From humble beginnings as a construction equipment hire and repair business established in 1981, to the official launch of the tough, cost-effective Kwagga equipment range, this year Hire It (Natal) (Pty) Ltd. celebrates their 40th anniversary. Another milestone in 2021 is the 70th birthday of Doug Fraser, Founder & Director of Hire It since 1981. Doug is now handing over the reins to the next generation in the form of his son Richard Fraser.
The original premises in Gale Street, Umbilo eventually became the head office. As Hire It grew, it rapidly opened up four more branches. Franchising was the next big step, with Hire It expanding to include eight franchise operations. By the early 2000s, Doug had consolidated the business, bought new premises in Pinetown and focused more on sales. Richard joined in 2015, and soon thereafter Hire It expanded its warehouse to start importing equipment, selling online and offering a national sales distribution.
From early on Hire It has always partnered with good-quality construction brands, and Honda was there from the start. Around the mid-1980s, Hire It became an official dealer of Honda Power Products. The partnership with Honda has continued until today. When Hire It launched its own in-house Kwagga brand in 2018, it was powered by Honda engines. The Kwagga range is ideal for use in tough South African operating conditions. This is due to its durability, in conjunction with the company’s well-established back-up and service division offering aftersales support. The Kwagga range is supplied with a standard one-year warranty, and is also very competitively priced against imported products. The range includes compaction equipment such as tamping rammers and plate compactors, floor saws, scarifying machines, drive units, poker vibrators, submersible pumps, generators, high-pressure cleaners and water pumps.
Using Honda engines to power the equipment and assembling it on-site proved a winning recipe for this local success story. A highlight for the brand was receiving the stamp of approval from none other than Kwagga Smith himself, a proud member of the winning South African team that brought home the Webb Ellis Cup trophy in 2019. Not only does Kwagga endorse the equipment, he uses the Kwagga pressure cleaner and generator on his own farm. The continued success of the range has made Hire It one of the leading Honda power products dealers in South Africa.
To celebrate 40 Years of service, Tool Time, the Hire It sales division, is will be running a number of 40th anniversary Kwagga and Honda equipment specials, so look out for these over the next month.
