Rental Rumbles – February 2008

Doosan completes acquisition
Doosan has completed the acquisition of the Bobcat, Utility Equipment and Attachments businesses from Ingersoll Rand Company. Doosan says the three entities will operate as individual businesses of Doosan Infracore International, a US based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, and will be known as Bobcat, Doosan Infracore Portable Power, formerly Ingersoll Rand Utility Equipment, and DII Attachments, formerly Ingersoll Rand Attachments.

The company says this will position itself to become a global leader in the construction equipment sector by adding compact construction equipment to its existing medium and large-scale construction equipment product lines. Doosan Infracore paid US$4.9 billion for Bobcat, Utility Equipment and Attachments businesses making the company one of the top 10 global manufacturers of construction and utility equipment and related attachments.

Acquisition dispute sours
The failed business acquisition between United Rentals and Cerberus Capital Management LP has turned sour with both parties filing law suits against one another. United filed a court motion requesting a summary judgment against Cerberus for backing out of its agreement to acquire United. Cerberus withdrew its $34.50-per-share takeover offer for United Rentals in November and United filed suit in court to force Cerberus to complete the deal.

From left: Larry Easton, comptroller; Shirley Scott, office staff; Dean Nasato, sales; Diane Price, president’s secretary; Greg Farrow, sales; Anita Chiasson, office staff; Chris McKittrick,president/Canada; Wally Carruthers, rental account sales; Rick Sargent, Ontario sales manager.

Cerberus countered with a suit to force United Rentals to abide by the original terms of an agreement that provided for a $100 million fee should it back out of the deal. The overall transaction was valued at about $6.7 billion, including assumed debt.

Reunion recalls friends
Old friends recalled old times during a reunion of ex-Kango employees who gathered in Barrie, Ontario, in October. Many past customers including those who worked in the rental industry also attended. The reunion was the first since the company ceased operating in Canada in the early 1990s and many of the employees who have stayed friends decided to get together to remember staff members who have passed on. They also thanked Colin MacLeod who worked at the order desk.

50 years
Morbark celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007 with public and private open houses. The company began in a small blacksmith shop in 1957 after patenting a ‘log debarking apparatus’ and grew from building sawmill equipment to manufacturing forestry, tree care and wood-waste recycling equipment.

New look, same business
The Komatsu Rents network of equipment rental stores has announced a new name and a new look under the banner of SMS Rents. In Quebec, stores operating as Location Komatsu will be renamed Location SMS.

The company says the decision to rename is part of a focussed effort to better recognize the expanding range of equipment, tools and services offered by SMS Rents. The name change also provides for greater alignment with parent company, SMS Construction and Mining Systems, a Sumitomo Corporation group company.

Marcel Langlois, president of SMS Rents, explains that, while the name has changed, all other aspects of the company will carry on with business as usual. “We will continue to work with the same management group as we have since Komatsu Rents |was established in 2003. We will continue to support the same equipment rental services through an expanding store network. And the same great people will continue to serve our valued customers,” he says, adding the change presented the opportunity for the rental network, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, to assert itself as a complete equipment and tool rental services company. “We value our relationship with Komatsu. Although our name is changing, we will continue to represent their line of utility machines across the breadth of our network,” he says.

The Rental Show sells out
For the fourth consecutive year, exhibit space for The Rental Show is sold out. Organizers from the American Rental Association (ARA) say the overall floor space the trade show will occupy in Las Vegas is larger than the 2007 show that took place in Atlanta.

The exhibits for the 2008 show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center will occupy 354,700 net square feet, just 200 net square feet shy of the largest-ever show in terms of floor space. The 1998 Orlando, Florida, and 2000 Anaheim, California, shows both occupied 354,900 net square feet. The 2007 Atlanta show was 352,300 net square feet.

Altogether, the 2008 trade show space is more than 17 acres. The heavy construction and light construction/general tools booths will be in the Bayside exhibit halls on the convention center’s first level and the party/special events booths will be in the Shorelines B exhibit hall on the second level.

Organizers note that the heavy construction area sold out in early April, while the light construction/general tools area sold out in mid May and there are waiting lists for all areas of the show floor right now. There will be 650 exhibitors in Las Vegas, with 63 companies exhibiting for the first time. For more information visit: www.TheRentalShow.com

Partnership widens flexible reporting
Systematic has partnered with MITS, a Seattle, Washington, based developer of advanced reporting and business intelligence software. The new partnership enables Systematic to expand its existing reporting structure to offer clients a wider range of flexible reporting options. The MITS engine will be embedded into Systematic Rental Management Version 6.1, providing clients with an easy-to-use method for consolidating information across multiple data sources.

Clients can make changes to their reports, add sub-totals, apply auto-filtering and set up report scheduling. The Systematic and MITS partnership was initiated in response to the growing needs of equipment rental organizations for a customized reporting system.

Relocated
Dynapac Canada, a division of Atlas Copco Canada, moved to a new location in January. Its new address is: 4170 Sladeview Crescent, Unit 3, Mississauga, ON, L5L 0A1. Telephone numbers are (800) 465-4777, (905) 607-1170, fax is (905) 607-7921.

Custom Equipment has relocated its manufacturing and corporate headquarters to a new facility located in Richfield, Wisconsin. The new facility incorporates both manufacturing and corporate offices, and will allow the company to continue to service its growing distributor network. The company will continue to maintain the original facility located in West Bend.

Rob Langlois, operations manager for Tiffany Party Rentals, guides a crowd of CRA members through the company’s facilities. Tiffany Party Rentals will be profiled in the March 2008 issue of Canadian Rental Service.

Andy Houghton, president and general manager for Barrie Rent All, points out some machinery in the company’s shop.

Rick Darche (left) and Erick Desmoureaux from Distribution E-Quip discuss the benefits of a new fibreglass scaffold product during the supplier presentation.

In memory
Hector Cameron ‘Cam’ Paquette died November. 27, 2007. Paquette was co-owner of Pyramide Rental in Chateauguay, Quebec, with his son, Richard, and co-owner of Bravo Rental, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, with his son, Andrew, for more than 20 years.

He worked on behalf of a number of organizations including the American Rental Association (ARA) and the Canadian Rental Association (CRA). He also was a founding member of Groupe Lou-Tec, a network of rental stores in Quebec. Paquette is survived by his two sons and four grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607-1460, USA, or on-line at www.shrinershq.org, or to the ARA Foundation, 1900 19th St., Moline, IL 61265, USA.

Fourth go at Atlantic show
Rental operators in eastern Canada do not have far to go to participate in the Canadian Rental Association’s (CRA) regional trade shows this year as the fourth annual Atlantic Regional Rental show takes place at the Crown Plaza in Moncton, New Brunswick, on February 22 and 23, 2008.
The venue is the same as last year’s show and 10 by 10 foot booth spaces are available to CRA members at $175 and non-members at $200.

The itinerary will be the same as in previous years with an evening social kicking off the event on Friday with the fourth annual Chinese Auction. On Saturday the show opens at 9:00am and the CRA Atlantic group is providing a free luncheon during its meeting. The Crown Plaza is offering a show rate of $129 per night. For more information contact Olivia at: (902) 762-3294 or prs@ns.aliantzinc.ca

Association tours Barrie
The Canadian Rental Association (CRA) in Ontario held another one of its popular rental yard tours in November 2007, visiting two highly successful rental companies in Barrie. A good crowd turned out to take a personalized tour of Tiffany Party Rentals on Morrow Road and of Barrie Rent All on Tiffin Street before attending a social hour and buffet dinner nearby.

Presentations were made by Rick Darche from RDSI who demonstrated a new fibreglass scaffold by Metaltech and a presentation by MERX, an electronic tendering service, that allows businesses to view and access procurement opportunities to help them bid in public sector tenders as well as tenders from the federal government.

New ownership, new name
Rupp Industries changed ownership and its name in September 2007. An investment group has purchased the 42 year old company, changing its name to TEMP-AIR, Inc.

The company provides temporary, portable heating, cooling and dehumidifying services.

Clark

Appointments
Stone Construction Equipment has introduced Mike Clark as district manager. His responsibilities will include serving the needs of equipment dealers and rental houses in Manitoba.

Skyjack has announced that Lloyd Spalding will be retiring as president of the company in February 2008. The company also announced that Ken McDougall, who was appointed as president of Linamar’s Industrial Group, will assume the role as president of Skyjack.

White

David White has been appointed president of California Manufacturing and Engineering Company which manufactures MEC aerial work platforms and telescopic handlers that are marketed worldwide by MEC Aerial Work Platform Sales Corporation.

Hero Products Group in Vancouver, British Columbia, announced the appointment of Coast to Coast – Sales and Marketing as representatives for Canada. Coast to Coast will represent Hero’s complete line of point of sale paint equipment products. This includes automatic and manual colourant dispensers, as well as its complete line of paint mixers and shakers.

This move is designed to improve Hero’s overall customer communication through Coast to Coast’s team of nine staff and sales representatives who have more than 75 years experience in the paint and sundry industry.

Pronovost

Uniquip Canada has appointed Yves Pronovost to the position of general manager. He will assist Bill Horricks, president, with operations, marketing and strategic development. Pronovost brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership to the position with a solid background in construction products and consumer goods in North America. Working and growing with leading manufacturers, he has held various key management positions and brings extensive sales, marketing and business management knowledge to the company.

Jim Freeman from Rentquip is pleased to announce the appointment of Earl Goodall of Trustek Sales and his staff, Eric Drew and Louise Goodall, as their sales representatives for Atlantic Canada. Trustek Sales has been servicing the rental market for the past four years and looks forward to servicing Rentquip customers in Atlantic Canada.  Meet them at the Canadian Rental Association Atlantic Trade Show along with Jim Freeman in February.

Expansion program continues
Hertz Equipment Rental celebrated the grand re-opening of its Kingston, Ontario, General Rental facility in September 2007. The grand re-opening of HERC Kingston is part of the company’s General Rental program expansion, which HERC began in 2003 in support of its commitment to increase services and products for small, medium and large contractors as well as homeowners.

The company added 24 General Rental locations in 2006 as part of its planned expansion in that line of equipment rental and currently has 115 General Rental locations throughout Canada and the US.

CRA endorses asset tracking solutions
The Canadian Rental Association (CRA) has endorsed DPL America as its exclusive provider of GPS and asset tracking products. This partnership makes the DPL Titan Equipment Monitoring System and Skyhawk Vehicle Tracking System endorsed products for the entire CRA membership nationwide.

“We are excited to introduce DPL America’s series of wireless monitoring solutions to our membership,” says Mandy Maeren, CRA executive director. “Theft protection, decreasing fuel and service costs, reducing liabilities and improving efficiency are major concerns for our members.”
DPL America’s suite of wireless monitoring systems combines the internet, cellular and global positioning system (GPS) technologies to deliver powerful solutions for asset management, tracking and theft protection. The company’s Titan Equipment Monitoring System will help CRA members protect their construction equipment from theft while capturing lost rental revenue and expediting collections on non-paying rentals. Additional advantages of the Titan system include the ability to remotely shut down equipment, wirelessly collect hour meter readings, automatic maintenance scheduling and real time locating capabilities from any internet connected computer.

CRA members with over-the-road assets will experience reduced fuel and service costs with increased driver productivity and accountability through the company’s Skyhawk Vehicle Tracking System which includes route history mapping, stop/start/idle time identifications, speeding notifications, automatic vehicle location updates and mileage reports.

Iveco Motors is now FPT of North America
The company formerly named Iveco Motors of North America announced its new brand name: FPT of North America. It has restructured its North American offices in Carol Stream, Illinois, to align itself for a successful launch of its new brand of engines throughout the power generation, marine and industrial sectors. -end-