What Business Finance Suits a Plant Hire Company?

How a plant hire company ties up cash

A plant hire business typically has money tied up in a fleet of excavators, dumpers and other hire plant. Plant hire is capital-intensive by definition — the fleet is the business — with utilisation and maintenance driving whether each machine earns its finance cost. That shapes which finance actually helps: funding a one-off asset is a different problem from bridging a recurring payment gap, and using the wrong tool for the job is how firms end up paying to borrow money they did not really need.

The facility that usually fits first

For most firms in this trade the natural starting point is asset finance to build and refresh the fleet. It matches the shape of the need — a temporary, recurring gap rather than a permanent one — so the borrowing clears as receipts come in rather than lingering as a long-term liability. Read the full explainer before committing.

When a second tool makes more sense

Where the need is capital — replacing a major asset or funding a big one-off — a revolving credit facility for maintenance and gaps is often the better structure, spreading the cost over the working life of the asset or the receivable rather than draining working capital in one hit. Many firms in this sector run both: one facility for assets, one for the cash cycle.

Work the numbers before you borrow

Whichever route fits, size it against real figures. Our return on borrowing calculator and affordability calculator show what the repayments look like against your cash flow. Our plant hire company sector page sets out how lenders view the trade, and when you are ready you can apply. Credicorp lends to limited companies and LLPs, not individuals, with no personal guarantee. This is general information, not a recommendation of any specific product.