Rental Rumbles: April 2010

Organizations collaborate to promote rental industry worldwide
The Global Rental Alliance (TGRA) held its eighth annual meeting recently in Orlando, Fla. The group gathers annually at The Rental Show to share ideas and promote their respective rental industries.

The Global Rental Alliance is a partnership among seven rental/hire organizations throughout the world, including the Canadian Rental Association, DLR (France), European Rental Association, Hire & Rental Industry Association (Australia), Hire Association Europe, Hire Industry Association of New Zealand and American Rental Association (ARA). 

Discussion focused on the current economic environment and future projections for rental businesses represented by each of the organizations. Additional topics included insurance, safety/risk management, sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and equipment theft prevention and recovery, areas in which the organizations share information and work together for the collective good of their members.

Representatives to the TGRA. Front row, from left: Andrew Paquette, president, Canadian Rental Association (CRA); Graham Arundell, managing director, Hire Association Europe (HAE); Chris Wehrman, CEO, American Rental Association (ARA); Phil Newby, CEO, Hire & Rental Industry Association (HRIA-Australia); and Michel Petitjean, secretary general, European Rental Association. Back row, from left: Wayne Beckett, senior VP, CRA; Terry Douris, president, HAE; Kevin McGuinness, chairman, HAE; Buddy Stubbs, chairman of the board, ARA; Peter Lancken, board representative, HRIA; and Neil Wallis, national president, HRIA.  Associations not present: DLR-France and Hire Industry Association of New Zealand (HIANZ). Advertisement

Canada was represented by CRA president Andrew Paquette of Bravo Location Rentals in Montreal, Que., and senior VP Wayne Beckett of Wayne’s Rental Centre in Moosomin, Sask.

Every country reported significant declines in rental revenues, ranging from 5 percent to as much as 30 percent. Canada could be considered the lone bright spot. While overall revenues may be down slightly, there are regions of above-average performance such as Saskatchewan.

Membership benefit ideas that were shared included theft prevention, insurance, and government policies. According to Wayne Beckett, many representatives felt that the Protected Self Insurance Plan (PSIP) available to members of the CRA was by far the best insurance plan, and may encourage other countries to emulate it.

Another key component of the TGRA is a member exchange where qualified rental members can spend six weeks abroad learning how rental companies operate in other countries. To date there have been three exchanges and in 2010, there will be two more.  Hopefully a young rental person from Canada will be going abroad, most likely to France.  If you are interested, please contact the CRA office as soon as possible at 800-486-9899 or via the website at www.crarental.org .

Barrie Rent-All now distributing Terex
Barrie Rent-All Inc. of Barrie, Ontario, now distributes the full line of Terex compact construction equipment. The Terex line includes compact track loaders, compact excavators, compact wheel loaders, site dumpers, tractor loader backhoes, light towers, telehandlers, compaction rollers and a tracked utility vehicle.

“We are excited to welcome Barrie Rent-All  to our expanding network of Terex compact equipment distributors in North America,” said Del Carver, area director, North America Compact Equipment. “The addition will allow us to better meet the needs of our customers in the Ontario area.”

The Terex compact equipment line offers more than 45 unique product models.

“Our mission has always been to provide a broad range of high quality equipment at a highly competitive price with unparalled customer service,” says Andy Houghton, President and General Manager of Barrie Rent-All. “When we discovered Terex three years ago we were thoroughly impressed with the quality and performance of the equipment, and knew it would be a great addition to our offerings.”

Barrie Rent-All also offers financing options for its Terex compact equipment line through Terex Financial Services. For more information, please visit www.barrierentall.ca .

CRA closes out successful trade show season
By the time this sees publication, another trade show season will be behind us. While some companies restrict themselves to attending one or two local shows, quite a few are present at all of them. One such company is Montreal based Uniquip. Dale Kenner represented the company at the recent CRA Prairie show held in Saskatoon. He is seen above showing off a few of Uniquip’s show specials, including the MiniMix 150 (left).

Five new online Genie courses added
Five new online Genie service training courses have been announced The courses will provide service technicians with an interactive way to learn about troubleshooting and repairing Genie booms and scissors to develop their confidence and technical ability. All online service training will be offered free of charge to technicians of Genie dealers.

The five new courses focus on the following products: Genie Z-135 booms, DC booms, DC scissors, IC booms and IC scissors. Technicians who participate will need a computer with Internet access and a registered account. The technician must pass the final exam with a score of at least 80 percent correct answers. A printable certificate of training is provided upon successful completion of the course.

The new online service training courses are additions to the numerous Genie training programs provided in the field or onsite at the factory. Terex AWP also continues to offer factory-based training at its main Redmond, Wash. campus as well as at Terex facilities in Oklahoma City, Okla. and Southaven, Miss.

Interested customers may contact Brian Selix at 800-536-1800 for further instructions. The new online courses will be available in North America only.

Don Ayotte of CM Equip (right) chats with Paul Koldhis of SMS Rents in Mississauga, Ont. during the Canadian Rental Mart.

Don Ayotte joins CM Equip
CM Equip has announced that Don Ayotte has joined the company as the new regional sales manager for Ontario.

Ayotte joined the company in January of this year, and brings extensive experience to his new position. Although CM Equip has long had representation in Ontario, there are now plans underway to bring a full branch to the province, including a new warehouse. Ayotte says the new warehouse should become operational sometime during the second quarter of 2010.

Please visit www.cm-equip.com for more information.

Paladin Construction Group formed
Paladin Brands has announced the joining of its Paladin Light Construction and Paladin Heavy Construction companies to form Paladin Construction Group. According to an official statement, the new company can better address the attachment trends today that are being driven by contractors and farmers serving a wide variety of construction, agriculture and related market segments in North America and globally.

Paladin Construction Group provides customers with eight brands of couplers and attachments, many with histories dating back 30 to 50 years. These brands are Bradco, JRB, Sweepster, C&P, CustomWorks, FFC, Harley and McMillen.

“The strategic decision to combine the two companies will certainly create efficiencies, but more importantly our sales channels and end users are looking to benefit from a larger attachment manufacturer with broader attachment lines,” explained Michael Flannery, vice president and general manager of the new Paladin Construction Group. “We can offer far greater value in ROI-driven engineered products, strong field sales and knowledgeable product support, and a long-term buying decision comfort level.”

Paladin Construction Group, part of Paladin Brands, is a manufacturer of couplers and attachments throughout North America and parts of the world for the construction, aggregate, agriculture, landscaping, land clearing, recycle, mining, demolition, utility, aviation and municipal market segments. For more information, call 800-456-7100 or email jfitzgerald@paladinbrands.com.

Emeco to consolidate North American operations
Australian rental company Emeco will close its European business in July of this year, and consolidate its U.S. activities with its Canadian operations.

Emeco plans to close its office in Houston, Texas, and its depot in Kentucky. North American operations will be consolidated at Emeco’s office in Edmonton, Alta. The Edmonton office will be the head office for all of Emeco’s North American operations. Ian Testrow, previously president of Emeco Canada, will be in charge.

The company’s rental and sales fleet currently operating in Kentucky will be sold, or relocated to the Canadian office.

Allen Engineering appoints new service manager

Tim Duty

Jay Allen, President of Allen Engineering Corporation, has recently appointed Tim Duty as the new Service Manager for the company.

Duty has been with Allen for over 20 years, starting out in the manufacturing area. Tim has most recently served as Production Manager for the company. Tim will be responsible for managing all equipment service and support activities for AEC Dealers and Rental Centers. His duties will also include the training and support of all personnel at the network of Allen Factory Authorized Service Centers.