9 April 2001: A commercial vehicle rental operation which already has 35,000 vehicles running in the UK has set up operations in Ireland.

Northgate Vehicle Hire has located its first hire site outside Britain in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, under the direction of Trim-born Peter Millen (pictured above with sales manager Paul O'Brien). The business offers a risk-free rental service to businesses whose varying needs make normal fleet management difficult and expensive.

The NORFLEX® system transfers all the risks of ownership, including risk of changing circumstances, to Northgate, leaving the renter - be it one vehicle or a multi-type fleet - able to make the most efficient use of its cash-flow.

The operation allows a renter to hand back any or all its vehicles if business circumstances change for the worse, without penalty or hassle. Later, if business picks up again, the renter can simply re-hire whatever vehicles are required.

Northgate can also supply extra vehicles on a daily basis to fleet operators when they need to ‘top up’ carrying capacity at peak times, or if there’s an unexpected rush of work.

“We plan to offer something different in a marketplace in which there are currently over 35,000 commercial vehicles carrying about 85% of our freight,” says Millen, who joined Northgate three years ago after over decade of working in the UK vehicle rental industry. “NORFLEX® gives the customer total control of their vehicle fleet without the risks of wonership and changing circumstances. It is like contract hire without the contract. whatever an organisation’s needs, we can provide a flexible solution.”

Northgate in the UK has about 12,000 businesses on its customer books. BB

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