CHINA FOCUS
31
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014
access
INTERNATIONAL
in safety rules -which is what happened in
Brazil andSingapore.There’s going to be
something that pushes it over the top.”
He continues, “This ismy take on the
marketplace.You have construction at the
centre and you have three key elements –
safety, availability of product and efficiency
& productivity.Right now inChina, safety is
coming.We have a reduction in scaffolding.
I don’t see it as being forced – it seems to be
organic asmore aerial work platforms become
available.Social pressure is there and the
standard of living is increasing.You see in
every emergingmarket that as the standard
of living improves, people aremore concerned
about safety.
“None of this will happen unless there
are affordable products in themarketplace.
Contractors need to be able to look at projects
and say ‘I’m going to bid this based on 19 ft
scissors or 32 ft scissors.’We have professional
rental in place now.They knowwhat they’re
doing and they have big enoughfleets to
support amajor project.They can come in
with 300machines.
Sophistication
“The used equipment market is going to
develop, and that supports the availability
of affordable products. Finance is out there.
Rates are affordable – that’s important – in
Germanymany years ago there were plenty
of platforms available but the rates were too
high.Now inChina the rates are down to
a point where the fleet owners don’t like it.
“Changing ownership patterns are important.
China used to be an ownership culture, but
now they understand that you can rent it.”
Pushed to put a timescale on all this,he
says, “The inflection point… I could guess…
I’d say three to five years.”
The company has learned a few lessons
along theway.Some of the early products
to come out ofChangzhouwere under the
Skysafemarque, including a low technology
machines such as a push-around scissor lift
and non-rotating boom lift.They are not
machines itmakes at the factory today.
“The Skysafe products were an opportunity
for us to go out and focus on the very low end
of themarket against ladders, scaffolding and
even ropes.Sowewanted to see if we built a
very simple, de-featured product,was there a
real clamour for that?
“We found theChinesemarket ismuch
more sophisticated than that. If theywere
going to spendmoney on an aerial platform,
theywanted something that hasmore to it in
terms of value and features.
“What we got out of Skysafe is that we
designed, built and did it all inChangzhou, so
it was a great dry-run for us, and it also told us
where the bottom of themarket is. It showed
us that the sweet spot is something like a 1532
(15 ft/4.6m platformheight) scissor built
inChangzhou that is being costed down. It
is not all theway downwith products that
everyone has like a ladder,”saysMr Barr.
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He adds, “Changzhou is always looking at
what is in our standard product line across
theworld that couldfit inhere.For example,
another trend inChinese rental is it ismoving
more andmore to stick booms.”
But a growingmarket alsomeans growing
competition.The othermajor international
players in powered access have factories
inChina, there are specialist domestic
manufacturers, and the expectation is that as
volumes becomemore significant therewill be
more entrants, including some of themassive
Chinesemanufacturers.
It is a realityMr Barr acknowledges.
“I think it is a threat, andwe’re going to
compete.We’re not going to go away.The
question is whether they’re going to establish
a value propositionwith the products that are
demanded by the big clients.From our point
of view,we have a plant inChina that builds
world-class products.”
AI
