The £2 million 2,000-item rental fleet will be operated from the firm’s Aberdeen base and will offer 24-hour delivery across the full range of Dräger products anywhere in the UK.

The UK service will be supported by Dräger’s global rental headquarters, based in Krefeld, Germany, which holds a 125,000-item fleet of rental equipment worth £30 million, and will fulfil more specialist product items. Dräger manufactures its products, ranging from fire safety equipment and portable gas detectors to thermal imaging cameras and rescue apparatus, in the UK and Germany.

Matthew Bedford, managing director, sales and service Draeger UK and Ireland, commented: “Dräger has been driving innovation in safety technology for over 130 years and it is essential that we continue to listen and respond to the changing ways that our customers want to do business.

“At the moment more than ever before, businesses want the latest safety equipment on hand exactly when its needed, without the burdens that can sometimes come with ownership – maintenance, calibrating, testing etc.

“We hope that by offering greater flexibility to customers through the launch of Dräger Hire we can support UK businesses at a challenging time, helping them to keep workers safe, and allowing them to do business in whichever way suits them best.”

He continued: “Despite the current economic pressures that many businesses are under, it’s clear that worker safety remains a high priority. Our consultation with businesses shows that ensuring companies have the most modern equipment to safeguard their staff is the main perceived benefit of renting, rather than purchasing, safety equipment (64%).

“This was followed by the advantage of not being responsible for maintenance (56%), whilst the financial benefits of renting equipment – specifically, aiding cashflow (12%) and being a lower cost alternative (22%) – ranked lower.”