Demand for electric equipment drives Art's Rental’s fleet expansion

Art Arlinghaus established Art's Rental in the late 1960s with a modest facility in Newport, Kentucky, and a vision for ongoing expansion. Today, Arlinghaus's legacy lives on through his six sons, who have grown the footprint of the business to 15 locations with 225 employees across three states.

"We rent everything from drain augers and wallpaper steamers to 185-foot boom lifts and 60-ton excavators to homeowners, small businesses, and large contractors," says Andrew Arlinghaus, who leads the inside sales department.

Embracing electric equipment

In the last few years, the company has begun offering more electric equipment to stay ahead of trends and meet evolving customer demands.

"Expanding our fleet is the best way that we have found to grow our business. When the customers ask for it, we go out and get it for them," says Arlinghaus. "So we offer a variety of battery-powered equipment, including much of our aerial fleet, some forklifts, compact utility loaders, and concrete buggies."

One of the newest additions to the electric fleet is the Volvo ECR18 Electric compact excavator, and it's been such a hit with renters that their first four machines quickly became eight.

"We pride ourselves on offering one of the largest and most diverse equipment fleets in each region that we serve, and this addition has gained us a larger market share amongst renters," says Arlinghaus.

Meeting today's jobsite demands

Many of Art's Rental clients are facing tighter restrictions on emissions, especially on indoor jobsites. A good portion of their rental base does indoor plumbing work, where they often need to break up and load out concrete flooring and dig ditches for new plumbing.

"They are experienced enough to know exactly the type of equipment they need for the job," says Arlinghaus. "Their feedback showed us that the ECR18 Electric was the appropriately sized machine for their needs."

Rental solutions

When it became clear to Arlinghaus and his team that more electric excavators were necessary, they placed an order with Rudd Equipment Company, their local Volvo equipment dealer which delivered the machines.

“Renting is a great solution for contractors who need an electric machine for a short period or want to test one without the commitment of buying,” says Alex Kloentrup, the Rudd sales rep who made the connection. 

Arlinghaus and Kloentrup have both heard positive feedback in the year and a half since their first ECR18 Electric excavators arrived.

“Customers are impressed with the overall power of the unit,” says Arlinghaus. “The ease of changing buckets is also a plus.” He says he’s heard remarks on how smooth, quiet and powerful the machine is. “Those benefits are particularly noticeable in indoor environments where noise echoes and tight areas are abundant.” 

When performance outweighs price

Initial purchase prices for battery-powered machines like the Volvo ECR18 Electric are higher while the technology and supply chain catch up to demand, but maintenance is significantly simpler without an internal combustion engine, and fuel costs are eliminated.

“One customer mentioned to me that they do not use the machine to save money — they use it because of zero emission requirements on their jobsites,” Arlinghaus says.

He says Art’s Rental continues to see increased demand for their ECR18 Electric compact excavators, and they expect to see more options like it become available as the technology continues to improve.