21
COMPACTION
IRN JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015
increasingly important for themanufacturer in this
region.
“The requirements for the ideal rental product
differ quite a bit from country to country. Demand
from the independent rental companies isby far the
strongest in France and the UK, where demand is
generally geared towards utility compactors, while
in Germany – where we have our dealer Zeppelin
Rental – demand ismore for soil compactors.”
He said ease of operation and ease of transport
were key rental concerns in every market, while
maintenance costswere also very important.
“Industry forecast wise – we think that total
compaction industry in Europe is about 8000 units,
with rental representing upwards of 70%. We are
very busywith telematics at themoment – we have
our Cat compaction control systems as well as our
Product Link technology.
“In some areas, rental companies absolutely want
to have it on – they know where their machine is
wing engine cover and a pull-out sprinkler nozzle
for cleaning.
Mr van den Maagdenberg said the company
expected to see industry levels of investment in
compaction equipment increasing in Europe, with
the highest potential in Scandinavia and theUK.
“We are looking at about half direct sales and half
sales to rental companies. Butweare seeinga trend
towards rental – if you look at the transparency of
rent vs buy, there is a lot of great data out there.
Anyone can collect the information and make a
calculation as towhether it’s better to rent or own.”
A rental business
Meanwhile, HugovanOostrum, Europeareamanager
for Caterpillar paving products, said compaction
was increasingly becoming a rental business.
“This is particularly true for utility compactors –
thesmall doubledrum rollers –at least80%ofwhich
are going to rental. That’s up from about 50% to
60% five years ago. The reasons are that utilisation
is fairly low, it’s veryoftena standbyproduct.
“You do need tohave it on site but you don’t need
it all the time. In general if you get 1000 hours a
year, that’s really a lot, and that compares tomuch
higher utilisation elsewhere in the construction
equipment sector.”
Mr van Oostrum said Caterpillar only had dealer
rental facilities in a few countries in Europe, so
the independent rental companies were becoming
Joep van denMaagdenberg, Hitachi Construction
Machinery Europe product specialist
UK-based compaction rental company Clee Hill ordered the 12
tonne operating Dynapac CA3500 soil roller after testing the
machine. Featuring a 2130mm drum, themachine has Active
Bounce Control technology, which prevents over compaction
Wacker Neuson’s new battery-powered AS 50 rammer
thedrainage solution!
U
Vacuum prime pumps up to 12”
U
Dry-prime pumps up to 6”
U
Silenced canopies
U
Submersible pumps up to 8”
Open impeller
centrifugal pumps
with hinge set
