30 YEARS OF
ACCESS INTERNATIONAL
26
access
INTERNATIONAL
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013
1996
■
First APEX exhibition held in Maastricht, The
Netherlands, with John L Grove as keynote
speaker at the conference.
AI
July-August 1996:
Powered access is
becoming an increasingly familiar site in
Hong Kong. Here a JLG 120HX repairs Hong
Kong university of Science and Technology.
1997
■
First Genie scissor lift.
■
United Rentals founded
by Brad Jacobs.
AI
March-April 1997:
The new MZ46C
telescopic boom from
Grove Manlift replaces
the MZ48B, it has an
end-mounted basket.
1999
■
Textron buys Snorkel.
2000
■
Harsco Corp buys SGB
AI
April 2000
One of
Higher Platforms’ two
22.5 m Liftlux Access
scissors.
2001
■
Riwal takes first step
outside Holland, setting up
subsidiary in Denmark.
■
Ruthmann launches
100.4 m platform, first
machine over 100 m.
■
Linamar takes over Skyjack.
■
Hek and Alimak merged
to create Intervect.
(name
subsequently changed back
to Alimak Hek)
AI
September 2001:
Gunter
Rux modular scaffolding
perched high on one of 157
m twin towers on Cologne
Cathedral, Germany.
2002
■
Textron sells Snorkel.
■
Terex Corp buys Genie
Industries.
■
Coates Hire acquires
Wreckair.
Leading figures from the powered access industry talk
about the international marketplace and where they
see it heading in the next 30 years.
Matt Fearon
President, Terex
AWP
I’m feeling very good
about the AWP market
over the next few years for
several reasons. Economic
conditions are improving
in most regions of the world. Most
rental companies have improved
financially, machine utilisation has
been consistent and they are starting
to grow their fleets again. We are
seeing signs of life in the housing
and commercial construction markets
which will add more demand for our
types of machines. Interest rates are
still low and fleet ages are still higher
than most rental companies prefer.
The combination of these healthy
fundamentals puts us in a very good position
for growth over the next three to four years.
As for the future of our industry, I think
there is a growing awareness about the
importance of aerial safety and acceptance of
aerial work platforms. Entrepreneurs around
the world continue to help develop new
markets where construction methods have not
yet fully embraced the safety and efficiency
gains afforded by our types of products. As
labour rates climb and more standards are
deployed to protect workers at height I
believe we will continue to see more
widespread use of aerial work platforms.
I think we are all fortunate to be part of a
relatively young industry and to have the
opportunity to contribute to the overall aerial
work platform industry safety.
Michael
Kneeland
Chief executive
officer, United
Rentals, Inc.
Aerial continues
to be an important
part of our core
fleet range as we plan our capital
investments for 2014. In 2013, our
branches saw strong utilisation of
large booms and reach forklifts, and
we expect that these will continue to
be high-return categories for the foreseeable
future.
Another category that has carved out a
strong position in rental is the telehandler.The
telehandler has really come into its own as a
business solution. A number of industries have
adopted these machines for productivity and
safety considerations. We’re serving requests
for telehandlers on projects in oil and gas,
energy and nonresidential construction, as
well as the government sector.
One regulatory matter that will affect
our industry over the next four years is the
Tier 4 Final.The impact of this should
gradually increase as rental companies cycle
through their fleet management processes
of replacement capex, growth capex, used
equipment sales, technician training and
market promotion. At United Rentals,
we’re taking steps to educate our customers
about the offsetting benefits of lower fuel
consumption and significant reductions
in particulate matter and nitrogen oxide
emissions.
Alexandre Saubot
President, Haulotte
The greatest opportunities
are coming from emerging
markets. It changes the
business because you
need new dealers or more
internal organisation in
more countries just to be able to offer them
what they are looking for.
Shipping a machine from France to the
UK is pretty simple; shipping a machine from
Argentina to Brazil is a nightmare, same for
spare parts. But requirements are not that
different wherever you are; rental companies
want availability, fast delivery of spare parts
and good prices.
The question about emerging markets is,
“When will that be and how fast will they
grow?” I think the crises in Europe has
speeded up the process in emerging markets.
Long-term, mature markets will be more
cyclical, while in emerging markets there will
be more of a growing trend. On the other
hand, we know it will not be a quiet run;
there will be ups and downs and we will have
to manage high volatility in these markets.
Our strategy is to be everywhere and take
advantage of where the growth is. Safety
will also be a big thing. You will see new
applications and new risks that will have to
A spotlight on
