British Vp Acquires UCS Plant
British equipment rental group Vp last week acquired the tools and telehandler fleet of UCS Plant for almost £900,000 (about U.S. $1.8 million). Harrogate, U.K.-based Vp also entered into a three-year sole supply agreement with UCS Civils and Linpave Building, two subsidiaries of the Rand Group, which formerly owned UCS Plant....
Harsco Awarded $2 Million Contract in India
Harsco Corp., the Harrisburg, Pa.-based worldwide industrial services company, last week announced a new contract with global steel producer Tata Steel to provide rental scaffolding during a two-year plant maintenance cycle at Tata’s Jamshedpur steel works in northeastern India....
CNH Participates in U.S. Department of Commerce Trade Mission to Erbil, Iraq
CNH last week announced its participation as one of nine U.S. companies in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s trade mission to Erbil, Iraq....
IRE Brings Manufacturers and Rental Companies Together
The inaugural International Rental Exhibition, which brought about 1,500 attendees to visit the stands of the 135 exhibiting manufacturers and service providers, was a qualified success....
Cramo Buys Rental Operations of Norwegian Construction Firm
Finish international rental giant Cramo has expanded in Norway by taking over the rental operations of JM Byggholt AS, including all rental assets and its staff of 12 employees. ...
British Aerial Company Lavendon Posts Strong First 5 Months
British aerial rental specialist Lavendon last week said revenues for the first five months through May have risen 37 percent, in line with expectations. ...
Dutch Aerial Rental Giant Riwal Acquires 70 Percent of Estonia’s 123Lift
Dordrecht, Netherlands-based Riwal, one of the world’s largest JLG dealers and renters of aerial work platforms, has acquired a 70-percent share interest in 123Lift, an Estonian aerial rental company. The acquisition provides Riwal with the opportunity to rental activities in the Baltic countries and, eventually, Poland....
Chief Executive of Arcomet Acquires Remaining Shares
Venture capital group GIMV NV last week sold its 20-percent stake in tower crane rental company Arcomet to current majority shareholder and Arcomet chief executive Dirk Theyskens....
Hewden Stuart Opens Manchester Branch
United Kingdom rental chain Hewden Stuart is opening a £3 million depot in Manchester, an area the company believes is one of the U.K.’s hottest construction markets....
British Speedy Becomes Sole Supplier to Major Home Builder
The U.K.’s largest rental company Speedy Hire has signed a three-year exclusive partnership deal with homebuilder Taylor Wimpey Plc. The contract will include specialist equipment from Speedy’s lift division, and will be managed by a single resource within Speedy’s management, providing a single point of contact for ordering, administration and billing....
Ashtead to Sell Oil and Gas Technology Division, Reports Say
Buyout firm Phoenix Equity Partners is in discussions to acquire Ashtead’s oil and gas technology division for about £100 million, according to U.K. Internet reports....
Case to Reopen Production Plant in Brazil
Case IH Agriculture and Case Construction, which are part of CNH Global N.V., last week announced the reopening of their production unit in Sorocaba, Brazil, which will generate more than 1,000 direct jobs....
British Speedy Hire Looks at European Expansion Possibilities
Speedy Hire, the United Kingdom’s largest tool and equipment rental company, is looking at expanding its business into other European countries in partnership with infrastructure construction group Carillion, the U.K.-based Manchester Crain’s Business reported in its online edition. ...
European Rental Association, International Rental Exhibition Brings Manufacturers and Rental Companies Together
The inaugural International Rental Exhibition, which brought about 1,500 attendees to visit the stands of the 135 exhibiting manufacturers and service providers, was a qualified success. ...
European Rental Industry Tops $36 Billion, Study Affirms
The rental industry in Europe grew 12 percent in 2007, compared with 2006, bringing the size of the market to €23.5 billion in volume (about U.S. $36.6 billion), according to a study by Global Insights, which also produced a size-of-market study for the American Rental Association earlier this year....
Loan Restructured for Buyout of Australia’s Coates
Carlyle Group and National Hire Group Ltd. have agreed with lead managers to improve the terms on a AU$2.26 billion senior loan to fund the buyout of leading Australian rental company Coates Hire Ltd....
Manitowoc Opens Slovakia Factory
Manitowoc inaugurated its newest manufacturing plant with an open day for customers, dealers, senior Manitowoc management and local government officials in early June. ...
Atlas Copco Inaugurates New Factory in China
Stockholm, Sweden-based Atlas Copco last week opened a new manufacturing plant in Wuxi, China. The new plant replaces an old factory and provides an improved working environment as well as increased capacity opportunities....
Speedy Posts Strong Q1 Results, Acquires Accommodation Business
Speedy Hire last week unveiled a record 38.7-percent first-quarter revenue jump to £465.5 million (about U.S. $922 million). Pre-tax profit leapt 18.8 percent to £48.1 million. The record results were, to a large degree, the result of the company’s £115 million acquisition of Hewden Tools, which it acquired last August....
Dutch Aerial Company Riwal Acquires Majority of Spanish Aerial Rental Firm
Riwal, one of Europe’s market leaders in rental and sales of access equipment, last week entered the Spanish aerial equipment rental market by acquiring 70 percent of Grupo Clem, a Spanish aerial specialist. Grupo Clem has a current fleet of 1,700 aerial work platforms and 500 forklift trucks and telehandlers....
Australia’s Tuff Bryant Posts Strong Increase
Australian crane and equipment rental company Tuff Bryant Group Limited posted a net profit of AU $26.6 million (about U.S. $25.4 million) for the full year ended March 31, a 107-percent year-over-year increase. The company said it was well-positioned for further growth organically and by acquisition in fiscal year 2009....
Speedy Hire Wins Two Prestigious Rental Awards
The United Kingdom’s largest tool hire company Speedy Hire was named “Hire Company of the Year” at the recent Hire Association Europe Awards. The company also received the award for “Best Contribution to Environmental Issues” at HAE’s May 10 awards ceremony at the Landmark Hotel in London....
Quippo Names Clover President
Ramirent’s Stock Drops on Lower-than-Expected Q1
The stock price of Helsinki, Finland-based Ramirent, which operates in 13 countries including the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, Russia and Urkaine, last week dropped 24 percent to €8.36 (about U.S. $12.93) after the company said meeting its earnings forecast would be a challenge. The company said that construction has slowed in Estonia, Latvia and Hungary....
AEM’s ConExpo Russia Set for September
In September, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers will launch its first ConExpo Russia trade show. Exhibitors include ALTEC, Amkodor, ASTEC, Caterpillar, Donetskii Excavator, JCB, JLG, Komatsu, Kominvest AKMT, Link-Belt Cranes, Manitou, Manitowoc, New Holland, Kobelco, Pogruzchik, Terex, Trimble, Vermeer and Volvo....
