In January Tom Mantyla purchased 4,000 new aluminum folding chairs. This week,
near season-end, he reflected with me on that decision. "Firstly, we're committed to maintaining our equipment to a high level" Tom said. "I think in this business you need to commit to a product for it's whole rental life so you can realise its full profit potential. We don't normally make wholesale product changes, but in this case we saw long-term benefits". Tom Mantyla owns Baker Party Rentals of Costa Mesa, CA and rents chairs to customers ranging from private parties to colleges and corporates. His invest- ment in folding chairs is substantial and the change was weighed up carefully. "I made the decision to discontinue my existing folding-chair inventory and move entirely to Aluminum. Our steel frames would get beat up, rust would show through, and customers would comment that the chairs looked a little shabby. Some of these chairs were not that old. We felt we were fighting a losing battle on the maintenance front. "We auctioned off our steel chairs as soon as the new ones landed from New Zealand and it's been a great decision to go with them even at a premium price. We took a long-term view on the cost and could see the initial investment paying greater dividends down the line. "The main impetus for us was the longer rental life obtainable and the light weight - my staff appreciate this especially. And we received glowing reports from other US customers about the product and about you people at Alloyfold NZ. This was important to us and we've found the same experience personally. As the manufacturer you've been very responsive." Alloyfold has a "longer rental life" because Aluminum cannot rust, and the anodized frames won't chip or scratch easily. It looks good for longer. To find out more please visit www.alloyfold.com or call me on 1-888-368 7713. Best regards Antony Brett ALLOYFOLD NZ P.S. Visit Tom Mantyla's operation during the ARA Show store tour in Anaheim. Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net