Surprisingly Strong Buying Marks Las Vegas Rental Show

The Rental Show was a strong buying show, to the pleasant surprise of the overwhelming majority of vendors. While most exhibitors expected an improvement compared with the past two years, when attendance was down and buying was weak, most were pleasantly surprised by the level of buying and positive attitudes expressed by most attendees. Although occasional lulls occurred as is normal, for the most part the booths were active with visitors and a solid buzz was palpable.

“We sold more equipment in the first two hours than in the full three days last year,” said one vendor.

“We started talking with customers from the minute the show opened, and when I looked at the clock to see if it was time to go to lunch, it was three o'clock,” said Tom Bell of Haulotte.

“We've been busy non-stop,” said David Silverman of General Wire Spring. “Last year people stopped in but they were simply inquiring about what they might want to buy when the business atmosphere improved. This year they were ready to buy and replenish their fleets.”

Most rental companies RER spoke to said business was improving, although not necessarily robust. For the most part rental companies expressed confidence that business would be better in 2011 than the past two years, although companies from some pockets, such as Florida, lacked that optimism.

The next Rental Show will be held February 5-8, 2012 in New Orleans.
— Michael Roth

Costs of Raw Materials a Concern, Genie's Ford Says

The rising costs of raw materials, such as copper, rubber and steel could elevate the costs of aerial work platforms and other projects in the coming year, Tim Ford, president of the aerial division of Terex Corp. said at the Rental Show this month. While the company had much improved results in 2010 and expects a significant sales increase in 2011, the rising costs of materials could cause equipment prices to rise in the foreseeable future.

“As volume grows, we're going to have to deal with issues related to the costs of these materials,” Ford told RER. “It's going to be a growing concern for the industry. The cost of manufacturing, the ability to get materials and at reasonable prices is something we're going to have to deal with sooner rather than later.”

Ford said that Genie and other manufacturers would try to avoid raising equipment prices, but that it may be hard to avoid passing along those rising costs.

Unlike some other manufacturers that expressed concern that turmoil in the Middle East could affect the European economy and cause oil costs to rise significantly, Ford said that oil prices were a secondary concern in comparison to the cost of materials.

Ford said the Terex aerial division enjoyed solid sales at the ARA show and that the market for aerial equipment is improving, with sales solid to large and small rental companies alike.

Genie, the Terex aerial division, is based in Redmond, Wash.
— Michael Roth

Industry Organizations Publish AWP Personal Fall Protection Safety Document

The American Rental Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Associated Equipment Distributors, the International Powered Access Federation and the Scaffold Industry Association have again joined forces to develop a new educational document that focuses on personal fall protection for users of aerial work platform equipment. The Statement of Best Practices of Personal Fall Protection Systems for Aerial Work Platform Equipment document was released by the participating organizations this month during The Rental Show.

A previous document, Statement of Best Practices of General Training and Familiarization for Aerial Work Platform Equipment, was introduced to the industry in February last year.

The participating organizations recognized a need to address the proper use and regulatory compliance of AWP personal fall protection and created a common resource to educate users on best practices of the safe use of PFP equipment. The use of PFP is a component of AWP training and has legal requirements in the United States. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations and American National Standards Institute standards both address fall protection when using AWP equipment.

The objectives of this best practice document are intended to:

• Educate the industry on applicable OSHA regulations and the industry-recognized and supported ANSI standards.
• Provide information to assist users and operators during their selection process to identify the most appropriate personal fall protection system for their job functions while operating AWP equipment.
• Inform the user and operator how to recognize and guard against the potential fall hazards associated with the use of AWP equipment.
• Encourage the incorporation of best practices for personal fall protection with AWP equipment into a company's fall protection plans.

The new document is available as a free download from each participating organizations' website.
— Brandey Smith