Shortlists announced for 2011 European Rental Awards

The shortlists for the 2011 European Rental Awards have been finalised after the judging meeting in Paris on Wednesday 16 March.

The winners will be announced in Amsterdam on 8 June at the official awards dinner, which is being held at the Okura Hotel during the International Rental Exhibition (IRE) and the European Rental Association (ERA) convention.

The shortlists are as follows:

Large Rental Company of the year (turnover > €15 million)
GAM (Spain)
GAP Group (UK)
HSS Hire (UK)

Small Rental Company of the year (turnover <€15 million)
Industrial Access (Romania)
Dromad Hire (Ireland)
Rentforce (Netherlands/Russia)

Rental IT Award
A-Plant
HSS Hire
Kiloutou
Speedy Hire

Rental Marketing Award
HSS Hire
Ramirent

Rental Safety Award
GAP Group
Hewden
HSS Hire

Rental Product of the Year
HH-Intellitech (GlasLift 500-4)
JCB (3CX/4CX ECO backhoe loader)
MEC Aerial Platforms (Titan Boom 40-S)
Teletower Access Solutions (Teletower)
Z-Safety Services (Z-Matic)

Manufacturer of the Year
El-Bjorn
Volvo

ERA/IRN Rental Person of the Year
Winner to be announced on the night.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner to be announced on the night.

The judges were: Gérard Déprez (President, European Rental Association), Vesa Koivula (President/CEO, Cramo), Hendrik-Jan Molenaar (CEO, Workx), Paul Burger (Board Director, Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe) and Murray Pollok (Editor, International Rental News).

In a joint statement the judges praised the quality of the entrants and thanked all the companies that had participated, whether shortlisted or not; "The European rental industry has gone through a period of crisis, and it may have looked as if companies were doing nothing, but the presentations we received demonstrate that they were working hard. They were being innovative, continuing to invest in areas such as IT, and were not sacrificing safety.

"The product category was particularly well represented, with more than 30 entries, which again demonstrates that European manufacturers continue to pioneer the development of products for the rental market. Small companies are creating innovative new equipment and large suppliers continue to make significant improvements to established products.

"We look forward to the awards dinner in Amsterdam when we can celebrate the achievements of Europe's rental industry."

The awards are jointly organised by International Rental News (IRN) and the European Rental Association (ERA).

For more information on the rental awards see www.khl.com/rentalawards. To book your place at the awards dinner, see the link above or contact the ERA (www.erarental.org).