. Again, this suggests increased marketplace confidence, business growth within our client base and a longer-term investment outlook.
Riverside’s managing director Jonathan Oldfield concludes: “Over the past few years a large number of organisations have, understandably, approached the market with caution, opting to invest in more compact, lower cost balers. But many prospects are now talking to us about their plans for expansion and their desire to work ever-smarter as they look to the future.
“It is great to see that waste balers are being increasingly acknowledged as value adding assets that can deliver real business benefits at this pivotal economic time.”
