General Archives - Page 18 of 19

Over 50% of employees will work remotely this summer?

August 21, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

Employers lease tablets for remote workers

Remote working boosts productivity

WestWon was recently musing about how employers are increasingly buying not only laptops for their employees, but tablets and phones as well. So it is interesting to see reports about how the Olympics and so forth have accelerated this trend.

For example, according to a survey by software company Telligent, a staggering 57% of UK employees stated that they would be working remotely at some point this summer. (https://www.techbubbles.co.uk/blog/57-of-people-will-be-working-remotely-this-summer)

It’s another reason why leasing IT equipment, and particularly pricey mobile devices, is such a great option for businesses trying to ride this personal productivity wave without a hefty impact on cash flow.

Lease your Warehouse Fittings

August 9, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

Lease or buy warehouse fittings

During our time in business, WestWon have financed many warehouse fit outs.

Lease LED lighting
Finance you Lantech pallet wrappers or Lantech shrink wrappers
Rent your mezzanine flooring
Hire a fork lift truck
Lease air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems
Rent warehouse racking
Finance pallet racking systems for narrow aisle, double deep or wide aisles
Anti-collapse mesh or frame systems
Lease partitioning and shelving
Finance your shrink wrapper or packaging machines
Lease trapping machinery

The list goes on. Certainly, buying a warehouse and fitting it out is a capital intensive project even though the upfront investment should be paid back in the long run through increased efficiency and staff productivity. Where there are capital budget restrictions, using leasing and finance facilities is an excellent way to acquire the warehouse equipment assets you need today, whilst allowing you to pay for them over their useful life. #assetfinance

Employers Now Financing Laptops and Tablets

August 7, 2012/0 Comments/in General, Laptops/by Jess Wells-Flint

Employers are leasing tablets as well as laptops

Tablet sales are already growing exponentially, and this trend is set to continue. So far, schools and blue chip companies – typically those with a large external sales force – have been the first to use lease rental to acquire large numbers of tablets. Over the next few years, SME companies will follow suit as their staff also start to use tablets as a standard business tool.

“Research indicates that companies will soon be supplying their employees with a tablet, mobile phone and computer, and all three will communicate effectively together. The ensuing productivity benefits will make this a worthwhile investment, but it will be a significant change from today’s scenario where the company simply provides a laptop and employees buy their own mobiles and tablets” notes WestWon’s Jeremy Hall.

Acer, Asus, Blackberry, Dell, HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba are just a few of the most popular tablets. And with an RRP of between £169 and £579, companies contemplating bulk purchases and a steep upfront increase in costs may well find technology leasing a more attractive option than purchase – especially where the agreement includes insurance and extended warranty.

Printing Equipment Ideal for Leasing

July 17, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

Equipment leasing makes sense for printing companies

Question: why is equipment leasing so popular in the printing industry? Answer: simply because it makes great commercial sense!

Anyone who has visited a printing company’s premises must have noticed just how much these businesses have to invest in buying machinery and equipment. Even a smallish print shop must acquire items such as digital copiers, guillotines, printing presses, laminators and strapping equipment.

Fortunately printing equipment can all be leased and, in most instances, it is. Key to this trend is the residual value – or resale value – of printing equipment. As with a lease and return car lease, where the resale value of the car is high, the attractiveness of the proposition for the finance company grows. Printing equipment tends to keep its value well thus reducing the risk for lending for the leasing company and increasing the flexibility and cost-efficiency of the transaction for the client.

Material Testing Equipment Rental

June 28, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

WestWon has just underwritten a rental agreement for a Fischer XAN 150 chamber, an X-Ray fluorescence instrument for measuring coating thickness and materials analysis.

The manufacturer Fischer sells material testing and micro hardness measurement equipment throughout the world, and WestWon has arranged a number of financing deals for this type of investment for UK clients. Contact WestWon on Tel: 01494 611 456 for more information.

How to Manage the Cost of a New Field Employee

June 26, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

Leasing equipment cuts recruitment costs

Building a team is an expensive task, and it’s only when you put your recruitment plan together that the true costs become fully visible. Planning also helps you to see opportunities to spread the cost more effectively through new employee equipment leasing options.

Let’s take a look at the typical outlay for a field-based ‘Business Development Manager’ in the first six months.

Cost Overview

Recruitment fees if applicable £5,000

Accommodation & training £1,500

Six-month investment into salary £12,000 (after any profits)

*Car lease deposit and charges £3,600

*Furniture £1,000

*IT and software £1,500

Total £24,600

So in summary it requires an investment of up to £25,000 to get the new employee fully up and running.

*Financing a car, computer equipment and associated office overheads – around 30% of the total cost (excluding recruitment fees ) – can help to make this process much less of a drain on cash reserves.

Contact us now on Tel: 01494 611 345 for tailored equipment leasing advice for your business.

Manage the Cost of Business Expansion with Leasing

June 20, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

WestWon is planning on doubling the size of its finance team in 2012 and, as a result of this positive growth, has recently relocated to larger premises in Buckinghamshire as well as launching operations in the North.

There are many costs associated with moving into and running new premises – the rent deposit, legal costs, new stationery, removals and dilapidations to name but a few. Add in the cost of recruiting new team members and additional salary costs and it is easy to see why expanding can be an expensive business.

Certain ‘soft’ expenses cannot be met through asset finance. However leasing office and boardroom furniture and fittings, CAT 5 cabling, telephone systems and IT equipment is a really attractive option for many businesses, including ours! After all, it makes absolute sense to preserve cash and retain bank facilities for working capital requirements.

Being in the asset finance and leasing business we passionately believe in the benefits of this form of lending, and as our recent office move demonstrates, we use it ourselves wherever we can.

An Open and Shut Case at WestWon

May 10, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

A recent industry report has revealed that demand for plant and machinery leasing has risen by more than 20% in the last 12 months.

According to our Client Services team, the SCM-EasyPak range of case closing machinery – which includes the CS100, CS200, CS300, CS400 and CS500 models – seems to be particularly popular at the moment with WestWon having successfully quoted on several finance arrangements for these since Easter.

For more information about leasing options for similar equipment, please email [email protected]

Business Up and Bad Debts Down in Asset Finance

May 3, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

Business Up and Debt Down in Asset Finance

Businesses successfully using Asset Finance

Interestingly, here at WestWon we have seen a marked increase in the volume of asset finance transactions in the first Quarter of 2012 compared to the same period the previous year. As our CEO Jeremy Hall puts it “There is definitely more optimism with customers investing in a wide range of assets, and seeing lease finance as a smart way of acquiring the capital equipment they need to run their companies.”

Another interesting point is that bad debts have remained at an all time low. Reports suggest that many companies that were struggling went out of business between 2008 and 2010. During 2011 and Q1 of 2012, there has been next to no bad debt, a sure sign that things are improving in the market.

Annual Investment Allowance is going down in April

March 22, 2012/0 Comments/in General/by Jess Wells-Flint

The Government has announced that the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), designed to help businesses offset new equipment purchases against tax, is being dramatically reduced in April 2012 – from £100,000 per annum to just £25,000.

If you are considering investing in new capital equipment within the next few months, it is clearly the right time to review your purchasing/ lease purchase options. Acting now could mean you can still benefit from up to an additional £75,000 in allowances.

There’s still time to beat the tax deadline and should you wish to take advantage of the benefits of lease purchasing, WestWon is ready to help clients secure the finance they need to move fast. Simply call Kevin on 01494 689 535 or email [email protected] to discuss your business needs.