Coates expands Greener Choices equipment range to help customers achieve their green goals

Coates, Australia’s leading equipment hire and solutions provider, is expanding its Greener Choices range, with $20 million of equipment received in FY23 and a further $30 million awaiting delivery in FY24. The continued investment in the range of lower-emission and more sustainable equipment is a key pillar of Coates’ five-year fleet investment strategy, which will see the company’s rental fleet grow to $2 billion, almost three times the size of its nearest competitors.

“There are many ways that Coates can continue to grow and innovate its fleet,” says Peter Davis, Executive General Manager for Fleet at Coates. “We’ve chosen to start by investing in areas with the potential to make the greatest difference to our customers and their performance. Our investment is also focused on equipment where the technology and innovation are suitably advanced, and the infrastructure is in place in Australia, to support it.”

According to Peter, customer interest in the Greener Choices range, which launched in June 2022, has exceeded company expectations.

“To design this range, we consulted with customers to understand their needs and to make sure that our offering would improve their commercial and environmental performance,” says Peter. “Current demand confirms that we’re investing in the right ways to support our customers on this journey.”

Supporting net-zero targets

Coates’ Greener Choices provides a range of more sustainable equipment and solutions to help customers deliver on their net-zero commitments, and to help Coates meet its own target of net-zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

The range currently includes hybrid, battery-electric and solar models, as well as equipment with low pollutant engines (USA Tier 4 Final / EU Stage 4 and 5), biofuel compatibility, energy efficient appliances and LED lighting.

Key innovations in the Greener Choices range include:

• New generation rough terrain (RT) access equipment, where previously only diesel-powered equipment could handle these ground conditions
• Tier 4 and Tier 5 low-pollutant engines, particularly in materials handling, earthmoving and access equipment where emissions standards are currently unregulated in Australia, offering an improved occupational work environment
• Zero and low-emission lighting towers (solar and hybrid respectively)
• Low-emission power solutions like battery energy storage systems (BESS) to reduce the reliance on traditional diesel-powered generators, and hybrid power systems (HPS), which combine solar, battery and generator technologies for complete off-grid power solutions.

Responding to industry needs

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a priority across all global industries. In Australia, it is likely that major construction and infrastructure projects will move toward setting minimum expectations for embodied emissions reduction — that is the carbon associated with the building materials, their transport to and from site, and the construction process itself.

In response, many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are focused on developing technologies that improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

“Coates is investing in key areas of market-driven innovation, like telematics, low emission and energy-efficient lighting and appliances, and equipment powered by hybrid, battery electric, solar, biofuels capable and low-pollutant engines,” explains Peter. “We’ve also seen progress in hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen-powered combustion engines and renewable fuels like hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), which are all technologies that Coates is watching closely.”

With most construction equipment imported into Australia, understanding global supply chains in the post-pandemic world has become more important than ever. Coates has successfully pre-ordered equipment to ensure that both present and future customer demand can be met.

“With construction activity expected to be strong over the next five years, and a clear strategy to continue to invest in new equipment and technology while growing our solutions businesses and Greener Choices offering, Coates is well positioned to support our customers in 2023 and beyond,” says Peter.

Read more about Coates’ journey towards sustainability and explore the Greener Choices range

Image credit: iStock.com/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn