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Mobile Access Platforms at Malls: Revolutionising Maintenance and Marketing

Mobile Access Platforms at Malls: Revolutionising Maintenance and Marketing : Shopping malls in India have become more than just ordinary organised retail spaces. Landmark regulatory changes and organic evolution of consumer preferences and demands have led to the emergence of a complete shoppertainment experience. This experience fuelled by sprawling hypermarkets, boutique stores, electronic goods, food courts, multiplexes, salons & spas, gaming & entertainment plazas, events, concerts and even offices has become the hallmark of the modern family outing. The result – growing consumer response to professionally envisioned and executed mall spaces in the form of ever growing footfalls and a larger variety of retail brands willing to take the leap. But is mall management leveraging all its resources to synergise with the brands in their portfolio to the fullest?

Market dynamics are pushing towards ever bigger malls, not just horizontally in terms of gross leasable area but also vertically as malls grow taller from 3-4 storeys being the norm in the late 2000’s to 5-6 storey mega malls that stand tall today. As the malls grow bigger and the footfalls faster, maintenance, repair and operations costs grow making it essential for mall management and developers to activate new revenue streams and optimise existing ones. Mall space rental contracts are moving from fixed monthly rental schemes to revenue/profit sharing based contracts thus more directly linking the performance of the mall management team to the success of the retail environment they manage. The current focus on the details of mall design and aesthetics gives rise to wide and inviting circulation areas with high ceilings, clean facades and flowing displays. All this sets the scene for the usage and integration of new access and work at height technology at malls and shopping centres.

Marketing display spaces

Leasing out marketing display spaces are a major source of revenue for malls and an excellent way for consumer brands to gain more exposure with the sort of footfalls malls attract on a daily basis. From standalone posters, hanging banners, elevator door prints, floor decals to gigantic outdoor displays hung on facades facing high traffic roads, marketing displays serve to both inform and influence consumers through point of purchase advertising. Brands also want to be able to refresh themselves frequently and let consumers know about their latest offerings by changing these displays regularly.

But as malls grow bigger and higher it becomes difficult to reach attractive display areas easily and frequently. Logistically, stores and brands install their own posters in the spaces made available to them by hiring third party vendors. In many display spaces this is a tedious, time taking and costly affair as vendors make use of unstable wood and rope structures along with a few skilled climbers to reach ceilings and high rise outdoor facades. The costs are so prohibitive and the process so elongated that brands reduce the frequency of changes in displays drastically and the demand and value of such spaces goes down. The barrier to usage needs to be reduced.

Some display areas are so difficult to access that many malls leave them unused despite their huge potential for example, the underbelly of escalators. The average mall visitor climbs 3-4 complete escalator sets (up and down) every visit. Combining this with average weekly footfalls brands are missing out on millions of potential impressions every week just because they are unable to reach this space.

Maintenance operations

Many malls are high activity areas that naturally see a build-up of dirt and residue on their indoor and outdoor facades. Whole atriums and circulation spaces, ceilings included need to be cleaned, top to bottom so that the mall can continue to present a fresh face to the non-stop barrage of people coming and going. This is something out of bounds of the regular day to day maintenance activities of the housekeeping staff at malls. Why? Because these places require people working at extremely high spots that do not have ready access. Again malls turn to third part vendors, their wood and rope structures and semi-skilled climbers. The process takes multiple night shifts with climbing structures being tediously built and unravelled every session. This shoots up maintenance costs, with cleanliness levels sustaining at just the bare acceptable levels. Often if you look up at the corners of large mall atriums, you can still see cobwebs and dirty residue.

Mobile Access Platform System (MAPS) technology

The MAPS technology is a light weight and easy to use work at height solution that is already employed heavily in many industries and applications to reduce maintenance costs and minimise downtime. MAPS technology is dramatically changing the way mall managers handle marketing display campaigns and maintenance cycles at malls. It empowers mall management teams to carry out large scale maintenance work, reach more marketing display spaces and update them more frequently, all this, at a reduced cost and time to both the mall’s management and its stores.

Many malls have already turned to the MAPS technology to dramatically increase the frequency and reach of their marketing display campaigns and maintenance cycles. MAPS technology is revolutionary in terms of the fact that it not only allows mall management to better maintain their facilities and serve their clients in-house without having to deal with third party logistics vendors but also creates a new revenue stream. Malls can now charge a nominal fee for these services themselves and encourage brands and stores to reach out to new display spaces more frequently. How? Not only does this technology enable mall management to reach these places, it allows them to do so faster and with people who require lesser expertise and almost no training, in other words, their in-house maintenance and housekeeping staff. This is made possible by the fact that MAPS technology in modular in nature, can be used by anybody with little training, and is completely fool proof in terms of safety. No more do you need skilled climbers to reach those tough spots.

Standardisation and Product Quality

The product varies from company to company and not all companies offer the same design, technical safety and operational advantages. Low cost knock-off products appeal to price conscience customers but end up in disastrous failures leading to loss of property and life. Because this is an un-standardised space as of yet in India, at least in the consumer facing space, mall management teams are unaware of industry standards that are typically used in manufacturing and production based applications. Due to the lack of Indian norms European and American design norms (look for both CE certification and EN1004 conformance) are typically followed by manufacturing and production industry insiders who understand due to the nature of their work how important it is to have a safe, durable product which saves them maintenance and repair operations costs and minimises downtime.

Product quality can be gauged by international certifications and quality Aardalloy material. Also look for precision welded joints, nylon wheels and a tools free erection process. Incidentally some of the best steel and aluminium access platform systems are those manufactured and designed in India, so be on the lookout for Indian brands in this space.

Another aspect of the issue that tends to slow down the adoption of such technology in the mall space in India is the fact that this is a paradigm shift in work at height solutions. We are still used to having all our work at height tasks done by experts who are skilled in climbing, because we have always associated such tasks with an element of danger and risk. By using technology to eliminate danger thereby making it possible for anyone to do this task MAPS technology makes the market more efficient by allowing people to add more value but whenever such a huge change comes in people have trouble adjusting. Mall management is unsure if really such a technology is safe for their people to work in. Will complications arise? Will the company be held liable for accidents? With a third party vendor these risks are outsourced. But the MAPS technology industry is making things more transparent and clear by certifying mall personnel on the use and maintenance of these products regularly, conducting surprise safety audits and ensuring a good level of after sales contact and feedback.

This simple but efficient use of technology is revolutionising the revenue streams and methodologies used in most brand activation and marketing campaigns in the mall space in India.

This article is contributed by Mr. Gopal Modi, Executive Director, Mtandt Group

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Mtandt Rentals Limited

mtandt Rentals Limited was founded in year 2000 and quickly became the India’s largest Aerial Working Platforms and Scaffolding rental provider. Today, our company continues to build on its industry leadership with a best-in-class range of resources and the largest customer service network of its kind. mtandt Rentals deploys almost 1000 equipments through more than 50 branches, and 3 yards in Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. We have centralized reservation service and online capabilities. Our branches and yards are fully integrated through technology, allowing them to collaborate on solving customer needs.

Our Customers

mtandt Rentals’ customer base is a diverse mix of construction and industrial companies, municipalities, government agencies and others. Most of our customers align with three categories: approximately 50% are non-construction, such as industrial; 46% are non-residential Construction; and 4% are residential.To serve this base, we employ customer service professionals who have first hand knowledge of equipment capabilities and site challenges. Their expertise, to gether with our company’s commitment to safety, are compelling competitive advantages.

Fleet

  • Articulated Boom Lifts
  • Straight Boom Lifts
  • Scissor Lifts
  • Mast Boom Lifts
  • Personnel Lifts
  • Spider Boom Lifts
  • Timber Loader Cranes
  • Truck Mounted Boom Lifts
  • Aluminum Scaffolding
  • MS Scaffolding
  • Tele Handlers
  • Skid Loaders
  • Rope Suspended Platform
  • Hoist
  • Vacuum Sweeper

Sales of Rental Equipments

We routinely sell used rental equipment and invest in new equipment in order to manage repairs and maintenance costs, as well as the composition and size of our fleet. We also sell used equipment in response to customer demand for the equipment. Consistent with the life-cycle approach we use to manage our fleet, the rate at which we replace used equipment with new equipment depends on a number of factors, including changing general economic conditions, growth opportunities, the market for used equipment,the age of our fleet and the need to adjust fleet composition to meet customer demand.

We utilize many channels to sell used equipment: through our national sales force, which can access many resale markets across India; at auction; through brokers; and directly to manufacturers. We also sell used equipment through our website, which includes an online database of used equipment available for sale.

Beyond Equipment

The mtandt Rentals safety culture takes a no-compromise approach to loss prevention and safe behavior. Examples of safety initiatives include the company’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program, branch safety meetings, extensive employee training programs, operator certification for customers and employees, Academy of Safe Work Practices -mandated training, and IPAF programs.

For more Information on Rental Division please Click here:- www.onrent.net

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TRAINING & CERTIFICATION

Academy Of Safe Work Practices
Our customers wants to make maximum use of their investment in a products purchased from us. This encloses maximum safety, availability, reliability and performance throughout the machine’s service life. Hence they expect us to provide a highly qualified and professional training

To meet these high expectations our customers staff needs to understands all aspects of how to operate and maintain the equipments.  Academy of safe work practices is committed in providing the world class training focused on enhancing operative and service competency of the trainees.

We offer a wide range of training courses:

  • IPAF (International Power Access Federation) operators training
  • Product training (customized operators training for all product lines) as well as
  • Technical training on basic and on advanced level
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Working at Mtandt

mtandt an attractive employer.

mtandt is an innovative, professional and flexibleIndian company ranking among the most attractive employers. The high employee satisfaction and motivation levels have a positive impact on our performance.

Our HR policy is defined by performance related remuneration and attractive bonus systems, development opportunities, flexible working hours and also the health and well-being of our employees.

Remuneration

Passion for top performances – a major value of our company culture.

We are a performance-oriented company that motivates employees to deliver top performances. Naturally, good performances deserve to be rewarded, so for us the focus is on performance-oriented, motivated and fair pay. We offer our employees attractive remuneration and attractive bonus systems.

Training and management development

The aim of our personnel development is for our employees to develop and contribute their skills. We attach particular value to continuous further training, and therefore offer all our employees a variety of training and development opportunities. This increases motivation and job satisfaction, as well as productivity, and in this way our company remains competitive.

Work-life balance

Work-life balance – a healthy balance between work and private life.

We greatly value personal freedom, which is why we offer our employees flexible working hours and room for individual creativity. This is the only way to create harmony between your job and your family life.

 

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Service & Spares

Downtimes, technical failures or damage to a machine are the biggest concerns of any owner and operator of an access platform. Your local customers need their machines to be running as reliable as possible. But if a machine eventually does break down they expect to get effective and fast support to bring them back in operation.

‘3-S Service’ is the commitment of mtandt’s After Sales Service System when responding to After Sales requests of customers. The phrase reminds the Service Team to provide the best possible service as quickly as possible, minimizing time lost due to equipment breakdown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speedy Service

Upon receiving an equipment breakdown report we respond with the utmost speed, especially in cases involving serious breakdowns impacting equipment operation. A Service Team will arrive at the site quickly to perform a quick analysis to determine the cause of the problem. They will also supply replace parts to maximize the equipment operation rate.

Satisfaction service

We try to find solutions that will satisfy all complaints made by a customer, regardless of how minor the problems might be. We also offer an emergency dispatch service system to provide better service.

Superior Service

We operate vehicles furnished with a wide variety of special tools and equipment. We have also set up a high quality service system with a variety of digitalized measuring instruments and computerized equipment.

For Service support please call us at +919566286634 or Email awpservice@mtandt.com

 

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