Tool Rental Services for Global Service Delivery Efficiency

1. Context

This project focused on developing a global tool rental service to support service delivery teams working across Europe, North America, Australia, Africa, and other regions. These teams often needed specialized radio and core network testing equipment to deliver high-quality technology consulting services to mobile operators.

Since these tools were not always in constant use at every regional service delivery center, buying them for each project would have been expensive and impractical. Due to the company’s business processes, purchasing the right tools on short notice wasn’t always straightforward, leading to challenges in keeping projects on schedule.

As a Consulting Product Manager, I worked closely with service engineers across multiple regions to understand how tools were used, identify inefficiencies, and explore ways to make access to essential equipment more flexible and scalable for global service delivery teams.

2. Challenge

Service delivery teams across various regions needed specialized radio and core network testing tools to carry out projects effectively. Buying these tools for each regional service delivery center wasn’t practical, as they were not in constant use and each unit cost between 50 000 and 70 000 EUR.

Procuring tools on short notice was often slow and complicated due to the company’s procurement processes. Teams had to go through multiple approval layers, budget justifications, and vendor negotiations, delaying access to critical tools and making it harder to respond quickly to project needs.

On top of that, purchasing a wide range of tools just for short-term projects would have meant tying up budget and resources in equipment that wouldn’t always be in use, creating inefficiencies in cost allocation.

There was a clear need for a cost-effective and flexible solution that would give service delivery teams quick access to the right tools without the hassle of owning and managing them for the long term.

3. Approach

The challenge of standard procurement lead times, high tool costs, and limited availability needed a solution that would make specialized testing tools more accessible to service delivery teams while keeping costs under control. To address this, I developed a tool rental model that:

• Engaged with key service delivery centers to identify the most in-demand tools and launched the rental service by purchasing an initial set of hardware and software tools for upcoming projects.
• Built the business case around these initial purchases, demonstrating financial feasibility by showing how rental fees could recover costs while providing value to regional service delivery teams.
• Presented the business case and proposal through Group governance to secure budget approval for the initial tool purchases.
• Created a global tool pool that allowed service delivery teams across multiple regions to request tools as needed, reducing reliance on long procurement cycles.
• Designed a rental fee structure to offset costs, ensuring tools were available without requiring full purchases for every project.
• Developed an online tools portal, a centralized booking system that simplified tool reservations, shipping coordination, and tracking, ensuring teams could easily access and return tools.
• Established a review process to evaluate the rental model after a few projects, allowing adjustments and additional tool purchases as needed.
• Developed a structured request process to ensure fair allocation of tools, prioritizing projects based on urgency and availability.

4. Role & Achievements

As the lead for this initiative, I:

• Drove engagement with service delivery teams across multiple regions to assess tool requirements and ensure alignment with real project needs.
• Led vendor collaboration to define cost structures, analyze total cost of ownership, and develop an accurate financial model.
• Presented the business case to Group governance and secured budget approval, ensuring long-term financial sustainability of the rental model.
• Oversaw the launch of the rental service, coordinating service teams, finance, and logistics for a smooth transition.
• Implemented a review process to evaluate rental model performance and adjust tool purchases based on usage trends.
• Drove process improvements for the tools portal, making tool requests, tracking, and logistics more efficient.

5. Results

• Tool procurement lead times were eliminated, reducing reliance on urgent last-minute purchases and allowing teams to plan projects more efficiently.
• Capital expenditures were optimized, as Group purchased the tools centrally while regional service delivery teams benefited from a rental model.
• The rental model was validated after initial projects, leading to additional tool purchases based on real demand patterns.
• Financial sustainability was proven as rental fees covered costs, making the model viable for long-term scalability.
• The tools portal increased adoption, simplifying tool reservations and reducing administrative workload for service teams.