The Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) has announced the launch of two new training courses for both members and non-members.

The SPOA commissioned training company Intelligent Dialogue to design and deliver bespoke training in response to the increased challenges in plant hire faced by its members.

The training will begin from September; Overcoming Rental Business Challenges can be booked here, and Hire Controller Training can be booked here. The SPOA hopes the training will help members and non-members to better deal with increased challenges in the industry, and ultimately succeed in running sustainable and profitable businesses.

Callum Mackintosh, President of the SPOA, said: "It is becoming increasingly apparent that members need additional support to navigate the current challenges they are facing. The reality is that costs are rising across the board and it is very easy to miscalculate the cost of doing business. There is more to negotiating contracts than price and it is our duty to ensure that we do our best to equip members with tools and skills to support them to run a sustainable and profitable business. I would encourage members as well as non-members to take a look at the training and consider signing up."


Overcoming Rental Business Challenges is an exciting programme of relevant training and coaching. An initial meeting will take place on 5th September before a two-day training course on 7-8th November, followed by individual coaching sessions to enable leaders to discuss how to implement the learnings within their businesses. The programme is designed for owners and directors to help them create a blueprint for their business. It will cover:

• The challenges the sector faces

• Pricing and the line of fair value

• Increasing revenue

• Managing costs

• Improving customer satisfaction

• Key performance indicators and how they can strengthen your business

• Data - how it can help you win more business and retain existing customers

Hire Controller Training is a one-day course, taking place on 13th September 2023, designed to help hire controllers win business and understand the commercial realities of the decisions they make.

Intelligent Dialogue has worked in the hire and rental sector for over 30 years and so was perfectly placed to design and deliver the training.

Diane Banister, Managing Director of Intelligent Dialogue, added: "We are delighted to be supporting plant hire owners in Scotland to overcome some of the challenges faced by businesses in the rental sector and I hope that SPOA members and non-members see the value in it and sign up."

Overcoming Rental Business Challenges can be booked here, and Hire Controller Training can be booked here.