“Equipment as a Service” (EaaS) is a business model in which a company rents or leases equipment to customers on a pay-per-use or subscription basis, rather than selling the equipment outright. This allows customers to access equipment on an as-needed basis, without having to make a large upfront investment or commit to owning the equipment long-term.
An example of EaaS can be seen in the construction industry, where a company may rent or lease heavy machinery such as excavators, bulldozers, and cranes to construction companies on a project-by-project basis. In this way, construction companies can acquire the equipment they need without needing to invest in it themselves, and the EaaS provider can generate revenue from renting or leasing the equipment. Another example is with health care equipment. A medical equipment supplier, instead of selling equipment like X-ray machines, CT scanners and MRI machines to a hospital outright, can offer them on a pay-per-use basis, similar to a subscription service. This way, hospitals can access the latest medical technology without needing to invest in it and suppliers can also offer maintenance and repair services.
The “Equipment as a Service” (EaaS) business model involves several building blocks that companies can use to design and implement the model. These building blocks include:
- Equipment ownership, Service and Support: The Leasing company owns the equipment, and is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the equipment.
- Payment structure: The provider can charge customers by choosing any of the models such as pay-per-use, subscription, or other usage-based pricing models.
- Real-time Data & Analytics: EaaS providers can use data and analytics to gain insights into customer usage patterns and preferences, and can use this information to improve their service offerings and optimise pricing.
- Flexibility: It is one of the key reason which most of the users are opting for Equipment as a service. The providers offer flexibility in terms of usage duration, payment structure, customising equipment to customer’s needs and so on, allowing customers to scale up or down as their needs change.
- Financing & Insurance: The Leasing companies can leverage various financing options such as Asset based financing, Revenue based financing or Lease Revenue financing to drive their business as the demand picks up.
EaaS will gain more traction and will become the defacto go to model for many sectors with the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT). It can help to reduce operation costs, improve transparency, and provide better opportunities for asset financing for Equipment as a Service (EaaS) providers by providing new capabilities and insights. Let’s understand more how technology adoption will help this business model to grow faster.
Service Automation: IoT devices can be used to automate several manual processes such as monitoring, maintenance, and repair which can help to improve efficiency and reduce costs for the EaaS provider. IoT devices can be used to collect real-time data on equipment usage and performance, which can be analysed using AI algorithms to predict when maintenance or repairs may be needed. This can help to reduce downtime and the costs associated with emergency repairs. By proactively scheduling maintenance, the provider can reduce the costs associated with labour, spare parts, and other resources required to perform repairs. IoT devices can be used to remotely monitor and control the equipment, which allows EaaS providers to ensure that the equipment is being used properly and efficiently, also allows them to quickly respond to any issues that may arise. This can reduce the costs associated with on-site inspections and improve overall equipment performance.
Increased Transparency: IoT devices can provide increased transparency on equipment usage and performance, which allows EaaS providers to make more informed decisions to increase customer satisfaction and revenue growth. This could also help to optimise pricing, marketing, and service offerings to meet the specific needs of their customers. This will create a win-win relationship between the lessee and the lessor. The customer will also be aware of the operational expenses / consumables wrt equipments.
More flexible and Customised Service Offerings: As the EaaS market matures, providers will look to differentiate themselves by offering more flexible and customised service offerings to meet the specific needs of their customers. IoT will provide more visibility on the usages patterns of the machines and help them experiment on the pricing models as per different customer needs. Rather than going for a one-fit-all pricing structure. This will make EaaS more personalise with different pricing structures, equipment configurations, and service packages.
Asset financing: The data collected from IoT devices can be used to demonstrate the equipment usage and performance to the financier, which can increase the equipment’s value and help secure financing or leasing arrangements. Banks and other financiers can use the data to better understand the equipment usage patterns and performance and make more informed decisions about financing the equipment.
Greater focus on Sustainability: As sustainability becomes an increasingly important issue for businesses, EaaS providers are likely to focus on offering equipment and service offerings that are more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly. Increased use of IoT is likely to expand to new industries, especially in fields such as healthcare, warehousing, logistics, and transportation. This will also drive the model of circular economy with more responsible and efficient usage of machines.
Overall, the adoption of IoT technology can help EaaS providers to reduce operation costs, improve transparency, and make better use of their equipment, service offering, and offer better asset financing opportunities. This can increase revenue growth and customer satisfaction, and helps secure financing arrangements. EaaS providers will continue to explore new technologies and business models to improve their performance, efficiency, and customer satisfaction, and to provide cost-effective access to equipment for customers.
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