- Inputs by Meghraj Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, RenteaseHow has RentEase evolved from a rental company into a manufacturing business?RentEase started as a rental company in 2017, after we acquired a Bangalore-based company with around 70–75 machines. Over the years, our experience on the ground helped us understand what customers actually need. We realised that they are not simply looking for a machine but for a complete equipment ecosystem.This led us to develop our own machines under the RE brand, with the concept of ‘Make it easy for our customers’. We are designing equipment around Field operating conditions and needs, with a focus on ease of use, lower maintenance and total cost of ownership.What did your initial experience with the RE machines reveal?We initially introduced 25 machines into our own rental fleet and operated them for around 18 months. We reviewed the log sheets and worked closely with our technical team to assess breakdowns and maintenance.The results gave us confidence to take the product to market. We saw a significant reduction in maintenance costs, which was around 70–75 per cent in our initial assessment. Before Bauma, we had already sold around 300 machines in the market.What is driving the shift towards equipment rentals in India?India and other countries such as Asia, Middle East and Africa has a significant shortage of skilled operators, and customers often need machines along with operators. This can affect productivity, particularly when operators are not adequately trained to use sophisticated equipment.We believe machines need to be simpler and more user-friendly. Misoperation can often lead to breakdowns, so our approach is to reduce unnecessary complexity and make equipment easier to operate and maintain.What are your manufacturing plans for the next five years?Our objective is to establish a full-fledged manufacturing presence in India. We have been in discussions with Invest India and have proposed an investment of at least Rs 500 crore, planned in phases. We intend to begin with scissor lifts, followed by truck-mounted equipment, smaller products and other components.We are initially looking at factories in Maharashtra and Noida. The approach is to build volumes before making large infrastructure investments, while progressively increasing localisation.How do you plan to build a distribution and customer-support ecosystem?We currently have 16 locations and plan to build a much wider distribution footprint, potentially across all 29 states. Our focus is not simply on appointing distributors but on creating partners who maintain machine inventory and have the capacity to support customers locally.We also plan to establish RE World Experience Centres. The first phase targets 50 centres, with a longer-term ambition of 100. These B2B centres will allow customers to see, operate and experience the machines before making a purchase.How important will digitalisation be to this expansion?Digitalisation will be central to managing a larger network, we will develop this part of our business in a further phase and communication.