Wynne Systems targets Europe with new appointment

Software business Wynne Systems has created a new commercial lead position for Europe and the Middle East to spearhead a sales push into the region.

Nathan Konstantino joined Wynne three months ago as commercial lead for EMEA after a career in sales split between equipment rental – with companies including Aggreko, Andrews Sykes and Nationwide Platforms – and software in sectors such as HR.

He is based in Uttoxeter, UK, and told International Rental News that Wynne had been considering a dedicated European appointment for the past three years and the timing was now right for the business to pursue an expansion in Europe.

Nathan Konstantino, commercial lead – EMEA at Wynne Systems. (Image: Wynne Systems)

“The opportunity is there,” said Konstantino, “but it’s a long-term play, because rental companies don’t change their ERP overnight and they don’t change them on a regular basis.

“The RentalMan product has evolved, so there’s a lot of new features and functionality. From Wynne’s point of view, they’re ready now to invest in Europe.”

Wynne, which is owned by the Volaris Group in Canada, already has customers in Europe, with Loxam using RentalMan primarily in its French business.

Target market

The target market for the company will be large generalist or specialist rental businesses, with RentalMan being the key product.

The company also offers its Rental Result software, which Konstantino said was more focused on contractors and heavy, operated plant.

On his appointment, Konstantino said; “You have to properly understand the market you serve and you have to build that trust and relationship over time.

“You need feet on the ground; you need to be at the shows and the events in that region. Yes, North America is a key market for Wynne across both products, but there is opportunity in EMEA right now.”

Effective use of data

He said effective use of data would be a key selling point for Wynne; “The problem we have is no one knows how to use data effectively. So, consolidating the data that’s generated from thousands upon thousands of transactions, day to day, week to week, month to month, and being more intelligent about that is really the message we’re looking to deliver to the market.

“It’s not just simply about, ‘here’s an ERP system, replace A with B.’ It’s about, ‘here’s an ERP system that’s connected and we will help and support you drive better decisions out of the data it captures.’”

The UK and mainland European markets will be his initial priority, with activity in the Middle East considered “over time.”

He said RentalMan would bring a well-proven ERP system to the market; “It’s a product that has been built for the industry by the industry, and it has stood the test of time. Simplicity wins.

“The product itself is robust, it’s not trying to overcomplicate things - the raising of a contract, the invoicing, the movement of equipment from A to B to C, and then ensuring that routine servicing and maintenance is carried out when it needs to be.”

He said ancillary products that supported RentalMan would also find favour in Europe, such as the Rapid Count inventory taking solution.

The software also allows API connections to other software systems; “We recognize that there are point solutions across lots of products, not just telematics, but accounting platforms, especially with the bigger players, where you have to build APIs for the flow of data between multiple systems.”

AI functions

On AI functionality, Konstantino said it was a priority, but not the number one; “The number one priority is to ensure that the product is robust and works in the way that it should. We have a roadmap, and AI is absolutely a part of that.

“AI is great, and I’m a massive exponent of it, but ultimately, you hear so much about it that you don’t know what’s true and what’s not. Wynne is focused on getting the core products right and the core ancillary products, and then where there is true value, in the development of that AI side of it.”

He highlighted Wynne’s IntelliSource solution that helps rental companies source equipment from anywhere in their network and also technology to optimize deliveries; “that leans very heavily on technology that is used by Amazon and other delivery and transport companies that enables efficient and optimized routing and delivery of equipment.”

Asked if he was happy be be back in the industry, he said; “100% yes, because it was the industry that built me.

“Plant hire and rental is an industry built on characters and relationships, so coming back into it - and having spent the week at the ERA Technical Committee down in Lyon a couple of weeks ago - it has been great reconnecting with the industry.”