"We still need to function competitively. We watch utilization very closely and other things that a regular rental company would"

Bechtel Equipment Operations (BEO) may not be your normal equipment rental company - it is the internal division supplying Bechtel's global US$17 billion operation with everything from cranes to  personal computers - but that doesn't mean it doesn't face the same pressures as independent rental firms.

"Even though we're an internal company, Bechtel projects are not forced to use us", says Max Anadon, BEO's business manager, "We still need to function competitively. We watch utilization very closely and other things that a regular rental company would."

To enable it to do these more effectively, the division is in the process of implementing Result Group's rentalresult software. It goes live in the US and Canada on 1 August, and thereafter at BEO locations worldwide, with priority being Australia, Singapore, Chile and Bahrain, which are main BEO regional support locations for Bechtel's projects.

Ultimately, says Mr Anadon, Bechtel projects anywhere in the world will be able to access the system and communicate and order directly from BEO. He says one big benefit will be the ability to set different levels of access to staff at remote locations.

For Mr Anadon, one of the advantages of the Result software has been its ability to adapt to both the low-volume, high value items in the fleet (heavy construction equipment) and the items at the other end of the spectrum, like PCs. Some systems, he says, would have "become a bit cumbersome" on the volume items. He adds,the Java technology used by Result, and the familiarity of the Windows environment, is making it easy to use.

With equipment operating all over the world, BEO's financial and tax issues can be complicated. The Result system integrates a tax software package that will help automate the reporting functions, and financials will now be integrated globally, rather than being exported to Bechtel's corporate HQ on a  regular basis.

Implementation is being undertaken step by step. Around 50 users at BEO's head office are currently preparing to go live, with staff worldwide being added after that.

Mr Anadon, rentalresult will have a big impact on the business; "In the future, it will help us globally manage the business", he says, "If there is a new job in Africa, the locations of assets will be easy to find - whether we get in equipment from Egypt or Bahrain, or whether we have to move it from Australia."