Access International November-December 2024

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Volume 31 | Issue 6

November-December 2024

STAFF LIST

Editor

Euan Youdale

euan.youdale@khl.com

Director of Content

Murray Pollok

Editorial Manager

Alex Dahm

Group Editors

Lindsey Anderson, Andy Brown, Mike Hayes, Niamh Marriott, D.Ann Shiffler, Leila Steed

IPAF News Editor

Peter Douglas

Client Success and Delivery Manager

Charlotte Kemp

charlotte.kemp@khl.com

Client Success and Delivery Manager Team

Alex Thomson, Ben Fisher, Olivia Radcliffe

Group Design Manager

Jeff Gilbert

Group Designer Jade Hudson

Event Manager Steve Webb

Event Design Manager

Gary Brinklow

Creative Designer Kate Brown

Brand Manager

Ollie Hodges

ollie.hodges@khl.com

VP Global Sales

Alister Williams

Client Success & Digital Director

Peter Watkinson

Audience Development Manager

Anna Philo

Head of Finance & HR

Alison Filtness

Finance Manager

Yasmin Youmi Finance Team

Carole Couzens, Kate Trevillion HR Manager

Sharron Brown

Chief Financial Officer

Paul Baker

Chief Operating Officer

Trevor Pease

Chief Executive Officer

James King

Access International is published six times a year (January-February, MarchApril, May-June, July-August, SeptemberOctober, November-December) and has a worldwide circulation of more than 12,000. Access International is only available to subscribers (IPAF members receive a free copy, details available on request). Annual airmail subscription rate US$182, €156, £130.

A new age

As we head towards the end of the fourth quarter, the aerial platform market are shifting and adapting to a new set of dynamics.

Earlier in November, the European Commission confirmed the definitive tariffs set to be applied to MEWPs produced in China and entering the EU, although they won’t be officially published until 11 January following a short period to allow responses to the report from those concerned.

What affect will they have on the European MEWP industry? Only time will tell. However, it is clear that those companies supporting the tariffs believe the EU will now be operating on a ‘level playing field’.

Those opposing the rulings would generally argue that they were already playing fair by providing CE marked goods into a market that requires them, and that tariffs would force equipment prices up to an unrealistic level.

These are simplistic arguments, and the reality will be far more nuanced from company to company. Read some of their views in the EU tariffs feature in this issue.

Even if it were not for the tariffs, the access sector is in a general state of uncertainty. From China to Southeast Asia and Europe to the US, markets have softened in recent times.

In Malaysia and Singapore, both of which are discussed in this issue’s Southeast Asia focus, business is flat at best. As is the US, which is also reporting softening conditions.

While these conditions bring challenges, many would argue that where there are challenges there are opportunities, and they have not stopped progress in terms of technological and safety developments.

Proving that is the IAPAs which takes place in Dublin next March. With each edition of the event, progress in sustainability, diversity and products take another leap forward.

Euan Youdale Editor

ACCESS PORTFOLIO

, Southfields, South View Road, Wadhurst, East Sussex TN5 6TP, UK. +44 (0)1892 786214 euan.youdale@khl.com

KHL OFFICES

UK Head Office

KHL Group

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KHL SALES WORLDWIDE

BRAND MANAGER Ollie Hodges

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AUSTRIA/GERMANY/ SWITZERLAND

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BENELUX/SCANDINAVIA/ EASTERN EUROPE

Arthur Schavemaker +31 547 275005 arthur@kenter.nl

CHINA Cathy Yao

+86 (0)10 65536676 cathy.yao@khl.com

FRANCE Hamilton Pearman +33 (0)1 45930858 hpearman@wanadoo.fr

ITALY Fabio Potestà +39 010 5704948 info@mediapointsrl.it

JAPAN Michihiro Kawahara +81 (0)3 32123671 kawahara@rayden.jp

KOREA/SPAIN Ollie Hodges

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NORTH AMERICA Tony Radke +1 602 721 6049 tony.radke@khl.com

TURKEY Emre Apa +90 532 3243616

emre.apa@apayayincilik.com.tr

UK/IRELAND Eleanor Shefford +44 (0)7850 313 753

elanor.shefford@khl.com

VP GLOBAL SALES

Alister Williams +1 843 637 4127

alister.williams@khl.com

6 NEWS

Haulotte hydrogen scissor on site, Venpa sells majority share to private equity, Pedro Torres to leave Riwal, Dinolift celebrates 50 years with launch, New Singapore distributor for Leguan Lifts, ERA Report predicts steady growth in Europe.

10 TARIFFS ON MEWPS

The European Commission has published the definitive tariffs set to be introduced to MEWPs manufactured in China and entering the EU. How does it affect the market?

13 FINANCIALS ANALYSIS

Rental Briefing’s Jeff Pao delves into the latest financial results from North American companies and finds some common trends.

14 INTERVIEW

Uwe Strotmann, managing director of Ruthmann, gives the lowdown on the latest developments in the fast-evolving truck mount market.

16 LARGE TRUCK MOUNTS

A round-up of the largest and latest truck mounts on the market, including Ruthmann’s new 100m model. 21

IAPAS PREVIEW

Find out who the judges are for the 2025 International Awards for Powered Access. 22 TALKING POINT:

Lewis Taylor looks at how companies are tackling worker shortages.

24 ACCESS CONFIDENCE SURVEY

What are manufacturers and rental companies saying about their prospects for the year ahead?

29 INSIGHTS

Some of the largest access equipment manufacturers provide their perspectives on the world’s biggest construction show, set for Munich in 2025.

33

THE

RAISING

STANDARD

IPAF bound-in supplement on the latest developments and initiatives at the Federation.

38 REGIONAL REPORT: SOUTHEAST ASIA

Two long established access leaders from Malaysia and Singapore look to the present and the future for the region.

46

VAN/PICK-UP MOUNTS

The latest developments in the sector.

50

IPAF ELEVATION

What happened at IPAF’s annual conference held in the UK?

The Steiger T1000 HF is the new 100m truck mount, officially launched in October.

See the Truck mounts feature in this issue.

IN BRIEF

■ Kiloutou has announced the acquisition of Spanish rental company ToolQuick Alquiler. No financial details of the transaction have been disclosed. The deal for Madrid-headquarted ToolQuick adds 30 branches to Kiloutou’s footprint in Spain, including in Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, Madrid, Malaga and Seville.

■ Nishio Holdings, the owner of Japanese rental company Nishio Rent All, announced that it will integrate the general rentals business of its subsidiary Sacos Corp into Nishio RentalAll. The remainder of Sacos will focus on specialized rental activities including power rentals and railway track construction equipment. Sacos will also now be the parent of Nishio’s Singaporebased power and temperature control rental business United Power & Resources Pte Ltd,. Nishio said the restructuring would help it grow its business in metropolitan Tokyo.

Hydrogen scissor on site

Haulotte’s hydrogenpowered rough terrain scissor lift is being used for the first time at the SaintCyr-l’École military school close to Paris.

The work to install external insulation at the site follows a partnership between Haulotte and hydrogen solutions specialist Equans to design a unit powered by a green hydrogen fuel cell.

The Haulotte Pulseo scissor, with hydrogen-powered range extender at Saint-Cyr-l’École.

In May 2022 the partnership signed an agreement with the France’s national hydrogen team, comprising former employees of construction company Bouygues Energies & Services, to test the electric HS18 E PRO scissor lift from the manufacturer’s Pulseo range, in real conditions.

This lift is equipped with a removable Range Extender,

powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which recharges the batteries.

“While electric machines are already available, hydrogen offers the advantage of decarbonizing isolated sites lacking electrical infrastructure, increasing autonomy, and enabling quick recharges,” said Haulotte.

The worksite is run by

Bouygues Bâtiment Habitat Social with a hydrogen refill station. The test on the pilot site began in May 2024 and ran through the second half of 2024 to confirm the technical and economic viability of hydrogen technology for this type of use.

Haulotte said, “This paves the way for accelerated energy transition.” AI

Dinolift celebrates 50 years with trailer mount launch

Finland-based Dinolift is celebrating 50 years of producing aerial platforms with the launch of a new trailer mount, the Dino 120TL.

The company has been manufacturing Dino platforms since 1974 and was a pioneer of the sector. Ville Inkilä,

Dinolift’s Commercial Manager, commented, “We are extremely proud of the 50-year legacy of the Dino aerial work platform.

“It is a significant milestone that reflects our long-term commitment to safety, product quality, and customer satisfaction. In the future, we will continuously innovate our products to enable safe and efficient work at height.”

Dinolift launched the new lightweight towable at Finnbuild, taking place 8-10 October at Messukeskus Helsinki, Expo and Convention Centre, as well as marking the 70th anniversary of Dinolift’s distributor in the country Rotator - “Giving us double the reason to celebrate.”

The 12m working height Dino 120TLB has a maximum

NEW SINGAPORE DISTRIBUTOR FOR FINLAND’S LEGUAN LIFTS

Leguan Lifts has appointed a new distributor Spider Lift Asia for Singapore as it seeks further partners across Asia.

With the appointment, Spider Lift Asia has replaced Jebsen & Jessen

Technology as Leguan Lift’s representative in the country. This change enables Leguan to better serve existing customers in sectors such as tree care and landscaping, including key projects like the Singapore

outreach of 8.1m and a capacity in the basket of 130kg for one person.

Including a driving system designed to make the unit easy to manoeuvre, it is easy to tow and is suitable for indoor and outdoor work.

The ultra-light light lift has total weight of 1263kg, which is 100kg less than the pre-existing 120TB.  AI

Haulotte’s HS18 E Pro with hydrogen range extender.

The new Dinolift 120 TLB.

ERA REPORT PREDICTS STEADY GROWTH IN EUROPE

The rental market in Europe is beginning to normalise and is set to see steady growth in the coming years, according to a report published by the European Rental Association (ERA).

In its 2024 ERA Market Report, which is being made available to its members for free, the association said the European rental market is projected to grow by 0.9% in 2024, 2.8% in 2025, and 3.6% in 2026.

While it described growth as steady, it warned that interest rates and general uncertainty are directly affecting the residential segment across EU nations.

However, it added that planned EU investment via the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is predicted to boost rental activity in Europe.

The ERA said, “The European rental market has experienced a steady increase in its rental penetration rate over the past years, reflecting the growing preference of customers to rent rather than buy equipment and tools.

“Renting offers access to modern equipment, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, as it reduces capital expenditure requirements, fixed costs of ownership, and residual value risk while allowing customers to adapt to changing demand and project requirements.”

Venpa sells majority share to private equity

French private equity firm Sagard Midcap has acquired a majority share of Italian rental business GV3Venpa.

As part of the deal, the existing management team – led by CEO Emanuela Pege - and the founding Pege family will reinvest “significantly” in the business.

Milan-based private equity firm QCapital confirmed that it will exit the business following the completion of the Sagard

deal in November. QCapital acquired a 42.5% holding in Venpa in 2021 for €15 million.

Sagard, which knows the equipment rental market well through its past holding in Kiloutou, said it had been working on the Venpa deal for two years and aimed to make it the “undisputed national leader in its sector.”

Venpa was founded in 1981 in Dolo, Veneto, and now runs a fleet of over 6,000 machines – dominated by aerial platforms

AI’s weekly digital newsletter provides a summary of all the latest access news. If you are not already receiving these regular updates, please register by visiting: www.khl.com/register Access International newsletter will then be sent directly to your inbox. Don’t miss out on this definitive weekly news blast from KHL Group.

Sinoboom Australia expands service

Sinoboom has opened a new service facility in Brisbane, Australia.

Sinoboom Australia National Service Manager, Conrad Christian, said, “Expansion of our service centers is critical to our national strategy. This new

facility, just like our facilities in Sydney and Melbourne, will support our customers with equipment sales, parts, workshop and field service support.”

Sinoboom Australia is in its fourth year of operations.

High research for low level

Bravi Platforms has released the results of market research conducted by Introspective Market Research, which demonstrates the global need for low level access equipment.

The research shows that

Botanical Gardens, said the company.

In preparation for the transition, Leguan Lifts has carried out training in September 2024, covering sales, service, and troubleshooting practices to ensure Spider Lift Asia is fully equipped to meet customer needs.

48.07% of global construction sites have ceilings with a maximum height of 5m, (with the exception of civil housing projects, representing 33% of overall construction projects), an aspect that affects equipment choices.

Moreover, 92.72% of the equipment sold between 2017 and 2023 and used in these projects is not designed to operate at these heights.

The data highlights the importance for rental companies to offer solutions suitable to guarantee safety and operational continuity.

For contractors, the use of units in restricted spaces is crucial for efficiency. AI

- from 41 branches in the North and centre of Italy. It has 450 employees. Its revenues have increased from €40 million in 2021 to around €100 million this year, through organic growth and acquisitions. AI Christian added, “As a Chinese brand we need to work a lot harder than others to meet customer expectations and achieve consumer confidence.” 2024 has seen the establishment of Sydney and Brisbane facilities. AI

has had a capacity increase from180kg to 230kg, without changing the unit weight, 560kg. The upgrade is useful for applications with Bravi’s accessories, including Solo-Gyps, for plasterboard installation, and the Small-E inspection device.

Bravi’s core Leonardo HD model

Leguan 225 at Spider Lift Asia’s facilities.

BAUMA DEBUT FOR UNITED RENTALS

United Rentals in Europe is to exhibit at the Bauma exhibition in Munich next year, the company has said.

On its booth 719/4 in the outdoor area north of the show, the company said it will showcase its “new product range tailored to the construction sector” that will comprise of its “comprehensive product portfolio” of fluid, power and tool equipment.

It will mark the first time the company has exhibited at the show and comes at a time in which it is expanding its reach in Europe.

Six years ago it first entered Europe with the purchase of BakerCorp International Holdings, while just this year it acquired Netherlands-based equipment rental business EQIN.

It also operates 30 branches across France, Germany, Benelux and the UK. Earlier this year the company made its new depot in Bathgate, Scotland, operational.

PEOPLE NEWS

LGMG Europe has appointed OMAR KAÏMA as the company’s new Sales Manager for France.

The aerial platform association for Spain ANAPAT has appointed a new board, including president and vice president. RAÚL GOMARIZ, from Gomariz Lifting Systems takes over as President from David Cagigas, while ÓSCAR

Pedro Torres to leave Riwal

Pedro Torres, CEO of Riwal, will step down from his position on 1 January 2025.

The announcement follows a transitional period since Boels Rental acquired Riwal in March this year.

The company said Torres has spent that time securing the future of Riwal as part of Boels, ensuring it is in a strong position for future growth. He will formally leave the company on 1 April, “to embark on a new chapter,” of his career.

Lars Reehorst will take

over from Torres as Managing Director of Riwal and Manlift, the company’s India and Middle East-based subsidiary, at the beginning of January.

Reehorst has worked at Riwal for 10 years in multiple countries and positions and is currently leading the fast growing Special Rental division at Boels.

In the 12 years Torres has been at Riwal, he

has been instrumental in the transformation of its organisational structure, said the company, and under his leadership it has become one of the 15 largest rental companies worldwide in the access industry.

“In the period following the acquisition, Torres has guided the company through changes crucial for the integration, preserving Riwal’s legacy while supporting its future growth,” said the company. AI

Overwatch expands internationally

Australia-based Equipment Safety Systems (EQSS) is expanding access to its OverWatch scissor lift secondary guarding solution with its first international branch, located in the UK.

Opened earlier this year near London, the branch provides EQSS with a permanent presence in this key market and

CASTELLANOS, from SOOS Machinery, replaces Pedro Benito as Vice President.

LiuGong has strengthened its presence in Latin America with the appointment of JACQUES IAZDI, who heads up its access equipment division in the region.

Ruthmann has announced CHRISTIAN ROSS, longstanding employee, will take on the position of Head of Sales and Marketing with immediate effect.

has appointed Tahir Dad as the first member of its dedicated UK-based team.

Dad joined EQSS in February and has been engaging with contractors, rental companies, OEMs and safety bodies to introduce and support the roll-out of OverWatch. In his capacity as UK Technical Sales and Service Manager, Dad plays a crucial role in supporting EQSS customers.

To date, there are 1,000 scissor lifts in the UK fitted with OverWatch.

CTE for BA

The first three units of a batch of four CTE truck mounts have been delivered to British Airways.

The delivery is part of an order that CTE UK received from the airline for the manufacturer’s MP 24 C multipurpose truck mounted platform, on an Iveco chassis.

The lifts will be used at four of the main airports in the UK - Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Gatwick and Manchester - for aircraft maintenance. AI

EQSS has invested in a UK office and warehouse to stock OverWatch devices and offers installation services. As OverWatch becomes a requirement on Tier 1 construction sites, EQSS is equipped to meet the requirements of local rental companies, including the delivery of training and demonstrations.

“With the large amount of inventory that we carry, we can now supply OverWatch kits locally,” said the company. AI

of the CTE MP 24 C units at Gatwick.

Pedro Torres.

Lars Reehorst.

Former and new presidents and VP’s of ANAPAT.

One

The definitive tariffs being introduced by the European Commission follows the provisional duties first announced in July this year, with appeals from those concerned taking place since that date. The result is an overall marginally lower set of duties than were originally imposed. (See the table, bottom right).

The Commission first initiated the anti-dumping investigation with regard to ‘imports of mobile access equipment (MAE) originating in the People’s Republic of China’ last year in response to complaints that equipment was being dumped in the EU, resulting to significant injury to those based in the market.

Companies respond

The complaints were made by the Coalition to Restore a Level Playing Field in the EU Mobile Access Equipment Sector, commonly understood to include Haulotte and Manitou as primary parties in the group. Responding to the EC investigation

Manitou Group told Access International, “This information will re-establish from now a level playing field for all players on the EU market. This means to preserve European manufacturer business and that of hundreds of suppliers, continuing to innovate, preserving jobs and guaranteeing the safety of professionals throughout the EU”.

Speaking before the announcement of the final tariffs Haulotte said it was happy with the findings. “We are pleased to see that the EU has taken this decision. It shows they have listened. It is important that all manufacturers have equal and fair access to the market, wherever they come from.”

The Commission considered a range of submissions following the publication of the provisional tariffs including from Sinoboom and Dingli, as well as JLG and Genie, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for import and export of Machinery and Electrical products (CCCME).

Among other points, the commission

responded to arguments that it was not in the EU’s interest to impose tariffs, and that it would impair a number of its own goals, including meeting emission targets as the supply of electric equipment would be reduced.

However, the Commission argued differently. It said, “although the overall price level of MAE was expected to increase, the impact on the users which were mainly the rental companies was less significant than if they were the direct consumers.”

Commission findings

The Commission added that any increase in equipment price would directly result in an increase of value of the assets. “The fact that the machines were used over a longer period diminished in the Commission’s view the negative effect of a potential price increase as well.”

A further point from the Commission was that the duties are designed to restore a ‘level playing field’ in the EU and

The road to tariffs

would therefore have a positive effect on competition in the market. “It was also important for the main users – the rental companies – that production of MAE continues to take place in the Union market, to diversify their fleets. Therefore, the impositions of the duties would not jeopardize the achievement of green transition target of this industrial sector.”

Industry views

An example of the views held by Chinese manufacturers concerning the tariffs came from China-based Zoomlion. “Dumping means selling your equipment in the export market at a price lower than in the domestic market. But for us it’s not the case - the equipment price is more or less the same in Europe,” said Ren Huili, General Manager of Zoomlion Intelligent Access Machinery.

“People say we have low price equipment but that is because we have an efficient supply chain.”

Ren adds, “We have many European

clients - they are very satisfied with our products and services, but because of the tariff the customers are wondering what will happen next.

“Some of them have been hesitating buying and are waiting to see what will happen. They are thinking about the longterm plan, so the tariff has an impact.”

From a rental point of view Christopher Friedrich, member of the board at Germany-based System Lift, which represents more than 75 rental companies under a partnership arrangement, has mixed feeling on the matter. “Machine prices will rise temporarily, at least in the medium term.

“I spoke to a manufacturer based in China about what would happen in terms of costs if they were to relocate their production to Europe. In that case, they would expect a price increase of 15-20%. So, the important question is whether machine prices will rise, but more importantly, whether the industry will be able to adjust rental prices accordingly.”

Friedrich adds, “Due to inflation, for example, we have already raised rental prices in the last two years but there are several others - larger rental companies that rent their machines at very low prices, and this won’t work out long-term.”

Stockpiling debate

The Commission also addressed stockpiling and the accusation that producers based in China increased their imports to the EU disproportionally after the beginning of the investigation in November 2023 was announced. However, the Commission found against this and therefore ruled that retrospective duties would not be introduced.

According to the report, the complainant stated that imports were massive and ‘did not respond to any logic of market demand’, and provided estimates showing an increase in imports from 33% up to 121%, during that time, along with photographic evidence of stock.

Arguing against this, the Chinese

Chamber of Commerce for import and export of Machinery and Electrical products (CCCME) argued that the production was based on orders tailored for specific customers, therefore it did not make sense for any operator to stockpile.

Secondly, the CCCME said that the lead time between orders and delivery should be taken into consideration, since the cycle from ordering to delivery to the EU takes between four and six months. Since the peak of imports occurred in January to March 2024 it was not related to the initiation of the investigation, which took place on 23 November 2023. Rather it was a result of the order backlog that was built up well prior to the initiation.

In response the Commission said, “On the basis of the above, the Commission concluded that after the initiation of the investigation, the volume of imports of the product concerned from China did not increase.”

While the definitive measures are not set to be officially published until 1 January, following a short period for those involved to react to the final measures, the industry will already be preparing itself for their implementation.

Comparative challenges

Although truck mounts are not included in the tariffs, Access International asked Uwe Strotmann, managing director of Germanybased vehicle mount specialist Ruthmann, what he thought the ramifications would be for the MEWP sector in the EU.

“Of course we will see what happens in self-propelled market. I am not a judge on that but I see the market probably has too many players at the moment. So, if the Chinese manufacturers were to start producing truck mounts we may have comparative issues.”

Strotmann added that those involved would seek to work around the challenges. “I see companies now starting production in Europe. So, I see tariffs postponing the issue rather than hindering them coming to Europe in the long term..”

Major rental companies in North America have announced their third quarter results in recent weeks. Here are the four things we learnt from their result announcements.

1 Inorganic growth in top lines

The equipment rental sector was in general softening in the US amid a high-interest rate environment during the three months ended 31 September 2024. Rental companies showed a mixed performance in their rental revenues.

United Rentals, the largest equipment rental company in the US, saw its rental revenue increase 7.4% year-on-year to a third-quarter record of $3.46 billion (€3.26 billion), thanks to the impact of the acquisition of speciality temporary roadway business Yak, which was concluded in March.

Without that deal, the company’s rental revenue growth would have been 4.4% for the third quarter.

The American Rental Association (ARA) in August downgraded the revenue growth forecast for the construction and general tool rental sector in the US.

It expected the equipment rental sector’s revenue to grow 8.9% to $78.7 billion in

Rental Briefing’s Jeff Pao delves into the latest financial results from US-based companies and finds some common trends.

Softening trend

2024, and further increase 5.3% in 2025. Its previous forecast was that revenue would rise 9.7% to $79.2 billion this year.

Herc Rentals bucked the trend, reporting record rental revenue of $866 million, up 13% year-over-year, in the third quarter.

“We increased third quarter rental revenue by 13% to a new quarterly record, primarily reflecting the continued robust growth from mega projects and contributions from our increased branch network and recent acquisitions,” said Larry Silber, president and CEO of Herc.

2 Pressure on time utilization and rental rates

H&E Equipment Services, one of the largest equipment rental companies in the US, said its third quarter rental revenue grew 3.3% year-on-year to US$326.2 million. The slower growth in the quarter, compared to a 9.8% year-on-year increase in the first half, was due to softening fleet utilisation and lower rental rates.

The company’s physical fleet utilization averaged 67.6% in the third quarter of 2024, or 240 basis points down from the same period of last year, showing a lower customer demand and a lingering modest oversupply of equipment.

Rental rates declined 0.1% compared to the prior-year quarter and were down 0.6% from the second quarter.

“Construction spending in the US continues to demonstrate the slowing rate of growth observed over the first half of 2024,” said Brad Barber, chief executive officer of H&E Rentals. “We believe a trend of moderating activity will persist through the remainder of the year, with physical fleet utilization and rental rates below year-ago measures.”

3 Declining sales of rental equipment

Large rental companies also saw a yearon-year decline in their sales of rental equipment in the third quarter:

■ United Rentals: -12.3% to $321 million

■ Herc Rentals: -34.7% to $81 million

■ H&E Equipment Services: -47.3% to $27.8 million

These resulted in slower year-on-year growth rates of the three companies’ total revenues in the third quarter from the first half:

■ United Rentals: +6% to $3.99 billion (compared to +6.1% in H1)

■ Herc Rentals: +6.3 % to $965 million (compared to +7.1% in H1)

■ H&E Equipment Services: -4% to $384 million (compared to +9.5% in H1)

Herc Rentals said its sales of rental equipment decreased by 34.7% year-on-year in the third quarter as its fleet rotation in the prior year period was accelerated due to easing of supply chain disruptions in certain categories of equipment.

4 Prudent capex growths

Although Herc Rentals recorded a 13% growth in its rental revenue in the third quarter, it has remained prudent in increasing its capital expenditure (capex).

The company said it expects its rental revenue to grow by 9.5-11% for the full year of 2024. Its previous forecast was a 7-10% annual growth.

However, it said its net rental equipment capex would reach $650 million to $700 million in 2024, close to the previous estimate of $500 million to $700 million.

In the first nine months of this year, the company’s net rental equipment capex was $555 million, down 36.1% from $869 million in the same period of last year.

Equipment manufacturers will welcome rental companies’ plans to boost fleet investment as global markets become challenging.

Terex’s AWP saw a better performance in North America than elsewhere in the same period. It said its sales were up 4% in North America but down by 23% in Europe, by 24% in Asia Pacific (inc. China) and down by 13% in the rest of the world.

United Rentals was selected for the Forbes list of America’s Best Employers for Women 2023. PHOTO: UNITED RENTALS

Herc ecorded a record revenue thanks to acquisitions among other factors.

At the forefront

In a bid to leave behind the production supply chain and bottleneck issues of recent times, Ruthmann has reorganized production and is expanding facilities in key growth markets like the US.

That’s in addition to the company’s recent launch of a 100m working height truck mount incorporating cutting edge design.

Heading up the company is Uwe Strotmann, who has been with Ruthmann for 30 years and took over as Managing Director two years ago from longstanding MD Rolf Kulawik, who went into retirement.

While Strotmann’s position in the company’s upper management team for the last 14 years means there will be no sudden shifts in direction under his leadership, “the situation has changed,” he adds, in two specific ways.

New factors

Firstly, Ruthmann is now part of the US-based Time Manufacturing Company, having been acquired in February 2021, and secondly the influence of Covid-19 and the ensuing supply chain crises has had a fundamental affect on the company.

“When I started [as MD] two years ago [shortly after the pandemic] the company really was in a situation where we working in the short term,” says Strotmann.

“People were sent home because we didn’t have the parts and we didn’t have the trucks. So it was possibly not the easiest of starting points for me. However, if you start at a very low level it is easier to go up again.”

As 2022 went on the situation improved, and in 2023 “we really had a good year,” says Strotmann, “and developed the turnover and overall results into a good direction, based on a stable order backlog.” This positive trend is

UWE STROTMANN, Managing Director, Ruthmann.

50m units and above have become a worldwide market in the last 10 years.

set to continue through 2024 and 2025.

The only bottleneck that remains is in the logistics division, which is set to double in size thanks to a new centre which will be built in the same location on the backlot of Ruthmann’s headquarters in GescherHochmoor, Germany.

There has also been a change to the current production system. Rather than units being moved from place to place in the

Uwe Strotmann, managing director of Ruthmann, gives the lowdown on the latest developments in the fast-evolving truck mount market.

factory as they are built, the equipment stays in one spot, with the materials and expertise brought to the machine. This approach provides a greater ability to react to market demands.

“We need to have flexibility in production, and it helps if you have this type of box production, where you have enough space to build whatever is ordered at the time.”

Larger lifts

One of the demands in the truck mount market is for big truck lifts of 50m and above.

BlueLift is still very much part of Ruthmann’s future, says the company. Here, Italian rental company M.D.M. Service takes delivery of the R SA 18 HB.

“Over the last 10 years that has become a worldwide market,” observes Strotmann, “With peaks in north America and upcoming markets in Australia and stability in Europe. And countries like Turkey, and the Middle East are picking up too.”

In response Ruthmann has just launched its latest innovation – a ‘compact’ 100m working height truck mount that is setting the scene for the company’s global growth plans. (See all the details of the new Steiger T1000 HF in the Big truck mount feature).

Expanding on the growing market for larger truck mounts, Strotmann says the company’s 51m units have now become a commodity product. “Many rental companies have them now, even the smaller ones because its compact and short, plus it has the outreach and flexibility, and the

Ruthmann’s Ecoline 270.

NORTH AMERICA FOCUS WITH REACHMASTER

As Ruthmann’s expansion continues in the US, the company has refocused its US-based Ruthmann/ReachMaster division.

Ruthmann acquired its North American distributor ReachMaster in 2020, which also represented a range of other European OEM products in the US.

In the third quarter of this year it was announced that ReachMaster would stop representing third party brands that were not within its parent company, Time Manufacturing, including Italian bi-levelling crawler specialist AlmaCralwer.

applications and the utilization are there.

“Once you go higher to 60m, 70m, 80m, and 90m the number of units is of course lower but overall the number of units are rising year by year and that is thanks to much demand in the existing markets we had before, i.e. in Europe and new markets, with an outstanding ones being the US.”

National requirements

Even in Europe, countries vary greatly in their needs, including Spain, which is seeing one of the largest growth curves on the continent. “Customers in Spain use equipment that would be considered unusual in Germany, for example maintenance of big ships in harbors, where two or three 75m machines are working simultaneously. In the past they may have used self propelled lifts but they now need the outreach that self propelled machines do not offer. Everything is getting bigger – if it’s up over and back, then you will need a truck mount to deal with it.”

The move resulted in some personnel leaving the company says Strotmann, however Ruthmann Reachmaster remains in place and will see its facilities expanded to take advantage of the growing truck mount market in the country, with a new location six miles away from the current base in Houston, Texas. Ruthmann’s other product line Bluelift spider lifts will also be represented there, as will the Ecoline of truck mounts.

Strotmann explains, “Being part of the Ruthmann group of companies, we decided ReachMaster will represent Time products only. It is a strategic move in that we concentrate on our products and step away from selling third party products as a distributor.

“We will role out this strategy with the tall Steiger machines, medium machines and the Ecoline, but also add other truck mounts from Europe on a lighter chassis like the VTX240 from Versalift in Denmark – we see a market for this in North America on a Ford Transit.”

On the subject of those companies that are no longer being represented by Ruthmann/ReachMaster, Strotmann says, the company will look after them. “We are in talks with them. We will support them for a transition period and not let our customers down, and we will help them establish a new distributor in the US. Our service people are trained in these products, so will ensure they are taken care of.”

Then there are the other new and emerging markets like Mexico, Chile and Latin America more widely.

A major new application for big trucks mounts everywhere is power transmission lines, both for maintaining and updating those built in the 1960s and 1970s, alongside a whole network of new ones to service wind farms that are being built across the globe.

“That is a new market that starts with 50m machines and goes up to 90m – we have customers in Australia, the US and Europe,” explains Strotmann.

Core products

While the big units are seeing an increase in demand, a core area of the market remains the 3.5 tonne GVW machines in Europe, which remains a thriving area of activity and sales. “Everyone says it must come to an end sooner or later but at the moment we don’t see that. There is real stability there.”

However, the real potential for growth remains with the 50m units and upwards, on 18 tonne trucks and above.

“You can’t bring a 3.5 tonne into countries where you don’t have a 3.5 tonne permission and of course there are many manufacturers in this class, therefore it makes sense to concentrate where you can differentiate yourself from others and for us that is for sure machines that are in the 50m and upwards space.”

North America represents one of those markets. The tradition in the US of using truck mounted platforms soley for utilityrelated work and hot wire power line applications is starting to give way to the day-to-day applications found in Europe.

“I first visited the US 20 years ago, and I thought then that there are all kinds of applications suitable for truck mounts but they are all done with self propelled access equipment - I wondered, ‘why don’t they use truck mounts?’

“And I thought, ‘someone needs to start a truck mount rental business in the US.’ ”

Strotmann adds, “We are now at a point where these truck mounted platforms have proven their place in the market starting from the windmills and then going over to other applications.”

Having said that the general use market for truck mounts still has some way to go before it becomes a go to product. “It’s not yet like Europe where a 75m is rented out for a day to inspect a church for example, but we are somewhere between that.” AI See the full interview with Strotmann at accessbriefing.com.

Ruthmann’s headquarters mounts lifts for the US market onto Kenworth trucks and ships them back.

New truck mounts in the 75m to 100m working height range rarely come around, so when they do its big news, literally. Apart from physical size, it’s the engineering behind them that takes the operator onto the next level of operation and safety.

In September Ruthmann officially launched its long awaited ‘compact’ 100m working height truck mount, following its first announcement back at APEX in June last year.

The Steiger T1000 HF is mounted on a five-axle truck with a total weight of 53 tonnes and an outreach of 39m, which is a significant step up on the current market offering, said the company.

It was launched at a customer event close to Ruthmann’s headquarters in Germany, during October, with more than 100 guests from 15 European companies, as well as the US, Israel and Mexico.

With applications growing for wind

Going higher and lighter

A

round-up of the world’s largest truck mounts.

energy, power lines, maintenance of older buildings in difficult to reach areas, new larger buildings, ports and bridge inspections, to name a few, Ruthmann said greater capabilities from the equipment had also become a necessity.

The design of the new lift followed intense research in the industry, including with relevant rental companies around the world to gain their feedback.

Customer survey

The overall response from customers was the need for a lift that reached higher than Ruthmann’s existing 90m working height model, with greater outreach and on a standard five-axle chassis – a feat not yet achieved in the industry.

Once a chassis above the standard weight is used, various national regulations kick in across Europe, making operations more complicated. A range of designs followed, including those with up to 110m working height, with the final T1000 HF providing the optimum combination of features.

Those also include electronic automatic locking on the five section lower arm, which is activated when required. i.e. at maximum working heights at an elevation angle of 80 – 88.5 degrees. The three-section upper arm can telescope 37m.

The new unit also comes with Ruthmann’s highflex technology found across other models in the Steiger series, which gives the boom ‘up, over and back’ capabilities where flexibility is required rather than maximum

Looking out from basket of the Steiger T1000 HF at Ruthmann’s headquarters in Germany.

working height, effectively providing a twoin-one machine.

The DRS system optimizes the model’s features by maximizing the working envelope, which is valuable when working in more extreme conditions. For example, in wind force 8, the wind force can be set before operation and the DRS then adjusts to allow maximum performance within safe parameters.

Existing 100m

Socage has also hit the 100m working height mark, with its forSte 100TJJ first shown at the GIS show a couple of years ago.

The lift can also be installed on trucks with a minimum 52 tonnes GVW. The model is equipped with a

second jib to extend envelope.

It is able to reach a maximum working height of 100m and a side reach of 43m with 350kg on trucks over 53 tonnes, with a maximum loading capacity of 600kg.

The 100TJJ is also equipped with the manufacturer’s multi-zone stabilization system, which enables the operator to choose from a variety of options depending on the space available for the vehicle.

The rear crossbars are composed of two hydraulic extensions that increase the stabilization area and therefore the maximum performance of the equipment.

TAIWAN OPERATIONS

Deh Crane’s Bronto

Topping the working height range of truck mounts that are available to buy new is Bronto Skylift’s 104-metre S104HLA aerial platform.

Its latest customer is Chi Deh Crane Engineering, a Taiwanese rental company that has been in operation since 1975, and operates in Taiwan, China, Singapore and Dubai.

Hu Hanyan, CEO of the company visited the Bronto factory this year to inspect the 104-metre unit.

Chi Deh Crane’s S104HLA is mounted on a 6-axle Scania P450B 12x4 chassis and includes a water line between the turntable and cage. The unit, supplied to the customer by longstanding Taiwanese Bronto Skylift distributor Firm Power has a 700kg maximum cage load with an ultra-high-pressure water system for wind turbine blade inspection and maintenance, among other applications.

The company plans to grow its fleet with many more large truck mount units over the coming years, with the plan to increase its competitiveness in Taiwan, within the petrochemical, wind, infrastructure and civil engineering industries.

A bird’s eye view at Bronto’s headquarters in Finland aboard the S104HLA operated by Hu Hanyan, the CEO of ChiDeh Crane.

(Background photo) Ruthmann’s 100m Steiger T1000 HF was giant leap from its previously highest 90m model.

Multitel Pagliero’s MJ 775 is the largest unit in the manufacturer’s fleet to date.

Chi

Skylift S104HLA at Bronto’s yard.

The rotation of the basket is 90°+90° with the possibility to manually rotate the secondary jib to work on the opposite side and cover 360° of work.

The aluminium basket has a 2300mm width that cab be expanded to 3600mm to increase the working space. It is equipped with a 7-inch LCD display, showing the 2D working area, load limiter and outrigger status, among others.

New range in sight

In 2025, Multitel is set to present the first model of a whole new generation of big platforms, which will gradually be extended over the next five years.

Multitel has been producing larger machines for several years, starting with a 32m model, with the largest model being the 77m working height MJ 775.

“But in the coming months,” said the company, “We are planning to release a model with state-of-the-art technology to offer even more high performance and adapted to our customers’ needs. This will be the start of a general restyling of the larger machines range.”

The MJ775 has already been sold to several rental companies, offering an outreach of 38m with a 400kg cage load and a large extendable basket of 90m x 110m x 380cm.

The units have been used for industrial plant maintenance as well as docks and vessel

maintenance. However, the versatility of the MJ775 allows several other applications too.

Hinting about the features of the soon to be launched models, the company said, “The challenge is to provide higher models on trucks that do not require special permission to travel. The general trend is to make lighter structures while maintaining the requested working height - in summary, go higher and go lighter.”

The potential in the truck mount market has driven OEM Palfinger to develop its access platform product line to run parallel to its massive crane division, which forms the basis of the company. The company is promising a range of new equipment in the coming years.

Its largest offering to date is the 90m working height P900 with a total weight of 48 tonnes. The unit offers an outreach of up to 32.5m with a cage load of 530kg. The machine is designed to be flexible with a 500-degree rotation angle of turntable.

The P900 has also been upgraded to wind speed 7 (15.5m/s) which allows operations that were not previously permitted due to wind speed restrictions.

Its secondary control system on the turntable has full colour display and seat, meaning complete operation of all platform movements is possible, along with an optimum view of the boom system.

An integrated hydraulic tank in the base frame ensures a low centre of gravity during

GÖKÇEL AND THE GALATA TOWER

Restoration work has been completed on the Galata Tower, one of the oldest towers in the world and icon of Istanbul.

The historic tower was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2013, with the latest upgrades finishing in April this year.

A Palfinger P900 truck mounted platform, rented from Gökçel Crane, made a significant contribution to the restoration process.

Gokçel Crane’s Chairman of the Board of Directors İsa Gökçel explained how they used the 90m working height Palfinger. “After towing our vehicle to the site, we opened the outriggers and contributed to the works - renewing the Alem at 63 meters, replacing bullets in the dome and cleaning the stones on the facade of the tower.”

The 270kg copper allem, which sits at the top of tower, was lowered to ground level as part of the renovation works and lifted back into position.

Gökçel added, “We were especially excited to support the allem, while installing it in four pieces with an operation lasting about five hours. As a result, we were extremely pleased to have served in the restoration of the Galata Tower, the symbol of Istanbul.”

on-road driving. The telescopic cage has a 530kg cage load and there’s a 180° horizontal cage boom rotation.

The company’s GPD-Gravity Powered Drive allows operation even when the engine is switched off and provides a safe return to the ground at any time.

“Our goal is to expand the access platforms into a second strong product line in addition to our main product, the loader crane. That is where our Löbau site plays a very special role,” said Alexander Susanek, COO at Palfinger.

Expanding production

Since 2023 the site has assembled the large platforms, adding to the light and premium class models.

“Here, we have made investments specifically in product development, know-how and quality. With a larger capacity assembly line and our focus on service, we are hitting the ground running,” says Susanek.

“We see significant growth potential in the area of access platforms. The product is extremely versatile and is used worldwide in various industries.” AI

Gokçel Crane uses a Palfinger P900 to help restore historic tower.

The MJ 775’s up and over capabilities in evidence at a complex application.

GEDA TRANSPORT PLATFORMS

Two devices in one: material hoist and transport platform

Safe loading and unloading at all landing levels

Flexible - the right platform variant for every construction site situation

Unrivalled quality „Made in Germany“

Meet the judges

Taking place in Dublin, 13 March, the 2025 IAPAs celebrate excellence and best practice in the access industry.

There are 13 award categories for this edition, offering the usual range of new products and innovations to sustainability and safety, alongside equality and diversity in the workplace.

Organised by Access International and IPAF, the IAPA ceremony takes place on the same day as the IPAF Summit, offering top level presentations and topical industry discussion, along with outstanding networking opportunities across both events.

The winners will be chosen by an independent judging panel of five longstanding industry experts, with the fifth to be announced shortly.

The IAPA judges:

DAVID MEEKE began his career in 1992 working in the access industry as an apprentice access engineer with Highway Plant, based in Dunmurry, Belfast. He served his time there as a workshop engineer, mobile service engineer then workshop supervisor during which he achieved one of the first IPAF CAP qualifications in the UK for access engineers.

David’s career then saw him taking the step into training and qualifying as an IPAF instructor in 2002 and subsequently CAP Assessor in 2010.

Following the purchase of Highway Plant by Balloo Hire Centres (a Briggs Equipment Company), his role now has progressed to Training Manager for one of the largest hire companies in Northern Ireland.

His long involvement with IPAF saw him elected to the IPAF UK Country Council in 2019 and then to the position of Chairperson of the IPAF Irish Council in 2022, a position he has retained for a second term following elections in the autumn of 2024.

KIRSTY ARCHBOLDLAMING joined the industry over 30 years ago working for a fledgling company, Southern Hoist Services, which has grown into one of the largest hoist rental companies in the UK with over 130 hoists in the fleet, serving not only the UK

but various projects across Europe.

Well-known and respected in her specialist field, she became a director of Southern Hoist in 2008 and is an advocate for improving standards and raising the bar in the industry.

Southern Hoist are founding members of the Construction Hoist Interest Group (CHIG), a specialist group within CPA (Construction Plant-Hire Association). Kirsty has been involved since inception in 1996 and has been Chair since 2012.

In the last 10 years she has developed a strong relationship between CHIG and IPAF, resulting in new training courses for both users and installers. Sitting within the IPAF MCWP UK & Ireland Workgroup and the IPAF Rental + Committee she is committed to educating the industry and providing assistance.

KAREL HUIJSER is JLG’s general manager and vice president for Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EAME) and became president of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) in March.

Karel draws on a wealth of experience. Having studied in Delft in the early 1980s to become an industrial designer by trade, he started his career in the mid-1980s at the DAF Trucks design center. He also worked in various roles at General Electric and Tennant.

Later in his career, at the age of 50, Karel decided to go back to school – at the Columbia Business School in New

Four of the judges have been announced for the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs).

WHERE: Dublin Royal Convention Centre, Dublin, Ireland

WHEN: March 12 & 13, 2025

York City – to become a Master of Science in Leadership. Here he learned about value-driven leadership and leading change management. Following that, he joined JLG in 2012 in the EMEA role. In October it was announced he would leave JLG, but remain as IPAF President until 2026.

In his personal life, Karel and his wife have fostered five children.

PAOLA PALAZZANI took over as President of Italian spider lift specialist this year from her father Davide.

Palazzani’s plan is to refocus the company into a ‘people’ orientated organization.

Having joined at the age of 21, she has 25 years of experience at the company and will lead now lead its long-term strategy.

While Paola’s job status has changed under her new leadership position, “I’m still dealing with sales - that is my big passion,” she says.

“In the past we were in that category of a small Italian company where everything is built around an entrepreneur.

“So, we have moved from the entrepreneur-based business, with one person in the centre to one that has different managers for different processes.”

Find out more information about the awards, Summit and how to book at the event website.

Revitalising the

Lewis Taylor looks at how companies are tackling worker shortages.

In part one of this feature (published in the July/August edition of IRN and also on the IRN website), we spoke with a number of rental companies around the world to gain insight into what the main recruitment and retention challenges are that the industry faces.

While some variation in answers were revealed, the general view among responses was that the industry has issues with recruiting and retaining younger members of staff, women and technically trained employees.

It also highlighted that many people are seemingly leaving the industry to pursue careers that offer them better career progression, increased pay and better worklife balance.

Of course, knowing the reasons behind the retention and recruitment puzzle is only half the battle. With that in mind, how are rental companies aiming to tackle shortages?

In the case of UK-based rental company Speedy Hire, it is aiming to have at least a 30% female workforce by 2030. “We’re working hard to achieve that,” chief people officer Ellie Armour tells IRN

The company, which follows the UN’s Women Empowerment Principles to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, said it aims to be a Top 100 Place to Work in the same timespan.

“As part of our ambition to have a 30% female workforce by 2030, we’re also looking at maternity and paternity leave policies to ensure that the best support is in place for new parents whilst they are on leave and when they return to work.”

At the same time, Sunbelt Rentals in the UK said it is “about inspiring the next generation and

showing them the opportunities available in our industry.”

To reach the younger demographic of workers, the company is involved in a number of initiatives, including Open Doors, which takes people behind the scenes to showcase the range of careers available in construction.

As part of that, the company welcomes students from a number of schools across the UK to allow the opportunity to get a preview of its operations, participate in interactive tours and learn more about project management.

The company said it also attends job fairs to raise the profile of itself and the industry among potential employees, colleges and schools.

“On top of that, we’re committed to being an inclusive employer and we’ve just committed to working towards an inclusive employer accreditation from ‘inclusive companies’, which is something we’re really proud of,” says Charlotte Bennett, UK & Europe people director, Sunbelt Rentals UK.

“Our people are at the heart of what we stand for, and we want everyone to feel welcome and valued here, so we’re constantly working to create an environment where everyone can thrive.”

Elsewhere, GAM Rentals in Spain said it participates in external initiatives such as the European Rental Week with the aim of promoting rental in Europe.

In addition, the company has specific activities to attract and retain staff, such as talks at educational centres, internship and scholarship schemes with different universities and agreements with associations to promote the inclusion of specific groups in the labour market.

Improving the work-life balance

Kennards Hire in Australia was one of a number of companies that highlighted work-life balance as a potential reason that people

leave the equipment rental sector.

With the aim of tackling that, the company introduced a 40-hour working week in 2023, down from its previous total of 45.

“Whilst we already offered workplace flexibility, the primary contracted weekly hours for operational roles was 45,” says Sally Craig, general manager, people & culture.

“We made a business decision to reduce the working hours of our operational roles, whilst not reducing pay. This has significantly improved retention and overall engagement across the business in a time when work life balance is a priority for many.”

In June this year the company also introduced its Employee Value Proposition (EVP), ‘With Kennards Hire You Can’, which is based on three principles: Trust in Each Other; Lead in Many Ways; and Grow Your Expertise.

The new strategic engagement platform

UK said it has committed to being an inclusive employer.

Kennards Hire staff at its Queanbeyan branch recently won its Branch of the Year award.

Ellie Armour, chief people officer, Speedy Hire.

Sunbelt Rentals

PHOTO: SUNBELT RENTALS UK

PHOTO: KENNARDS HIRE

workforce

enables the company to engage with prospective employees about why they should work with Kennards Hire and current team members, about why they should stay with the company.

“We want people to know our commitment to them and what they can expect when they work here,” says Craig.

Meanwhile, the company has also introduced an employee referral program, which is designed to encourage employees to refer someone they believe will be a good fit. Craig adds, “They receive an AU$1000 payment for any successful hire. It’s a great incentive for our team, whilst providing us with qualified candidates.”

Like Kennards Hire, Speedy has also committed to offering employees a better balance with its Speedy Work Life Balance scheme, which offers flexible working in the form of nine-day fortnight, a 4.5-day week and/or early and later start/finish times.

The company said that the scheme enables employees to balance their time between home, travel and the office in a way that works for them.

Going further, the company also offers employees shares in the company, which it said gives them a “vested interest” in ensuring its growth and success.

Working together

Another way for companies to fill the skills void which has been left by older generations leaving the industry is through mentoring and training initiatives.

In that respect, Speedy is currently running a pilot Mentoring and Skills Transfer Programme, an initiative that pairs employees at either the latter end of their careers or who are well established in their careers, with apprentices to facilitate practical and theoretical two-way sharing of knowledge and experience.

All employees acting as mentors are provided with mentor training from Speedy’s People Development team as well as being offered additional incentives tracked against their apprentice’s progress.

In the case of GAM, the company said that through its Kirleo vocational training school that specialises in the industrial sector, it offers “continuous training to improve the professionalisation of positions where formal training does not reach.”

Italy-based Mollo Nolleggio is also focusing its attention on training. In 2013 it launched the Mollo Academy, which as well as providing training courses to customers on the safe use of work equipment, It also offers internal staff training across a number of segments, including commercial, technical and administrative.

Mauro Mollo, Mollo Group’s president, said, “It is very important, investing in your employees through targeted training. This must be done by integrating new tools and innovative technologies into these training courses, in order to respond to the needs of a constantly changing market.

“Furthermore, investing in their employees through training is a concrete way to show confidence to the, improve their skills and value them as professionals.”

Back in the UK with Sunbelt, the company told IRN that raising the profile of the rental industry is crucial in staff retention and recruitment, both from an internal and external perspective.

RENTA GROUP’S DEVELOPMENT FOCUS

In its sustainability report for the 2023 financial year, Nordic-based rental company Renta Group said it increased its workforce by 22% from the previous year, reaching 2,091 employees.

In terms of diversifying its workforce, the company said its objective is to “cultivate, attract, embrace, retain, and develop a diverse and talented workforce.”

On Group level, the company has set out a goal to have a “more equal gender distribution between females and males by the end of 2026.”

At the same time, it said that it prioritises the “continuous development of staff” through a combination of both internal and external training, which comprises of a wide range of topics, including data security, anti-corruption, leadership development, and specialised skills such as truck driving for specific roles.

In 2023, the average training hours per employee totalled 14 hours for male employees and 3 hours for female employees.

Rebecca Långström, head of sustainability, said, “Over the past year, we have continued our work to implement our ESG strategy into all aspects of our operations. By applying a holistic approach to our economic, social, and environmental performance, we strive to create long-term value for our stakeholders, including customers, employees, and investors, as well as society at large.

“During the year Renta implemented a checklist with ESG actions to approach sustainability in an efficient and strategic way and promote exchange of experiences between segments. A process to further improve the supply chain management was initiated, by introducing a purchase guideline and a supplier assessment system.”

It said that to meet the challenges facing the industry, companies must work together to improve the entire landscape.

According to Bennett, expanding diversity and inclusion plays a big role in this; “We must ensure we’re welcoming people from all backgrounds by creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

Bennett adds, “We need to show that there are fantastic roles and future career paths available in this industry for a diverse range of people. This involves supporting initiatives that build our brand and highlight what the rental industry is all about.”

Mauro Mollo, Mollo Group’s president.

PHOTO: MOLLO GROUP

On the

How do manufacturers and rental companies view their prospects for the coming year? AI has been asking the industry.

INDEX

Respondents were asked how they rate opportunities for their business over the next five years.

level

The Confidence Index, which records expectations for the next five years from all those that took part in Access International’s annual Confidence Survey, is almost the same as last year at 66, compared to 66.75 in last year’s study.

This reflects the rest of the graphs in the survey, based on forecasts for 2025.

Looking at prospects across all sectors, manufacturers, rental companies and end users, expectations are marginally down on

last year. A majority of participants (50%) are forecasting growth of 0-10%, which is higher than last year. However the percentage forecasting more than 10% growth has halved in the same period. There is also a smaller percentage declines declines in their business in 2025.

On the subject of rental companies specifically, the expectations of growth and declines are very similar to last year’s figures, although a higher percentage say they will make investments in new equipment compared to last year, (48% compared to 37% this time in 2023).

When it comes to investments in used equipment there is a notable rise on last year in those saying they will not invest (at 62% compared to 41% last year). On the other hand, the percentage planning to replace fleet is considerably lower than last year’s (at 19% compared to 30%).

Rental companies’ plans to replace new

WHAT DO SUPPLIERS THINK?

2025 SALES PREDICTIONS

equipment has gone up just over 10% to 48%. These results are somewhat reflected in the manufacturers’ feedback. OEMs and distributors are seeing an uptick overall in expected growth in the 0-10% margin next year and in terms of equipment sales the view is fairly similar overall too, as are their production levels.

Mixed picture

While we have a similar level of confidence to last year in the tables, the comments provided by those taking part are less positive overall.

As always, it’s a mixed picture, often depending on individual circumstances. That said there are general trends, one of which is recent declines in Northern Europe compared to the south of the continent. One participant based in Sweden and commenting about Scandinavia in general wrote: “2024 has been a terrible year, but we hope that everything terrible that happens in our world will end and thus change the market for all of us.”

Eastern Europe seems to be suffering from the same level of concern. From Slovakia, one respondent said, “In 2025, we expect the rental market to continue to decline. The year in 2024 was marked by a decrease in construction production by 7%. This is mainly reflected in a significant drop in prices.” Another participant from Hungary supports this trend, with the comment, “It is not growing”.

In Northeast England, times are equally uncertain, it appears. “This industry is very much feast or famine. It’s very cutthroat with no real alliance with anyone. Regarding machinery there are some impressive Chinese machines coming onto the market at some decent prices.”

Another participant has a different view, “Value of used equipment is damaged due to mass production from China.

“The influence of new manufacturers will change the dynamic of traditional purchases,” reports another commentator.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, is “stable” says one respondent.

Continental views

The situation is different in the south. Writing about Spain and Portugal specifically, one commentator stated: “The Iberia region will increase business moderately; around 5-6%.” And in Italy, “Rental is going very well,” says another, adding, “Sales are expected in this sector.” That said, it’s not all plain sailing in the south says one manufacturer: “European

markets are tough in certain areas such as Nordics and Germany. Many south European manufacturers are getting involved in pricing wars and sales directly from the factory past local importers,” adding, “The North American market and Asian market is generally moving forward quite strongly. Safety regulations and labour shortages increase demand for safe and efficient lifting solutions.”

The Asian markets referenced here are likely to be the emerging Southeast Asian markets and potentially the Middle East,

ABOUT THE ACCESS CONFIDENCE SURVEY

Manufacturers, rental companies and end users involved in the access industry were asked to provide their forecasts for the sector for 2025. The anonymous survey was carried out in October and November, via an e-cast request. For questions about the survey contact the Editor, Euan Youdale.

which is seeing strong growth, particularly Saudi Arabia. Asia’s largest single market China is experiencing a significant downturn and fierce competition among rental companies and manufacturers.

On the subject of growing access markets

2025 INVESTMENT PLANS

NEW MACHINES

generally, they have a common shared experience. In Brazil, a rental company said, “We expect the Chinese manufacturers to keep gaining market share over the USA and European manufacturers, and we hope the acquisition price starts to decrease.” AI

GROWTH PROSPECTS FOR 2025: ALL SECTORS

Skyjack’s ebooms will be at the show, designed for the European market.

The road to

When construction professionals descend on Bauma 2025 in Munich, Germany, in April next year, the world’s largest construction equipment show will have roared back to full strength.

That’s the message from trade fair organiser Messe München, which is in charge of the show.

Event director Nicole Schmitt told Construction Briefing that she expects Bauma to be on a par with the size of the 2019 event. That year was a record for Bauma, with a total of 620,000 visitors from over 200 countries.

When you consider everything that has come since – the Covid-19 pandemic that put several other shows on hold and impacted the size of Bauma’s 2022 offering, plus the first land war in Europe since WW2 that has sent a chill through Germany’s economy – returning to such a scale would be no mean feat.

“Many of the customers who skipped 2022 due to the pandemic will be coming back,” says Schmitt.

There are five key topics for Bauma 2025, which are: climate neutrality, alternative

SHOW DETAILS

WHERE: Trade Fair Center Messe München

Am Messeturm, 81829 Munich, Germany

WHEN: April 17-23, 2025

The access equipment sector is gearing up for Bauma and shares its views on the show and market conditions as we lead up to it.

drive concepts, networked construction, sustainable construction, and mining challenges.

Value of exhibitions

Among the access OEMs there was a debate around the value of exhibitions, particularly following the pandemic, however, there seems to have been a clear realization since that Bauma is a must attend event.

In 2022 JLG didn’t have its own stand, and showed instead on its then partner Hinowa’s booth. Since then JLG has acquired Hinowa and will have a 1,000 square metre stand where it will unite the company’s European group of companies, including products from Hinowa, based in Italy, Toucan, based in France, and Power Towers, based in the UK. Recently acquired Ausa will have its own stand.

Green theme

JLG has introduced its new ES4046 electric scissor lift to Europe.

comments, “In today’s international business environment, online meetings are necessary and efficient for day-to-day activities. However, they cannot replace face-to-face interactions, which are vital to hold indepth conversations and gain a greater understanding of the needs of our partners, distributors and customers.”

Although, says the company, “Economic headwinds continue to be a concern we recognise demand from the industry for continual innovation, sustainable solutions, and that the increasing adoption of digital tools and electrification is expected to accelerate in the coming years.”

There will be a focus on themes around electrification, alternative drive concepts and sustainable construction, and an “immersive environment”, including a dedicated electrification area, and, said the company, “some interesting surprises for our customers and team members.”

On the topic of attending exhibitions, JLG Sinoboom’s Poland plant will produce products for Bauma Munich.

Skyjack, which chose not to exhibit at the last edition of Bauma, said it welcomed the exhibition’s return to the spring schedule, having been held in September in 2022 to avoid the aftermath of the pandemic.

“The last few years have seen some changes in show timing generally and the return to spring Bauma is welcomed. It seems to tie in better for purchasing cycles with product on display in spring allowing for considered purchasing decisions latter in the year and for the following year,” said Skyjack.

It was for this reason said Skyjack that it chose not attend in 2022. “It was not the best return proposition for us. In 2025 and with a spring show, we look forward to returning to the outdoor area.”

Among the items on display on the company’s 500 square metre stand will be improved E-drive scissors and Skyjack’s

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK

At Bauma 2025, Italian spider lift and truck mount producer CTE has kept the same stand size and configuration as previous editions of the show. “The size of our stand allows us to showcase a wide range of products and create a more immersive experience for visitors,” said the company.

“Bauma is one of the most important events for our company and the wider aerial platform industry.”

The company added that given the current international socio-political landscape, it remains optimistic that the market is ready for a trade fair like Bauma. “The industry has shown resilience and adaptability in the face of recent challenges, and there is a growing demand for innovation and collaboration.”

The company’s core focus at Bauma will be to strengthen its relationships with its customers and operators. “For us at CTE, despite the rise of digital communication, faceto-face meetings remain crucial to build strong relationships, fostering trust.”

CTE’s main theme will revolve around innovation and customer focus and include new equipment that will be on the market in 2025.

CTE’s MP 20 Ev truck mount was launched at Bauma in 2022.

new e-booms…both all electric and hybrid electric models will be on display.

Bauma brings together people that are passionate about their industry, added Skyjack. “The ability to meet customers and potential customers face to face is an integral part of developing strong business relationships.”

Sinoboom’s stand will showcase its “made in Europe for Europe products” produced at its European manufacturing facility in Poznań, Poland. It will cover 790 square meters and showcase 15 individual MEWPs.

Richard Butler, Sinoboom Europe CEO, said “There is still, though, great uncertainty in the market about the European trade tariffs and how these will impact the market and in fact restrict customer choice. Sinoboom has pre-empted this with its Polish manufacturing plant.

The company’s strategy for Bauma 2025 is clear, says Butler, “New products and new intellectual technology, which are unaffected by the European trade tariffs, as we announced some months back.”

Dawei He, Sinoboom’s Global Sales and Marketing Director, also supports the return of the event to thesSpring. “It can encourage buyers to finalize or expedite purchasing decisions, as it allows ample lead time for integrating new equipment into their fleets before the summer peak.”

Under pressure

This is particularly important, as Butler points out, as the European business climate has over the last few years been static with major markets in recession. “High interest rates and therefore the cost of capital has had a bearing on fleet development and replacement cycles across the continent.

“We are also hearing that hire rates are still under pressure across the sector, which again gives weight as to why replacement cycles and fleet enhancements are subject to greater scrutiny.”

Zoomlion’s 3,840 square metre booth at Bauma will include 68 units across its construction equipment range, and incorporate a large number of new products.

“Bauma is incredibly important to Zoomlion Access as it is the major global showcase for innovations, trends and technologies.”

The company echoed the suitable timing of the show, saying it aligns well with recovery phases in the business cycle, as the global construction industry rebounds.

On that note, Zoomlion will focus on green, simple, safe and reliable MEWPs in a global range.

“It is crucial to have person-in-person meetings since potential clients can trial machines, and existing customers can engage in training with experts.” AI

Zoomlion Access’ boom line at its China-based headquarters.

news from supporting the world of powered access

Cameron Reid appointed new Chair of IPAF’s MCWP & Hoist International Committee

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cameron Reid as the new Chair of the Mast Climbing Work Platforms (MCWP) & Hoist International Committee. In his new role, Reid will lead IPAF’s mission to promote the safe and effective use of Mast Climbing Work Platforms and Construction Hoists worldwide through technical expertise, guidance, and training to meet industry standards and regulations.

Angel Ibanez, IPAF’s MCWP and Hoist Manager, and Convenor of the International Committee, commented:

“With Cameron stepping in as the new Chair, the International Committee is set to enhance its efforts to truly represent the voice of this industry on a global scale. Cameron’s extensive professional experience will undoubtedly enable him to carry on the outstanding work achieved by his predecessor, Kevin O’Shea, while injecting fresh momentum with the full support of the IPAF team.”

Setting priorities for safety and training

As Chair, Reid’s main objectives are to expand training and certification programmes for MCWP and Hoist instructors, broaden the reach of IPAF’s Training Centres globally, and enhance membership. Reid is focused on reinforcing IPAF’s core values of safety and operational excellence by ensuring that all users have access to the latest training and resources.

“The expansion of safe and effective use of Mast Climbing Work Platforms and Construction Hoists is critical as demand grows worldwide,” Reid stated. “Our

committee is focused on increasing the number of certified instructors and training centres globally, strengthening our training programmes, and continuously promoting best practices. By expanding our reach and resources, we aim to ensure the highest safety standards across the industry and reinforce IPAF’s commitment to operational excellence.”

Driving safety and innovation

Reid recognises that the MCWP and hoist sector is set to evolve significantly, with safety and technological innovation at the forefront. His vision for the future includes:  Enhanced Safety Through Digital Tools: Real-time monitoring using IoT technology will provide

Cameron Reid appointed new Chair of IPAF’s MCWP & Hoist International Committee

Safe methods of isolation of platform controls on Mobile Elevating Work Platforms

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has worked with the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to develop the following guidance on the safe methods of isolation of platform controls for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs).

Background

HSE are investigating an incident involving a MEWP which has found that when at height, the method of isolating the controls on the MEWP can introduce a hazard to the occupants of the platform. The investigation is ongoing.

The emergency stop control on the MEWP platform has been used in the powered access industry for a number of years to achieve isolation of controls and/or power source when the MEWP has reached its place of work.

This practice was first introduced on older machines, not designed to current standards, to reduce the risk of entrapment and inadvertent operation of controls. As the standards have evolved and designs have changed, this practice may no longer be appropriate to reduce the risk as other methods are now used in control designs.

Safe Isolation of the platform controls

The operator of a MEWP may be required to isolate the controls and/or power source using platform controls. Where the machine is equipped with an “engine on/off” control at the platform control console, this should be used to switch the engine off during normal operation rather than the emergency stop control, unless the manufacturer indicates that it would be unsafe to do so.

Where machines are not equipped with a dedicated “on/ off” control at the platform control console, the MEWP operator should follow the manufacturers’ operating instructions as to how this should be achieved.

It is the user’s responsibility to ensure the correct MEWP has been selected for the task, and that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment has been carried out and documented.

HSE endorses this jointly developed guidance and has encouraged IPAF to communicate it to MEWP users.

operators with data on key factors such as Safe Working Load (SWL) limits, wind conditions, and equipment status. This technology, along with automatic alerts for untrained operators or overdue maintenance checks, has the potential to reduce accidents and ensure safer operations.

■ Advances in Materials and Modular Designs: Innovations in materials are leading to stronger, lighter, and more adaptable machines. Modular designs will allow for quicker assembly and disassembly, making MCWPs and hoists more adaptable to a variety of project needs while improving both efficiency and safety on site.

■ Commitment to Sustainability: With sustainability becoming a priority in construction, Reid supports a shift towards energy-efficient designs and recyclable materials. He believes this focus on reducing environmental impact will drive the sector forward as the industry adopts greener practices.

Emphasis on training and standardisation

With the advancement of equipment, Reid stresses the importance of comprehensive training for all professionals working with MCWPs and hoists. He plans to prioritise initiatives that keep pace with technological changes and supports consistent global standards to promote safe and efficient operations across all regions. He notes that regulatory variations and inconsistent procedures are challenges, but he is committed to providing guidance

Safe methods of isolation of platform controls on Mobile Elevating Work Platforms

Opening IPAF’s annual Elevation event in the UK, held during November, was Lisa Bailey, IPAF’s Head of Human Resources. Bailey reflected on the success of Women in Powered Access (WIPA) initiative, launched in 2022 by Karin

and resources to help the industry meet high standards consistently.

“Regular inspections, rigorous maintenance, and clear compliance with local and national standards are fundamental for a safer industry,” Reid remarked. “Our committee will actively work to provide guidance and resources that support these standards.”

Building on past success and ensuring continuity

Reid succeeds Kevin O’Shea, who will remain on the committee as vice-chair, offering continuity and support as the committee tackles new projects. Reid has expressed his gratitude for O’Shea’s past contributions, recognising the value of their continued partnership. “Kevin’s involvement will be instrumental in helping us maintain progress and meet new challenges,” Reid said.

About Cameron Reid

Outside his professional role as UK Managing Director at Alimak Group, who are also a sustaining member of IPAF. Reid enjoys staying active with interests in golf, all types of cycling, skiing, and enjoys watching rugby and football.

With Cameron Reid as Chair, the MCWP & Hoist International Committee looks forward to continuing its work in advancing safety and innovation across the powered access industry. Welcome, Cameron!

Nars, IPAF’s first female president.

Speaker at the gathering, Tara Fosbrook shared her experiences as a woman in powered access, providing advice to women already in the industry and those looking to enter it. “While the industry used to be very male-dominated, that’s shifting.

It may not be the most ‘glamorous’ sector, but that’s exactly what makes it exciting – its uniqueness and niche appeal. There’s so much potential here, and there’s always room for fresh, diverse perspectives.”

Karel Huijser of JLG & IPAF President (left) with winner Said Shabana at the IAPAs 2024.

Entries now open for the IAPAs 2025, bookings available for IPAF Summit

The International Awards for Powered Access 2025 (IAPAs) are now open for entries, and bookings are available for the IPAF Summit. Taking place in Dublin on March 13 2025, the IAPAs celebrate excellence in the powered access industry. The past three IAPAs (London 2022, Berlin 2023, Copenhagen 2024) were all sell-out events. To avoid disappointment, early booking is encouraged, and tickets can be purchased here.

Featuring 13 award categories, covering the usual range of new products, innovations, sustainability, safety, and equality and diversity in the workplace. The deadline for submitting entries is Monday, 2 December 2024. Winners will be selected by an independent judging panel of five longstanding industry experts.

Four of the five judges for the IAPAs have now been announced, (see the IAPAs preview in this issue of Access International).

Organised by IPAF and Access International, the IAPA ceremony takes place on the same day as the IPAF Summit, which offers top-level presentations, topical industry discussions, and excellent networking opportunities across both events.

IAPA 2025 Categories:

■ Access Rental Company of the Year

■ The Sustainability Award

■ The EDI Award

■ Contribution to Safe Working at Height

■ Innovative Technology Prize

■ Digital Development Award

Lifetime Achievement:

■ IPAF/Access International Lifetime Achievement Award

Product Awards:

■ Product of the Year – Mast Climbing Work Platforms & Hoists

■ Product of the Year – Scissor Lifts & Vertical Mast Platforms

■ Product of the Year – SelfPropelled Booms & Atrium Lifts

■ Product of the Year – Vehicle and Trailer Mounted

IPAF Member Companies and Individuals Only:

■ IPAF Training Instructor of the Year

■ IPAF Training Centre of the Year

For more information about the awards, Summit, and how to book or enter, visit the event website.

Registration for the IPAF Summit and IAPA tickets will open in October.

www.iapa-summit.info

IPAF CEO & Managing Director

Peter Douglas Honoured at Movicarga Awards in Madrid

At the Movicarga Awards, held on 26 September in Madrid, Peter Douglas, CEO and Managing Director of IPAF, received an award for his contribution to the lifting industry and his role in helping IPAF grow in both size and recognition.

Macarena Garcia, Director of Movicarga magazine, spoke about Peter’s impact, saying: “Since Peter took over IPAF, he has changed the organisation significantly, not only by expanding IPAF’s global presence but also through his involvement in industry events. His experience with rental companies has been important in making IPAF more relevant every day. Peter takes time at every event to

connect with members, listen to their concerns, and is always open to new ideas. He goes the extra mile to support both current members and those

IPAF DIARY

13 - 15 November 2024

PPE & Rescue Solutions Expo 2024 Lugano, Switzerland

19 - 20 November 2024

Working at Height - Conference & Awards Nashville, TN, USA

20 November 2024, 12:00 UK time (GMT)

IPAF Webinar: The Importance of Planning for Safe Operations Platform: Zoom (Online)

26 - 29 November 2024

bauma China

Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), Shanghai, China

Macarena Garcia, MD of Movicargo, at the annual awards held in Madrid, Spain, this year.

considering joining. This award is well deserved, and we are proud to present it to him from Movicarga magazine.”

The Movicarga Awards are an important event for the lifting industry in Spain, bringing together a wide range of platform rental companies. This year, IPAF’s participation in the ELEVA Alliance was highlighted, with Ainara Greño from IPAF presenting the ELEVA Award. The awards celebrate excellence in the industry, and this year’s event saw over 415 attendees.

IPAF is pleased to see Peter Douglas recognised for his leadership and dedication to improving safety, standards, and growth in the global powered access industry.

Congratulations, Peter!

IPAF welcomes the following new members. Full contact details are in the Membership Directory at www.ipaf.org:

DEALER / DISTRIBUTOR

Marsa Montacaras SA DE CV, Mexico

WAC McCandless Ltd, United Kingdom

HIRER / RENTAL

Proing SAS Proyectos e Ingenieria SAS, Colombia

Lehmann Zugangstechnik

Dresden GmbH, Germany

Dunorte Locação de Máquinas e Logística Ltda, Brazil

Comfal Locação de Máquinas Ltda, Brazil

INDEPENDENT INSTRUCTOR

Brian Lynch, Ireland

Rudolf Johan Lommerse, Netherlands

Diego Gomes Martins, Brazil

Igor Sarcinelli, Brazil

INDIVIDUAL ASSOCIATE

Ebbe Christensen, United States

SAFETY PROFESSIONAL

Declan O’Rourke, Ireland

Jim Waldron, United Kingdom

Frank Higgins, United Kingdom

SERVICE / COMPONENT SUPPLIER

Firedirect Training Center, Saudi Arabia

Dungarvan Mechanical Services Ltd, Ireland

SMALL USER

Aurora Environmental Solutions Ltd, United Kingdom

TRAINING

Epcido Sp. z o.o., Poland

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation, United Kingdom

Lift Up Training Centre, Bahrain

The Malaysian access market is in a transitional stage that will set the tone for much of the rest of Southeast Asia, says Alex Tan, business development manager at Aerial Global.

Malaysia gateway

As a member of IPAF’s new Asia Council and chair of its working group, Tan is well versed in the latest trends in the access sector, which includes an influx of China-based rental companies and producers into Malaysia that is set to change the course of the MEWP industry across the region.

As a distributor Aerial Global represents

Shawn Ong, COO of Singapore’s largest rental company

Galmon, explains the tactics required in a saturated market with a tough economy.

boom lift and scissor manufacturers Hered and Rees and spider specialist Teupen.

Project decline

The arrival of new competitors is combined with a halt on major projects in Malaysia, which is putting pressure on domestic companies and rental rates, says Tan.

“There has been a downturn this year for

the sector due to there being some big gaps in projects.

A lot of them stopped last year or by the end of the first quarter this year. Unfortunately, phase two of these projects has been delayed, in many cases for more than six months.”

These include a range of manufacturing plants and warehouses, along with new-

A Singaporean access story

Galmon is the largest rental company in Singapore, now celebrating its 42nd year of operation in one of the world’s most established and mature MEWP markets, yet the company is grabbling with two major issues - a downturn in the market and low availability of labour.

As Shawn Ong, Galmon’s Chief Operating Officer says, the market is “saturated” and subject to a “price war”.

The company specializes in aerial platforms, with a fleet of around 2,500 units. The company has a long partnership with JLG, which has traditionally supplied a majority of its equipment.

As a distributor, Galmon also sells telehandlers, although their use in Singapore is minimal, with only 10 to 20 units registered for use in the country. Most of its sales for telehandlers are found outside

Singapore in Indonesia, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, where it offers Magni and some Chinse brands.

Having said that the market for telehandlers anywhere in Asia is very small, as it remains a predominantly US and European product.

Equipment mix

When it comes to MEWPs, Galmon distributes equipment outside Singapore. Ong says, “with China manufacturers on the rise, we do now bring in brands such as Dingli and Zoomlion.

“Our main bulk is still JLG, but when it comes to new equipment we would generally purchase Chinese brands due to lower cost, as in Asia generally, and Southeast Asia price is very sensitive - the price war is tremendous in the region.

Shawn Ong, COO of Galmon.

build data centers and electronics plants by Korean and Chinese investors.

“It creates a longer gap for us as the earthmoving equipment will be brought in first, then we have to wait another four or five months for the initial structure to be done, then the MEWPs will go in.

“That creates a big gap from January this year to September, particularly in the

central

regions of the country.”

As Tan says, it is the central region of the country which includes Kuala Lumpur, that is seeing the most significant slowdown, with northern and southern areas faring better.

As Tan describes there is an abundance of land in the southern region, combined with the fact that the country’s current king, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim King of Malaysia, is based there in the most southerly state of Johor, which boarders with Singapore.

The king was elected on 26 October 2023 and under the Malaysian constitution has a five-year rule. “Therefore we expect there will be more projects kick started in Johor,” explains Tan.

“If you talk about data centers Johor Bahru will be one of the key areas for those projects, followed by central areas like Kuala Lumpur. But it’s still in the early stages in the central region.”

Microsoft and Amazon are just two of the tech

“We have to use the Chinese brands to be price competitive in the market.

The company has established sales in Malaysia and Thailand, with the latter country, “being quite consistent – there has not been a spike or a drop in the last two years”.

Malaysia, on the other hand, has experienced a downturn in projects for MEWPs, says Ong. (see the article with Aerial Global’s Alex Tan, who is based in the country). “After the first quarter this year there was a drop in demand due to the end of major projects.” This includes the Exchange TRX shopping centre and the Merdeka 118 skyscraper refurbishment project in centrally-located Kuala Lumpur, along with Intel projects in Penang to the north of the country.

giants that are looking to Malaysia as a hub for their data requirements.

The Northern region and particularly the most northerly state of Penang, is known for semiconductor production and its skilled labour force. “It is famous as a tech park and a lot of chip manufacturers are building up there and other high-end industries. Most of investors in those business areas are up there.”

Multiple factors

While economic cycles are part and parcel of any business environment, for Malaysian rental companies it is not just a case of sitting out the tough times ahead of the inevitable uptick. There is a new challenge that will affect their prospects long term. That is the new and increasing interest from Chinese rental and manufacturing companies in the country. “We see there is an opportunity in the new tech projects, but we have also seen a great challenge arise. We have seen overseas rental companies setting up in Malaysia, along with trading companies and a >

in Singapore, according to Ong, which has been constant over the last 10 years. “We will not see any more growth in Singapore,” says Ong. “It is saturated.”

The ministry of manpower sates that all access platforms must be registered for use.

Market investment

There are around 70 rental companies in the country, including the largest such as Aver Asi and Modern, but unlike in other growing Southeast Asian nations, Singapore is unlikely to see foreign rental firms establishing themselves there.

“Chinese companies wanted to come here a couple of years ago but they decided not to and move into Malaysia instead, as growth prospects are much higher.

Vietnam and Indonesia, another important two access markets in Southeast Asia have also been quiet since the pandemic, says Ong, “But for us it is difficult to sell in Indonesia because of the cultural differences.”

Apart from that, Galmon also sells a handful of units to Cambodia and Laus.

There are 11,000 – 12,000 lifts registered

“Malaysia has put a fair amount of resources into developing the country, including into a data centre hub and updating their infrastructure, like their MRT train project. So, prospects there are much higher, and they are trying to woo foreign investors and investing in infrastructure to accommodate them.

“That growth has been happening for the two years before Covid – until now.”

Alex Tan, business development manager at Aerial Global.

LGMG boom in Malaysia rental yard.

One of Galmon’s large JLG fleet.

PERFORMANCE: WORKING HEIGHT 22 m OUTREACH 10,5 m CAPACITY MAX 250 kg

Tel. +39 0464 48.50.50 www.ctelift.com info@ctelift.com

Headquarter: CTE SpA - Via Caproni, 7 - 38068 Rovereto (TN) - Italy Factories: Loc. Terramatta, 5 - 37010 Rivoli V.se (VR) - Italy via E. Fermi, 2 - 37010 Affi (VR) - Italy

Thailand, says Ong has changed government - the military took over and after that there hasn’t been much growth. Its stable but for political reasons there is not a huge rise in construction projects.

Indonesia is undergoing similar experience with government instability, “making investors very cautious – no one wants to make a big move there at the moment.”

“Malaysia is seeing more potential.”

Likewise, at home Galmon is not seeking huge growth. “After Covid we had two issues,” says Ong.

“There’s not many big projects so it’s pretty quiet, then there’s the labour issue.

“The government is restricting foreign labour, hence it is difficult for Singapore companies to find it.

“Our industry requires manual labour to service equipment and Singaporeans do not want to work in these jobs so we rely on foreign labour.”

Ong adds that since Covid, and following the government restrictions which were brought in about a year before Covid, the labour force has shrunk by 15%.

Many returned to their home countries

couple of manufacturers setting up facilities here.”

According to Tan, Horizon Construction Development, China’s largest rental company is one of those to have set up there, along with manufacturers Noble Lift and Hered, which all now have facilities in the country, while there are also imports from other major access OEMs based in China. “It affects us a lot,” says Tan, “Manufacturers are establishing their sales outlets and warehouses in Malaysia and some are also approaching the end user directly.”

This has in turn affected rental rates, which Tan says have seen a 40%-50% drop in as little as six months.

“This is purely from new rental companies and manufacturers coming into the country. The fleet they are bringing in is huge compared to the buying power in the country.”

Imports on the rise

Malaysia has an annual intake of around 1,200 – 1,600 MEWPs each year. On top of that, “The new rental companies coming into Malaysia have brought in 1,000 units in the past 12 months to set up rental fleets in the country.”

“This really is a sudden surge of units coming to the country,” says Tan.

during the pandemic, and now getting new permits for them to return is more difficult than before.

There are 150 employees at Galmon but that’s 15% less than two years ago.

In response companies like Galmon are shifting further into telematics and IoT to replace the workforce, but that, says Ong, can only solve around 20% of the problem.

“At the end of the day we still require labour and our customers have to bear the brunt of waiting longer for their equipment to be serviced – they are looking at longer turnaround times.”

Economy focus

The economy in Singapore is down too in 2024, versus 2023. “Everyone is now looking at three big projects.”

Those being the expansion of the Resort World Casino, the Marina Bay casino and the new terminal five Changi Airport. All three are waiting for the go ahead, and while its just a matter of time before they start, MEWPs will not enter until the second half of the project, which leaves Galmon with an even longer waiting period.

It means, Ong believes, that the access

Many of the MEWPs coming into the country are used units from rental fleets in China, says Tan “which will increase the challenge for local players too.

“At the same time, with there not being many projects running in the center regions. There are there those projects in the south, but compared to the last two years, even those have been reducing.”

In total, Tan believes there are between 10,000 – 12,000 MEWPs operating in Malaysia.

Tan adds, “Due to the market the buying power has dropped a great deal and the number of new machines imported has dropping off.”

However, the number of new machines entering the market has not dropped off entirely. This, says Tan, is due to new local rental companies have bought brand new machines from Chinese OEMs – a trend that has been increasing over the last two years. In addition, a new regulation was introduced on 1 June this year, which encourages the industry to import new MEWPs into the country, rather than used.

The Occupational Safety and Health (Plant Requiring Certificate of Fitness) Regulation 2024 gives advantages to those who import new MEWPs by simplifying the process through more straightforward

sector in the country will not see a spike in growth until the second half of 2025.

Reflecting this Galmon’s utilization rate currently stands at 60%, compared to the norm of around 80%. “Again, this is due to the market being flat and the labour issue.”

Rental rates are pretty low too, “because

Genie in construction work in Malaysia.

A Dingli boom provided by Galmon.

design approvals and certifications. The act only covers machines that are US-based ANSI or European EN certified. Other global certifications like the JIS, Korean KS or Chinese GB standards are not recognized and come under the same category as used equipment.

While the act doesn’t stop being used and non-ANSI and -EN machines entering the market entirely it makes the process more onerous. “You can still bring it,” explains Tan, “But the criteria and documentation that you need to submit will be more complicated.”

Looking at the advantages of the act, Tan adds, “By doing this it means we will have one of the most advanced rental fleets in the world.”

Combined issues

Today, around 60% of the MEWP population is Malaysia is acquired as used. Breaking that down into equipment type, the percentage of new scissor lifts entering the country is much higher than for boom lifts, a majority of which enter Malaysia as used equipment.

everyone is trying to push their equipment out into a low market.”

For example, a 6m scissor is finding rental rates of S$300 a month. That’s half the amount the same piece of equipment was getting last year. “There is a price war out there,” Ong reiterates.

In comparison, Malaysia is commanding a higher rate but the country is suffering from payment issues, which means the company is waiting around 180 days for payment

Then there is the country of origin. “If we are talking about purchases from Europe or the US then rental companies are facing higher costs and longer lead times for new products. Nowadays China manufacturers are offering very interesting sales packages, especially in terms of pricing and payment terms.

“It’s a difficult situation and with the low rental rates combined with the fact that we are encouraged by the government to buy new equipment.”

Unique market

This unique set of dynamics in the market may mask that fact that Malaysia has been one of the region’s fastest growing access markets alongside Thailand Vietnam and the Philippines.

“In last five years there have been more and more rental companies with less than 20 units that have started up.” Which has led to there being more than 100 rental companies in the country.

Another facet to the country’s new dynamic is that the largest rental company

compared to 60 days in Singapore. “So, there are pros and cons in both countries,” says Ong.

What percentage of Galmon’s fleet is bought new? Ong answers, “If you look at a single year’s purchase of equimwent, it is about 30% new and 70% used. That percentage is not really changing.

“Generally, our purchase of western equipment has gone down in the last three to four years. In the past it was JLG but in recent years it has gone down and percentage wise is now 60-70%.”

When it comes to used equipment the company still invests in western brands, such as JLG or Genie.

Booms on the rise

One area of the market in Singapore that is seeing growth is for large scissors and boom lifts.

“With the market being mature we see the requirements for smaller equipment is much lower but the demand for larger equipment is actually on the rise – and the preference is for electric, for more flexible use.”

As such the company is investing in this area. So far Galmon’s largest boom is 28m

is now country is Horizon Construction Development, which holds an estimated 1,500 – 1,800 MEWPs in its fleet, according to Tan.

Just a year ago the largest renter in the country was domestic company TH Tong Heng Machinery which currently has 1,200 units in its fleet, followed by Schmetterling >

and they have an 18m scissor. “We will invest in bigger equipment in the future - we are constantly on the look out for larger electric booms and scissors for the market.”

Currently the total percentage of scissors to booms in Singapore is 60/40 in favour of scissors, says Ong.

But beyond scissors and booms, the population of specialist equipment is small. For example, the company only has five spider lifts out for rental in the country, and that is not likely to change. “Demand is generally low and customers require an operator. As labour is short we are not able to provide operators.”

The labour issue doesn’t end there for spiders. “Spiders are often used in shopping malls and airports in the middle of the night. We try not to provide a 24-hour service, because if your labour works during the night, the next day we will have a shortage of manpower.”

When the company does sell spiders into the domestic market, it tends to be four or five a year from its partners Platform Basket and Falcon. “The spider market is constant –the annual sales has been the same for about 20 years.” AI

Galmon MEWP in action.

Aerial Global is a distributor for Teupen lifts.

10th Edition

25-27 September 2025 - Piacenza (Italy)

25-27 September 2025 Piacenza (Italy)

25-27 September 2025 - Piacenza (Italy)

as the second biggest player, which expanded its coverage to Singapore recently.

As Tan explains Malaysia is an attractive market for Chinese companies. “Before the pandemic there were a lot of Chinese tourists in Malaysia.

“Malaysians speak multiple languages, therefore Chinese people coming into Malaysia have no language and communication issues, and we have multiple races and food here. The culture is suitable to them too.”

Secondly, the cost of setting up a business in Malaysia is much lower than it is in the mature access market of Singapore. “To set up a base and a warehouse in Singapore is very costly.”

The area of choice for these new bases tends to be in the central regions of Shah Alam and Rawang and notably the capital Kuala Lumpur. “They will also of course set up branches in areas of development like Penang and Johor.

“And these will include service centers and after sales based in Malaysia for fast delivery to the rest of Southeast Asia.”

Another development in Malaysia is the rise of the generalist rental company, as the

TRUCK MOUNTS IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia’s access equipment market was once dominated by truck mounts, with self propelled equipment being the less prominent product type in the country.

“There is still work that requires truck mounts, where we have muddy off road conditions on construction sites. It means truck mounts with outriggers are still the most suitable machines in the early stage of construction work.

Tan adds, “Also, you don’t have the transportation charges with truck mounts. An end user may prefer a truck mount, especially projects that require short term rental, of a few days or up to two weeks - do not have pay for the delivery charges as they are self-drive. With scissors you have the equipment rental rates and the delivery charge.”

As the country has become more educated to the benefits of MEWPs, their numbers have risen, bringing the proportion of the truck mounts in the market down.

Nevertheless, there are still 4000-5000 truck mounts operating in the market.

Tan concludes, “I think over the next five years that number will reduce further, because we can see from the last few years more and more truck mount owners are moving towards scissors and booms, as the fact that you don’t require drivers and operators to handle the machines is becoming a beneficial.”

rental market becomes more mature. “As I mentioned, nowadays the rental rate for MEWPs is dropping, and it is therefore time for the rental companies to diversify their ranges, and we have already seen this starting over the last two years.

“They are looking at skid loaders, forklifts, gensets, lighting towers,

compressors and mobile cranes.”

Tan adds, “I would say over the next five years, things will change. Operations and sales is no longer just about the MEWP – there will be a new strategy mostly towards diversification and more towards digitalization and sales technologies.”

“It’s a new era for Southeast Asia.” AI

Van mounts and pickups continue to provide a unique service and their features are finding applications in the latest technology sectors.

Critical applications

CPL, Klubb’s UK subsidiary, says pickup mounted and van mounted platforms have prompted increased demand in new markets with the company seeing a much wider customer base looking to promote working at height in an efficient and safe way.

The most noteworthy being tree care, CCTV Installation, inner city parkland, traffic lights and ANPR camera maintenance, as well as exterior cleaning businesses.

As the company adds, a stalwart of the sector is overhead fibre distribution, which has seen one of the largest increases in demand of van mounts since companies adopted them back in the 1950s and 1960s, and the advent of motorways leading to streetlighting and signage usage.

“From data analysis, this rise appears to come from businesses looking for a reliable tool with the right operational and in life

APPLICATIONS IN FOCUS

back up to drive that efficiency on tight contract margins whilst also offering a maximum return on investment,” said CPL..

Price points

CPL along with Klubb Group designed the KL21B mounted on a 3 tonne Renault Trafic to address a clear need in the industry to meet these criteria, the company said, while also fitting comfortably within an acceptable rental price point.

“This pricing consideration was one of the key drivers behind the platform’s development, ensuring that rental companies can offer it to their clients without compromising on quality or functionality,” said the company.

This model is the latest in the L range. L, for lighter boom, was developed using high elastic limit steel to improve available payload while counteracting ever-increasing vehicle weights.

Klubb provides a run down on the latest applications for van mounts and pickups.

Urban infrastructure maintenance: As cities grow, demand increases for compact, mobile platforms to access urban infrastructure. Van and pick-up mounts are excellent for tasks like streetlight repairs, traffic signal maintenance, and CCTV installations.

Telecommunications and 5G Expansion: With the roll-out of 5G and the growth of fiber optic networks, telecom companies need to install and maintain more equipment at height. Van and pick-up mounts are ideal for technicians to reach poles and rooftops quickly without larger, bulkier equipment.

Utilities (electricity and water services): Utility companies are increasingly using vehicle-mounted lifts for routine inspection and maintenance of power lines, substations, and water infrastructure in urban and rural areas. Their mobility allows technicians to respond quickly to outages.

Tree care and landscaping: Landscaping companies are turning to van and pick-up lifts for managing tree care in parks, along streets, and on private property. These mounts allow for more controlled, precise work in areas where ground access might be limited.

Construction and building maintenance: These platforms offer a mobile solution for tasks like façade cleaning, window repairs, painting, and exterior inspections. Vehicle-mounted lifts can easily be driven to construction sites and used on projects requiring short-term or varied-height access.

Signage and advertising: Installing and maintaining billboards, storefront signs, and digital displays has become easier with vehicle-mounted lifts. Companies can transport and position these lifts wherever needed, reducing setup time and minimizing traffic disruption in busy areas.

Emergency and rescue operations: Some emergency services and fire departments use these mounts for search and rescue, especially for evacuating people from lower buildings or accessing accident sites. They offer quick deployment and can navigate through challenging access routes.

Agricultural and solar panel installations: With the growth of renewable energy, van and pick-up mounts are increasingly used for installing and maintaining solar panels, particularly on large farms or rural properties. Their mobility is an asset without the need for heavy, ground-mounted equipment.

With an 11.4m working height and 6.8m outreach, the model is designed with a oneperson basket and no outriggers, which lends itself to those working quickly to change things like multiple street lighting chips.

Next year will see some “exciting developments” from the Klubb Group to be showcased at events like Bauma.

“Everything we develop comes from

The KL21B mounted on a 3 tonne Renault Trafic.

Europe was Martin Lybæk Christiansen, formerly the Managing Director of Versalift Denmark.

On that note, CEO of Time Manufacturing Roman Rariy, speaking to Access International, makes clear there are no plans to step out from the specialist, highly customised equipment that it offers.

Nor is there an immediate plan to merge the other well-known brand names that make up the European side of the group like Ruthmann, France Elévateur and Movex.

“We have three business units and they need to function as one but we don’t need to merge them,” Rariy states.

The group was founded in North America and started from “very humble beginnings” in Waco, Texas, where it is still headquartered. There, the brands are the longstanding and core Versalift name, Aspen Aerial and BrandFX.

feedback. These machines are tools, and if they are not making a business efficient as well as safe, they are a very expensive purchase,” added CPL.

Mergers and machines

Earlier this year, Europe’s largest vehicle mount producer Versalift merged its subsidiaries Versalift United Kingdom, Versalift Ireland and Versalift Denmark to become a single entity - Versalift Europe.

The move in July follows its US-based parent company Time Manufacturing’s plan to centralise procurement and globalise products, which it sees as key ways forward in creating efficient and cost effective products.

The merger is also designed to unify operations, streamline processes, and strengthen Versalift’s position in the European market.

Stepping into the role of Managing Director of the newly formed Versalift

Again there are definitely no plans to merge any of them.

“Transformation is a little bit different in North America from Europe,” says Rariy, “Maintaining individuality and the uniqueness of each business unit in USA is much easier - it’s the same country, the same language.”

For example, “We are already taking steps to centralise purchasing procurement to create efficiencies across the network. Not only within Europe but on a global level. This is likely to extend to the engineering groups too.”

Look to the US

While specialist access equipment like spider lifts and compact truck and van mounts have become an everyday fixture in Europe, the US market has been less inclined to embrace less mainstream powered access solutions. That is until now.

Versalift’s latest products include the VTE and VDTE, which have been specifically designed to be extremely light for installation on 100% electric vans.

“Electric vans are known to have limited spare payload, which presents a significant challenge in providing customers with a lift offering optimal working height as well as ample payload capacity for materials,” said the company.

“With the extreme weight optimization

The KL21B with rear platform - another key element of the model’s design.

The new Versalift/Time team: From left: Martin Christiansen, managing director Versalift Europe; Roman Rariy, CEO.

Promote and enable the safe, effective use of powered access worldwide

Certified IPAF PAL Card is proof of platform operator training to the highest standard.

Available as eLearning or instructor-led course

Regularly audited to ensure the highest standard of training is delivered

Online verification of PAL Cards: www.ipaf.org/checkpal

Smart technology & fraud protected

Courses available in multiple languages

Optimal instructor-tocandidate ratio

PAL Card now available on IPAF’s ePAL app

www.ipaf.org/ePAL

Annually reviewed by the industry to ensure relevant and up to date content

Comprehensive range of training courses

Used by manufacturers of equipment worldwide

Operator theory module can be taken remotely via eLearning

Safe. Audited. Internationally recognised.

The IPAF Powered Access Licence or PAL Card is recognised worldwide across industries as proof of platform operator training to the highest standard. It is issued by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) to platform operators who successfully complete a training course and pass a test at an IPAF-approved training centre. Ask for the PAL Card as proof of operator training! Now available digitally on the ePAL app.

Find your nearest IPAF approved training centre at www.ipaf.org

Complies with legal requirements

Focus on safety & efficiency

40 years of industry experience

Reassurance: A valid PAL Card proves the holder has passed an approved and audited IPAF theory and practical test within the past five years

ELECTRIC LAUNCH

Aldercote launched its new electric platform lift earlier this year, where the boom is raised by a pair of lead acid batteries, which are charged while the vehicle, which can be Unimog, van or pick-up, is driving. In this case it was on a pick-up with 3.5 tonne GVW.

The payload of the new model is 400kg and it can achieve up to 23 lift cycles on a single charge. The battery operation means the unit saves up to UK£1,500-£2,000 in fuel per year and saves up to 1.5 tonnes in CO2. The company said it was the only pick up on the market with the combination of an electric lift and 400kg capacity.

The model also has electric stabilizer deployment and emergency lowering back up attached to the chassis battery in case the lift motor fails.

integrated into the lift design, it enables us to offer our customers the choice of 100% electric van mounted lifts without compromising on functionality.”

The VTE and VDTE have simple controls featuring LCD screens on both the upper and de-mountable lower control. Additionally, these units are designed without outriggers, which enables quick setup, yet the lifts remain stable on a

3°/5° slope. Weighing under 3.5 tonne, these models are compact and highly manoeuvrable, offering around 12m of working height.

On the all-electric electric Ford chassis, VTL E-Transit consists of a lithium-ion e-Tech powered platform, offering up to 120 miles on a full charge. The platform has a 140º working vertical arc, allowing easy access.

Nationwide Platforms’ Ford E-Transit fully electric van mount platforms from Versalift.

The units have a single point of charge, allowing both the platform and vehicle to be charged simultaneously, unlike similar machines which require both elements to be plugged in separately. AI

EQUIPMENT ANALYSIS

The construction equipment industry in North America

EQUIPMENT RENTAL

WHAT DOES IT OFFER?

■ Understand revenue, staff and footprint trends among leading rental companies

■ Understand fleet growth and development trends

■ Benchmark against the leading companies in the industry

■ Identify opportunities for profitable growth in the rental industry

The new Aldercote at Vertikal Days.

Industry in change

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) hosted its annual Elevation UK event earlier in November, with a range of topical subjects.

Opening the event, Lisa Bailey, IPAF’s Head of HR, reflected on the success of the Women in Powered Access (WIPA) initiative, launched in 2022 by Karin Nars, IPAF’s first female president. Speaker Tara Fosbrook shared her experiences as a woman in powered access, (see IPAF’s Raising the Standard, in this issue). Richard Whiting, IPAF’s UK Market General Manager, officially opened the Elevation Conference by welcoming IPAF CEO & Managing Director Peter Douglas on stage.

Douglas presented an update on IPAF’s recent achievements, noting a 7% increase in both membership and PAL Card issuance compared to 2023.

Douglas introduced the upcoming new IPAF Operator Course, set to launch in January 2025 that will include new modules, such as “Introduction to MEWPs” and “Safe Operations”, tailored to meet evolving safety standards.

Steve O’Brien, MEWP Compliance Team Supervisor at Select Plant Hire, captivated the audience with insights into the importance of MEWP compliance,

highlighting both the legal and safety implications. He echoed Douglas’ emphasis on accident reporting, encouraging members to log all types of incidents, including near misses, into IPAF’s Accident Reporting Portal to help identify trends and improve safety.

O’Brien also discussed how technology, especially telematics, is transforming safety in powered access. Emphasising the importance of verifying operator training, he warned against the rise in counterfeit PAL Cards and fake training certificates, which can compromise safety on worksites.

Advancing training

Jim Colvin, Executive Chairman and Chief Legal Officer of Serious Industrial Motion Simulators (SIMS), presented on the transformative role of competency-based training, particularly through virtual reality (VR) for MEWPs and heavy machinery. Colvin highlighted how VR can help address the top four causes of fatal MEWP incidents—falls, electrocution, entrapment, and overturning.

The SIMS VR Course, aligned with IPAF’s PAL+ training standards, offers objective, data-driven assessments of operator competency. Colvin said,. “With VR, we’re seeing a 97% predictability rate in operator behaviour, meaning safer outcomes for everyone.”

Ben Hirst, Non-Executive Director at Horizon Platforms, and Darren Sutton, a performance psychologist from Behavioural Safety Services, delivered a thoughtprovoking session titled “Stories We Tell, Risks We Face: How Self-Talk Shapes

Safety.” Using a video of a past safety incident, Hirst highlighted the importance of transparency and storytelling, urging attendees to share their experiences with IPAF to foster a safer industry.

Sutton explored the impact of self-talk on safety, explaining that adopting a growth mindset can help operators overcome challenges and improve their performance.

Closing panel on diversity, technology, and future talent

The day concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Euan Youdale, Editor of Access International, featuring insights from David Emery of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, Charlie Stanley of Nationwide Platforms, and Ian James from BrontoSkylift. The panel addressed critical topics such as the need to attract a younger, more diverse workforce, as well as strategies to enhance the industry’s appeal through social media.

Panellists also emphasised the important role of SMEs in promoting diversity. AI

Darren Sutton, a performance psychologist from Behavioural Safety Services, on “Stories We Tell, Risks We Face: How Self-Talk Shapes Safety.”

The Elevation panel session.

Richard Whiting, IPAF UK managing director, chaired the event.

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THE NEW

INTRODUCING THE NEW JLG® ES4046 ELECTRIC DRIVE SCISSOR LIFT

The new JLG® ES4046 Electric Drive Scissor Lift is specifically designed to meet the demands of the worksite of today – and the future. The ES4046 electric scissor lift delivers indoor and outdoor capabilities to maximize your productivity. It’s lighter and more maneuverable with Zero turning circle.

• The first JLG® ES Series Scissor Lift to use AC drive motors

• Designed for greater uptime

• Comes standard with the new ClearSky Smart Fleet™

• Variable Tilt Technology

• Key Options and Accessories - add these and more to your machine to increase utilization on and around the job site

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