Custom demo machine management and rental software development
Appfront builds software that helps dealers and manufacturers of machinery manage their demo and rental fleets: which machine is with which customer, since when, whether as a demo or on rental, with what hours and in what condition, and when it needs to be returned or sold. So that a machine standing somewhere on a site does not disappear from view.
What is demo machine and rental management software?
Demo machine and rental management software keeps track, for each machine, of where it is and under which arrangement. A machine may be in the showroom, out as a demo with a customer considering a purchase, on rental with a customer who needs to cover a peak, or in the workshop for maintenance. For each machine it records the hours reading, the condition on dispatch and return, the insurance and the resale value, so that the question of what a demo or rental actually costs has an answer.
Without software, the salesperson knows where the demo machine is, the rental department knows what is rented out, and the workshop knows what has come in. These are three lists that do not know about each other. The result is a demo that sits with a customer for three months with nobody asking for it back, a rental machine that returns with duplicated hours without being charged for, and a used-machine list that leaves out the demo fleet even though it is being depreciated.
We build custom solutions because the fleet and the arrangements differ for each dealer. An agricultural machinery business with demos on fields during the season has different needs from a forklift dealer with monthly rentals, and a manufacturer with a demo fleet spread across dealers has yet other requirements. Which arrangements you make, how you charge hours and when a demo becomes a used machine: those are your rules, and the software should follow them.
Where each machine is
Per machine, location, customer, agreement and period, on a map and in a list. With a signal when a demo stays out too long.
Handover and return with evidence
Condition, photos, hour meter reading and signature at handover and return, so damage and extra hours are beyond dispute.
From demo to sale or used stock
A demo that gets bought becomes a sale with a single action; a demo that gets too old moves to the used-machine list with its history intact.
How we build your demo machine management and rental software
We start with your fleet as it is now, spread across three lists, and with the agreements you make with customers. From that we work out what the software needs to record and which signals it should give.
Which machines you have, where they are now, under which agreement, and the terms for demo and rental. We put the three lists side by side; the difference is the first return.
A file for each machine with hours, condition, insurance and value, and the handover and return with checklist, photos and signature, on a tablet on site.
Demo agreements with an end date and rental contracts with rate, hours and terms, plus recharging of extra hours, damage and transport.
Rental invoices to your accounts, the demo fleet to used-machine administration, and maintenance to workshop planning. After that we take over the software's upkeep.
What demo machine management and rental software actually does
The components below come up at almost every dealer with a demo or rental fleet. Which ones you need depends on your machines and your agreements.
Machine register
For each machine: make, model, serial number, year of manufacture, hours, insurance, value, and the history of every handover and every service.
Issue and return
Checklist with photos, hour meter reading and signature at handover and return, with any difference visible straight away.
Demo agreements with end date
Which customer, which salesperson, until when, and a signal when a demo runs out without a decision.
Rental contracts
Rate per day, week or month, included hours, terms, and recharging of extra hours and damage.
Maintenance and availability
Service schedules per machine based on hours, and fleet availability per period for sale and rental.
Map and overview
All machines on a map with status, and a list per salesperson, per customer and per agreement.
Who we build demo machine management and rental software for
The software is intended for businesses where the fleet is a major investment and where machines drop out of sight as soon as they leave the yard.
Agricultural machinery businesses
Demos during the season on customers' fields, with hours mounting up and a sales moment that comes after the harvest.
Dealers in construction and earthmoving machines
Rental by the week or month with hours and damage, alongside a demo fleet for sale.
Forklift and industrial transport dealers
Monthly rental to warehouses and logistics firms, with contracts that roll on automatically and machines that move between sites.
Manufacturers with a demo fleet at dealers
Machines spread across dealers in several countries, with the question of where they are and when they move on to the next dealer.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
The software is a web application with an app for issuing and returning equipment on site, linked to your accounts and workshop. If your concern is renting out small equipment and tools to many customers, see our page on equipment rental software. For the wider operations of a mechanisation business, there is agricultural machinery software, and you can read about our way of working at building custom software.
For rental companies that want to invoice extra hours with evidence, there is our software for machine hour billing.
Why choose Appfront for demo machine and rental management software?
A demo or rental fleet earns or loses money on the details: the hours that aren't charged, the demo that stays out too long, the damage nobody recorded.
Evidence at issue and return
Photos, hours and signature on site. A dispute over damage or extra hours then comes down to checking the record, not relying on memory.
A demo has an end date
Every demo appointment runs to a close and signals the salesperson when it does. A demo without a decision is a machine that costs money.
One fleet, not three lists
Sales, rental and workshop all work from the same register. A machine is either in the showroom, with a customer or in maintenance, never in two places at once.
Security and privacy in demo machine and rental management software
The software holds customer details, contracts and the value of your fleet. Access is governed by role: the salesperson sees their demos and customers, the rental team the contracts, the workshop the machines and maintenance. Every change to a contract or a value is logged.
Issue and return records cannot be altered once signed. An addition sits alongside the original record with the name and time. If a customer disputes damage or hours, the machine's full history can be read back clearly.
Frequently asked questions about demo machine and rental management software
Questions dealers ask before getting started.
It tracks each machine: where it is and under which agreement, whether showroom, demo with a customer, rental or workshop. It also records the hours, the condition at issue and return, the contracts and the signals when an appointment runs out. Sales, rental and workshop all work from the same register.
For machines with telematics, yes: hours and position come from the manufacturer's system. For machines without telematics, the employee records the hour meter reading at issue and return, with a photo of the meter. We check what is available per make.
With a single action, the demo appointment becomes a sale: the machine leaves the fleet, its hours and maintenance history transfer to the sales file, and the customer receives a machine with a fully known record. If the demo isn't bought, it goes back with a return record.
Yes. Per contract: the rate per day, week or month, the included hours, and the charge for extra hours, damage and transport. Invoices go to your accounting system in the format the package expects.
Yes, on a tablet or phone, with checklist, photos, hour meter reading and signature, even without signal. Registrations sync as soon as the connection is restored, and the difference between issue and return is visible straight away.
Yes. A demo that is too old or has too many hours moves to the used machine list with its full history. The software knows for each machine when that point arrives, based on rules you set, such as age, hours or number of demos.
Sometimes it is, and in that case we'll say so. Custom development pays off when demo and rental are two separate worlds in the package, when issue and return don't work well on site, or when you manage a fleet spread across several branches or dealers.
Your demo and rental fleet in one register?
Tell us how many machines are out there and how you currently keep track of where they are. We'll set your lists side by side and show you what software would concretely deliver in your situation.