Award shortlists: details of the companies in this year’s awards

Ritchie Bros is the Gold Sponsor for the awards, and IronPlanet is the sponsor of the awards drinks reception. Silver sponsors are Caterpillar, Grindex and Hilti.

On the following pages we provide brief summaries of the submissions from each of the shortlisted companies.

Large Rental Company of the Year (revenues >€15m)

AFI (UK)

The Height Rider 28 (HR28) is a hybrid four wheel drive articulated boom platform powered by a diesel engine supplemented by battery power when required, allowing the use of a smaller engine and thereby reducing fuel consumption, engine emissions and noise.

The HR28 can operate on battery alone for indoor, quiet or clean applications, and the diesel engine then recharges the batteries without a mains power source. Niftylift says it is the highest reach electric-powered aerial platform, offering a maximum 19 m outreach.

Weighing 14.5 t it is also one of the lightest platforms in this reach class, meaning that it can be transported on a 26 t truck rather than a larger ‘low loader’, leading to savings in transportation costs.

The platform also incorporates Niftylift’s patented SiOPS safety system, a secondary guarding system that prevents the operator being crushed onto the controls. Niftylift was the first manufacturer to develop this technology and has now been followed by others in the market.

Power Towers (Pecolift access platform)

Power Towers’ Pecolift is a 3.5 m working height vertical mast platform that uses a

patented “stored power mechanism” in the mast that makes it very easy for the operator to manually lift the platform using a handle. This means the platform has no need for an engine, battery, hydraulics or electrics, making it a low maintenance, rental friendly platform.

“We call it ‘Non-powered Powered Access’”, says UK company Power Towers, “This is clearly also a very Eco-friendly alternative to traditional batteries, hydraulics and electrics….This has clear advantages over both existing mechanical forms of access and existing traditionally powered low level access platforms.”

The manufacturer says it is intuitive to operate. The operator pushes the Pecolift into position, steps into the platform (no climbing steps). The machine sinks onto its front rubber feet and is braked and the gates close behind the operator, who then turns the handle clockwise to lift, anti-clockwise to descend.

Launched in the UK in January 2013 the Pecolift has been an unqualified success, with over 2600 machines sold. Many of the UK’s major rental companies have purchased Pecolift in large quantities, including Lavendon/Nationwide Platforms, Hire Station, HSS, Brandon Hire, A-Plant and Select Plant Hire. It is also now being sold in mainland Europe, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

SDMO (Rental Compact generators)

During 2013 SDMO completed the launch of its new Rental Compact line of gensets for the rental market, comprising models in the 16 to 550 kVA power range.

The sets have been developed specifically with rental in mind with SDMO saying that the “revolution” was the realisation that rental sets are often used by people with little knowledge of power equipment; “This was an important change that has led to a complete rethink of the functions to make it more accessible, safer, more robust and easier to use.”

In addition to features that make the sets easy to handle on site, SDMO has also developed the technology – the sets use Stage 3A engines and there is a new, patented cooling system that reduces noise, makes the machines more compact, and allows them to be operated effectively even in very hot conditions.

These features have helped the Rental Compact range find rapid acceptance among rental companies in Europe, including in major power rental markets such as France and the UK.

Tower Light (VTLED lighting tower)

Tower Light is well known in rental markets around the world for its lighting tower products. In 2013 it built on its reputation for innovative products with the launch of a LED lamp version of its well-established VT lighting tower range.

The VTLED can be fitted with either 300 or 450 W LED lamps: the 300 W version provides similar light intensity to 1000 W metal halide lamps, while the 450 W unit offer a higher illumination factor.

The use of LED lamps means that the less power needed to light up the lamps and therefore Tower Light was able to replace the standard 9.0 kW engine with a 5.0 kW unit. This lowers fuel consumption from an average of 1.8 l/min to 1.0 l/min.

Other benefits of LED lamps, says Tower Light, include zero maintenance, longer life, lower disposal costs, and the ability to be restarted when hot, unlike metal halide lamps that have to cool first.

Rental Safety Campaign of the year

AFI (UK)

AFI is shortlisted for its development of the SmartZone, a device that controls and monitors the use of powered access platforms and ensures that machines cannot be operated by anyone who has not been properly trained and authorised to use them.

The system recognises a smart card – such as an IPAF PAL card – and will only unlock the machine if the operator has the required licence category and if the card is not out of date.

In addition, the system builds up a profile of what each operator has been doing and will prompt familiarisation training if the operator has never used a particular model. Similarly, it will prompt the user to carry out pre-use checks if he or she has not operated a machine for the previous 24 hours.

In addition to these features the system can also be used to create a geofence, with the machine unable to restart in areas outside the prescribed zone. Also included is an autolock capability, if a machine is left without being locked.

The system successfully completed trials with a major client, BAE Systems at the Portsmouth Naval Base. AFI says BAE is now looking to use the system at a major site in the UK.

Lavendon Group (Europe)

Europe’s largest powered access rental company created a ‘Your safety, our priority’ campaign targeting both its own employees and external customers.

The campaign, including printed, digital and video content in four languages, aimed to provide straightforward and consistent way of informing and engaging its customers on key areas of health and safety.

A key part of the initiative was to involve employees in the development of the tools, with staff at five locations in the UK, France, Brussels Germany and the United Arab Emirates participating. This also served to show customers that its employees played an important role in maintaining safety on their jobsites.

Lavendon says the all 1500 of its staff have a copy of the ‘Your safety, our priority’ guide, helping codify high standards of the group to all new and existing staff, and that the programme as raised awareness with its customers about the importance Lavendon places on safety and demonstrates the high standards that must be met.

In the process, the online health and safety sections of Lavendon’s websites have been transformed from a static, seldom updated page to “a six page journey featuring videos, downloads and health and safety guidance.”

Ramirent (Finland)

Ramirent’s safety campaign was firmly targeted at workers on construction sites in Sweden. It set up a trailer equipped with safety information, equipment and videos and went on a countrywide tour visiting 28 major construction sites during the year, providing advice and information to more than 5000 site workers.

The trailer would arrive on site at a pre-arranged time, giving workers a welcome break from the routine while doing something useful. As part of the programme Ramirent developed a TB Safety Guide (TB stands for Tryggare byggare – Swedish for safer construction workers) for use on smart phones.

The guide provides guidance on issues such as working at height, dust control, vibration levels on hand-held equipment and lifting.

As well as improving safety knowledge on sites, Ramirent also used the trailer to visit its own depots and improve its staff knowledge on safety and related products. The programme has led to an increase in demand for safety-related products, led customers to ask for more training, and made an obvious connection between machines, safety knowledge and Ramirent.

Rental Marketing Campaign of the Year

4-punto-1 (Italy)

Facing extremely difficult economic conditions, four of Italy’s biggest rental companies decided to work together to create an alliance that would provide customers with a single point of contact for a wide range of products.

The four - Venpa (access and earthmoving equipment), Milantractor (power rentals). Tecnifor-Fae (portable accommodation) and E-Mac (cranes and scaffolding) - created a rental alliance called 4punto1desighed to offer equipment to large customers working on major projects.

The alliance was launched in March 2013 with a joint marketing and promotions plan, which included the alliance presenting the concept to 100 of the largest contractors in Italy.

The concept has already paid off, with 4punto1winning work on major projects, including the new Metro 5 line in Milan, the Hotel Marriott project on Sacca Sessoly Island in Venice, and the Expo2015 site in Milan.

Hewden (UK)

Hewden created a Core Fleet of its most popular 30 products - excavators, telehandlers, dumpers, rollers, scissor lifts and telescopic booms – and guaranteed that any orders from the Core Fleet placed before midday were guaranteed delivery the following morning, while orders place between midday and 5.00pm would be delivered before 5.00pm the next day. If it failed to deliver customers would receive a £100 credit note, no questions asked and a written apology from our CEO.

The initiative has succeeded. It has broadened Hewden’s appeal to the small and medium sized contractors and builders, with business to these customers increasing by 11%, and it has increased time utilisation on the core products from 53% to 62% (on a now larger fleet).

As of 20 February this year, Hewden had made 35145 Core Fleet deliveries, of which 35074 were on time, giving a success rate of 99.8%.

The success of the programme has led Hewden to invest heavily in the core fleet, spending £35 million on more than 500 new machines last year and plans to invest more than £40 million on the core fleet this year.

Nationwide Platforms (UK)

Nationwide Access created an extensive marketing campaign around the new Pecolift low-level access platform that it added to its fleet in 2013.

The effectiveness of the campaign can be measured by the fact that the company attained 70% utilisation on the fleet of 1000 Pecolifts.

The campaign, undertaken during the first six months of 2013, included 30 trials and demonstrations around the UK, internal communications to Nationwide staff to familiarise them with the machine, a professional video, leaflets, web content (a special Pecolift landing page) and digital communications with customers.

In addition to the high utilisation rate reached for the fleet, Nationwide says it managed to get the Pecolift rented to prestigious projects and major industrial sites, including St Barts Hospital in London, Heathrow Terminal 2, Hartlepool Power Station and Heysham Nuclear Power Station.

BOX STORY

Event details

European Rental Awards:

Wednesday 25 June, 2014

Elicium Centre, Amsterdam RAI

www.khl.com/rentalawards

ERA Convention:

Tuesday 24 – Thursday 26 June, 2014

Elicium Centre, Amsterdam RAI

www.erarental.org

Booking

Organisers:

The European Rental Awards are jointly organised by the European Rental Association and International Rental News.