Finance Connect, the UK publisher behind the Asset Finance Connect conferences, hosted a webcast on how to turn Pay-per-Use into a working model for funding manufacturing equipment. On the panel: Oliver Hedl (S-Leasing, part of Erste Bank), Alexander Schellnast (Solpro), Chris Lillico (Close Brothers), Steve Taplin (Lendscape, sponsor of the session) and Findustrial CEO Günter Hehenfelder.
Günter argued that Europe needs to strengthen its industrial competitiveness and that classic capex models work less well in a tough economy. Usage-based models, where companies pay for output instead of ownership, keep costs in line with actual use, and he showed Factory of the Future setups already running with partners. The panel agreed on two points: utilisation risk is the main hurdle for funders, and making the model work takes flexible billing, data access to the asset and close cooperation between manufacturers, lenders and technology providers. These are the building blocks Equipment-as-a-Service is built on today.
Event: Finance Connect webcast, review published on 13 February 2025. Summary by Findustrial.