EUROPEAN RENTAL AWARDS 2011

UK rental company HSS Hire won the Large Rental Company of the Year award at the European Rental Awards in Amsterdam, with Romanian company Industrial Access taking the award for the Small Rental Company of the Year.

Pierre Boels, president of Boels Verhuur, was named Rental Person of the Year and Gunnar Glifberg, the former Cramo CEO, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other awards on the night - presented in front of an audience of over 450 people at the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam - included GAP Plant (safety award), A-Plant (rental IT award for its Auto Tool Hire Unit), Ramirent (marketing award), Teletower (product of the year) and Volvo (manufacturer of the year).

The awards, jointly organised by International Rental News (IRN) magazine and the European Rental Association (ERA), took place at the Okura Hotel on Wednesday 8 June. The awards coincided with the International Rental Exhibition (IRE) and the European Rental Association's annual convention, both being held on 7-9 June in Amsterdam.

The full list of winners was as follows:

Large Rental Company of the year (turnover > €15 million)
HSS Hire (UK)

Small Rental Company of the year (turnover <€15 million)
Industrial Access (Romania)

Rental Person of the Year
Pierre Boels jr, Boels Verhuur

Lifetime Achievement Award
Gunnar Glifberg, formerly Cramo

Rental Product of the Year
Teletower Access Solutions (Teletower)

Manufacturer of the Year
Volvo CE

Rental IT Award
A-Plant (Auto Tool Hire Unit)

Rental Safety Award
GAP Group

Rental Marketing Award
Ramirent

"It was very difficult to make choices in all the categories", said Gérard Déprez, one of the five judges and president of the European Rental Association. "The European rental industry has gone through a period of crisis, and it may have looked as if companies were doing nothing, but the presentations we received demonstrate that they were working hard. They were being innovative, continuing to invest in areas such as IT, and were not sacrificing safety."

Murray Pollok, Editor of IRN magazine and also a member of the five-person judging team, said; "The judges would like to thank all the companies who took part. We had more that 80 award entries this year, which is testament to the creativity and hard work being done by European rental companies and suppliers."

The judges provided the following comments about the winners:

Small rental company of the year - Industrial Access
"Industrial Access is a pioneering, forward thinking, professional company that is highly motivated to provide a high standard of rental services."

Large rental company of the year - HSS Hire (winner)
"The renewal of an iconic tool hire company, and everything executed to a very high level in all areas - operations, safety, training, marketing."
Lifetime Achievement Award - Gunnar Glifberg
"Gunnar Glifberg deserves recognition not only for his formative role in helping to create, in Cramo, one of the most successful rental companies in Europe, but for his enormous influence in creating a professional rental service business in Europe."
Rental Person of the Year - Pierre Boels (Boels Verhuur)
"Pierre Boels richly deserves industry recognition for the continued, successful growth of the Boels Verhuur business."

Manufacturer of the Year - Volvo Construction Equipment
"Volvo takes into account the needs of rental companies in developing its products. Also, the standard of its after sales service was a major factor in awarding Volvo the manufacturer of the year accolade. 2010 was a record year for Volvo in the European rental sector."

Product of the Year - Teletower
"A truly innovative product, providing rental companies with a small access tower that is easy to rent, with very few components, little manpower required to erect it and very east to transport."
Judges said the product category was particularly well represented, with more than 30 entries, "which again demonstrates that manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere continue to pioneer the development of products for the rental market. Small companies are creating innovative new equipment and large suppliers continue to make significant improvements to established products."

IT Award - A-Plant (winner)
"A company with a track record in IT development, and still working to extend what it does."

Rental Safety Award - GAP Group
"GAP has a true and long-standing record in safety promotion, focused on products and people. It has a complete and consistent attitude towards safety, which extends to its interaction with its customers."
This category was dominated by UK companies and the judges said rental companies in the rest of Europe were not demonstrating their commitment to safety in the same way. The judges said they looked forward to more entries from continental European companies in future years. In the UK, companies have 360 degree campaigns on safety and are proud to explain what they are doing.

Marketing award - Ramirent
"A highly focused rebranding project - changing Bautas to Ramirent in Norway - that was extremely well executed, with results beyond expectations. The campaign succeeded in communicating a message but at the same time gave everyone working in the company a boost."

The Judges
The judges for the awards were as follows: Paul Burger (Board Director, Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe), Gérard Déprez (President, European Rental Association), Vesa Koivula (President/CEO, Cramo), Hendrik-Jan Molenaar (CEO, Workx), Murray Pollok (Editor, International Rental News).

The full awards shortlist was as follows:

Large Rental Company of the year (turnover > €15 million)
GAM (Spain)
GAP Group (UK)
HSS Hire (UK) - WINNER

Small Rental Company of the year (turnover <€15 million)
Industrial Access (Romania) - WINNER
Dromad Hire (Ireland)
Rentforce (Netherlands/Russia)

Rental IT Award
A-Plant - WINNER
HSS Hire
Kiloutou
Speedy Hire

Rental Marketing Award
HSS Hire
Ramirent - WINNER

Rental Safety Award
GAP Group - WINNER
Hewden
HSS Hire

Rental Product of the Year
HH-Intellitech (GlasLift 500-4)
JCB (3CX/4CX ECO backhoe loader)
MEC Aerial Platforms (Titan Boom 40-S)
Teletower Access Solutions (Teletower) - WINNER
Z-Safety Services (Z-Matic)

Manufacturer of the Year
El-Bjorn
Volvo CE - WINNER

Rental Person of the Year
Pierre Boels jr (Boels Verhuur)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Gunnar Glifberg (formerly Cramo)

See below for more detail on each of the winners, shortlisted companies and individuals:

Large Rental Company of the Year
(revenues more than €15 million)

HSS Group, UK (WINNER)
Over the past four or five years HSS has reinvented itself, shifting from a 500-depot company with a large high-street presence, to a rental business with a much smaller footprint and a strong focus on a professional customer base among industrial and commercial customers in sectors such as retail, aviation and facilities management.
In 2010 that strategy has started to bear fruit. In a difficult year, the company managed to grow its revenues by 15% and its EBITDA profits by 33%. Key accounts now form an important part of its business, representing around 30% of sales and growing by 25% last year.
The year saw HSS continue to develop technology that focuses on transparency. In 2009 it launched its LiveHire system, allowing customers to hire and off-hire equipment in real time, and in 2010 this system was expanded to provide customers with advance notice of estimated delivery times of equipment.
The HSS commitment to safety was reinforced in 2010: it introduced a team of ‘Safety Champions' to help drive health and safety awareness in every single location; the year saw a consistent reduction in accident rates; and it is SafeHire, ISO9001 and OHSAS18001 certified.

GAM, Spain (SHORTLISTED)
Spanish rental company GAM has responded to the downturn in its home market by diversifying its business away from construction and expanding internationally. In just four years it has established new rental operations in Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.
This internationalisation strategy accelerated in 2009 and 2010, with openings in nine new countries over the two years. It now operates in 14 countries, with 30 depots and 400 staff working outside of Spain. These international operations will generate almost a third of all company revenues this year and will generate almost 40% of EBITDA profits.
The judges included GAM in the shortlist in recognition of its bold approach to managing the crisis in its home market and because it serves as a model for how rental companies can respond to changes in market conditions. GAM is also now playing an important role in establishing equipment rental in many of its new international markets.

GAP Group, UK (SHORTLISTED)
In a year in which many rental companies were struggling, the UK's GAP Group punched above its weight in terms of fleet investment, established a new specialist Lifting equipment division, and retained its commitment to safety.
Capital investment in 2010 was £21 million - more than many much larger rental companies - and included £2 million in a new Lifting Division. Having established a nationwide network for its tool and plant operation the company is now embarking on a plan to invest in specialist rental divisions, Lifting being the first.
The company has also been financially prudent. In early 2009 it started to pay off debt and by April 2010 had reduced company debt by almost 50%, which has given it the financial flexibility to commit to significant capital expenditure in 2010 and onwards.

Small Rental Company of the Year
(revenues less than €15 million)

Industrial Access SA, Romania (WINNER)
Since its start-up in March 2005 by founder Stefan Ponea, Industrial Access has established itself as one of the most professional rental companies in the emerging eastern European market, and has a particular expertise in the powered access sector.
In 2010, despite Romania having one of the worst performing economies in the European Union, Industrial Access managed to improve profitability, drive utilisation rates (up to 83% in November 2010), and even manage to increase rental prices for the first time since November 2008. Changing the fleet mix was a key strategy in obtaining these results.
One key factor behind the company's success has been continuity of its management: the company describes its management team as "professional enthusiasts, who are looking not just for financial rewards. The core team of six staff have spent more than five years together in this company."
The company also plays a key role in the development of equipment rental in its own market. Industrial Access is a founding member of the new Romanian Rental Association and is involved in the activities of associations such as IPAF and ERA.

Dromad Hire, Republic of Ireland (SHORTLISTED)
Dromad Hire, based in Dundalk, close to the border with Northern Ireland, is another rental company that has had to adapt to difficult economic times, and has done so by diversifying its business. It has shifted its attentions to sectors such as homeowners, factories and shopping centres and has also now expanded to offer the hire of fitness equipment.
The company says its mission is "to provide value and in the current economic climate it is essential that we provide low cost discounts, weekend deals, loyalty cards and still deliver the most up to date equipment to the home, site or business."
During 2010 Dromad established a Service Shop where it will repair and service all makes of equipment. The company's new website provides easy information on the company's fleet of over 800 rental products.

Rentforce, Netherlands/Russia (SHORTLISTED)
Dutch-owned Rentforce is one of the very few foreign rental companies to be active in Russia. It started operating in 2008 in Moscow and in 2009 opened a branch in Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be held.
Rentforce says it is now the third biggest supplier of equipment for the Sochi Games and the number one foreign rental player in the project. "This position has been achieved by hard work of our employees, a straight-forward approach and a good portion of commercial guts, without disregarding European business ethics and quality standards", says the company.
Starting with a fleet of just six items in 2008, Renforce now has a fleet of around 60 machines - a mix of its own equipment and re-rented machines from idle fleets in Moscow - and is renting to "nearly every major Russian construction company...on projects varying from the ice hockey stadium to the airport and from the railway station to the ski lifts high up in the Caucasus Mountains."

Lifetime Achievement Award - Gunnar Glifberg (formerly Cramo) WINNER

Gunnar Glifberg was a frontrunner in the modernisation of the European equipment rental business, helping create a genuine rental service industry out of a business that had previously been seen as non-core or ‘side business'.
As CEO of Cramo from 1994 he introduced many important concepts, helping make Cramo - and others in the process - a proactive, customer focused company, replacing the ‘order-taking' mentality that had existed previously in much of the rental industry.
He pioneered the diversification of Cramo's rental business away from its almost total focus on construction; was instrumental in establishing the ‘Cramo concept' of consistent and common approaches to rental at all Cramo locations; and pushed the idea of longer-term rental contracts with major accounts as well as major outsourcing agreements with contractors and local government agencies. All of these are now common attributes of large rental companies.
Cramo's influence - and its approach - spread throughout Europe alongside its international growth. By the time Mr Glifberg retired as CEO in 2006, Cramo was operating in eight northern and eastern European countries - one of the first major rental companies in Europe to embark on such a strategy.
Mr Glifberg continued as a member of the Cramo board between 2006 and 2010, finally stepping down as a board member last year. He remains as a senior advisor to the company and its main shareholder.
The judges recognise Mr Glifberg not only for his formative role in helping to create one of the most successful rental companies in Europe, but for his enormous influence in creating a professional rental service business in Europe.

Rental person of the year - Pierre Boels WINNER

Pierre Boels is awarded the Rental Person of the Year in recognition of the significant progress that Boels Verhuur has made in the face of difficult market conditions.
While other rental companies were facing a flat market at best last year, Boels grew its revenues by around 7% and added more than 20 locations to its growing network in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Austria and the Czech and Slovakian Republics.
It has been quick to re-invest in its fleet - spending around €26 million last year - and has been a consistent innovator in adding new products to its fleet.
The judges said Mr Boels richly deserves industry recognition for the continued, successful growth of the Boels Verhuur business.

Rental Product of the Year

Teletower Access Solutions - Teletower (WINNER)
Teletower Access Solutions has developed a telescopic access tower that offers a maximum platform height of 2 m in a two-piece assembly that can be erected in three minutes by a single person.
The teletower comprises a platform and the telescopic tower, which eliminates the need for a rental company to manage multiple components, as with conventional access towers. The tower can be set at five different heights as a tower and two other heights as a podium platform.
Transportability is another benefit, with the two components able to be transported in a small van or estate car.
Teletower says the product offers a safer, more efficient and lower-cost alternative to fixed scaffolding, podiums and other mobile access towers.
The tower is available in aluminium or GRP fibreglass.

HH-Intellitech - GlasLift 500-4 (SHORTLISTED)
Denmark's HH-Intellitech has built a machine capable of lifting 500 kg up to a maximum height of 5 m for handling building materials including glass, façade elements, granite, steel plates, wood, concrete elements, plaster boards and fire doors.
Extendible from wheels ensure complete stability and yet allow the machine to pass through doors; a computer systems monitors and controls the working load depending on the load carried and the boom geometry; and a remote control system allows the operator to work from the most effective and safest location. The computer system also allows owners to ‘dial in' to the machine for fault diagnosis.
HH Intellitech says; "The GlasLift 500-4 has enabled agile, fast and precise handling and mounting of heavy plates of most materials throughout the industry and has alleviated the need for dangerous and costly heavy manual lifting throughout the world. It has proved to be rugged, easy to maintain and intuitively easy to operate."
JCB, UK - 3CX/4CX Eco models (SHORTLISTED)

JCB has a serious pedigree in backhoe loaders stretching back to 1953. Last year, it launched new generation 3CX and 4CX ECO models which it says are the "most efficient backhoe loader ever...designed with fuel economy and reduction in emissions firmly in mind."
Using new engine technology, JCB says the new backhoes use up to 16% less fuel and emissions than previous models, saving customers almost €5000 in fuel costs over three years and cutting CO2 emissions by 17000 kg. JCB says that fuel savings will be €46000 over the total average lifetime of the machine.
The new machines feature JCB's EcoDig system, a new design that uses three hydraulic pumps rather than two, providing the same hydraulic output as previous models, but at 400 rpm lower engine speeds, thereby improving fuel economy and reducing carbon emissions.

MEC Aerial Platforms - Titan Boom 40-S (SHORTLISTED)
The Titan Boom looks like an aerial platform, but MEC has managed to combine the characteristics of a traditional telescopic boom with the carrying capacity of a telehandler and the working area of a large deck scissor lift. 
Side mounted material loading gates can open wide enough to accept a 1.8 m fork carriage and a material load of up to 1350 kg can be placed and secured in the central material load zone.
Up to four workers and tools, not exceeding 450 kg, can enter the platform up the rear steps and clip their harness carabineers onto either one of two stretched stainless steel wire ropes that run low along the whole length of the platform for full mobility. The platform measures 6.7 m by 2.28 m.
The machine can drive when elevated up to a platform height of 9.1 m and lower the boom at the same extension length; for heights above this and up to the full platform height of 12.2 m the two integral front mounted stabilizers need to be set.

Z-Safety Systems - Z-Matic (SHORTLISTED)
The Z-Matic is an unmanned cabin for the distribution of tools and/or safety equipment, with the capacity to accommodate 50 storage compartments. Using a personalised badge, employees can collect safety equipment and tools which meet their user profile. The Z-Matic can be used with several identification systems, including barcodes and smartcards.
The employer or rental company can see exactly who is using what where, with all data forwarded automatically daily. Regular reports also provide an insight into safety practices on site: too high a consumption of certain items can point to incorrect usage; too low and it may be an alert to risk.
The cabin can be supplied as a transparent office container - making the contents visible - or as a robust sea container.

Manufacturer of the Year

Volvo Construction Equipment, Sweden (WINNER)
Volvo Construction Equipment offers the rental industry over 150 models encompassing skid steer loaders, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, excavators, forestry carriers, demolition equipment, pipelayers, articulated haulers, motor graders, milling equipment, pavers, compactors and specialty paving equipment.
In addition to these products it offers worldwide service and a range of services in financing, used equipment and leasing to meet demands of the rental sector.
In 2010, Volvo CE delivered 1800 machines to the rental channel in Europe, and record for the company at a time when markets are still slowly recovering. The company says its commitment to the rental sector is exemplified by the launch in 2010 of its new range of EC mini excavators, designed very much with rental customers in mind.

"We have always had a real partnership with our rental customers, combined with a market offering which is appealing to renters - Volvo products that are environmentally friendly, easy to operate and of course, with the legendary Volvo quality as standard", says the company.

El Björn, Sweden (SHORTLISTED)
El-Björn is the perfect model of a small to medium sized manufacturer that has developed a range of products targeted at rental companies.
Although well known in the Nordic region for its temporary power distribution boards, the company also supplies site lighting, heating, cleaning and drying products for rental companies.
More recently it has been focusing on how rental companies can use the latest distribution technology to reduce energy use on sites. This is in recognition of the fact that an estimated 30% of all power consumption in a building's lifetime occurs during its relatively brief construction phase.

Rental IT Award

A-Plant, UK (WINNER)
Construction hire company A-Plant, working with its technology partner, RFID specialist, 4hSolutions, has developed an unmanned Auto Tool Hire Unit using RFID technology.
Designed to be located at customer sites to provide instant access to tools, the fully automated cabin removes the need for staff to manage the on and off-hire of tools and other equipment. Since its launch in July 2010, over 100 units have already been sold.
The Auto Tool Hire Unit is delivered direct to site and fully stocked with tools and equipment according to the customer's requirements. The user is issued with an RFID keycard to gain entry through the outer door into a lobby area. Once the outer door is closed, the same card is used to open the inner equipment store.
All equipment ready for hire is stored on shelves inside the unit. Each tool in the cabin is RFID tagged and is automatically ‘on-hired' by 4hSolutions' Assettagz software when it is removed from the shelf.

HSS Hire, UK (SHORTLISTED)
HSS has further developed its online asset management system, LiveHire. First launched in 2009, LiveHire is an extranet that offers instant and paperless hire management but also - and uniquely - online, real-time, transactional hire online.
Users can hire equipment at the touch of a button, and they can off-hire in the same way, with immediate effect.
In 2010, the system was further expanded. It is linked to the PDAs used by the company's delivery drivers, which means that customers can now view online estimated time of arrival updates and also view Proof of Delivery/Collection forms.

Kiloutou, France (SHORTLISTED)
2010 was a year of major IT developments at French rental company Kiloutou. Having created a network based on three main packages - Locpro for its rental function, HR Access for human resources management and Oracle eBusiness Suite for other functions - last year the company took its IT development into new areas, including the outsourcing of customer invoices and the implementation of geo-location functions in its front office applications.
The outsourcing of invoices is being carried out with partner PitneyBowes, and improves the speed and efficiency of invoicing.
The geo-location functions, linked to the PDAs carried by delivery drivers, means that Kiloutou can track the location of its delivery fleet and asses the most efficient delivery routes.
Another initiative during the year included implementation of Google Apps, which facilitates the sharing of data and information between kiloutou employees. Employees are using Google Calendar, Google Documents and Google Video.

Speedy Hire, UK (SHORTLISTED)
In 2010, Speedy invested £1.3 million in a new PDA system for its delivery drivers and also launched a new extranet system for its customers, My Speedy.
The PDA system, developed with mobile working software specialist Codegate, allows delivery drivers to capture proof of delivery (ePOD) forms as well as photos of equipment. Trucks care tracked by Speedy and drivers are given information on optimum delivery routes and maps.
Speedy says the system will improve the productivity of its drivers, reduce travel costs and reduce wear and tear of its vehicles.
The new extranet service, My Speedy, links directly to the implementation of the PDAs, allowing customers to analyse data collected from the PDAs as well as manage their account. Speedy says the extranet "is a free service that allows customers instant access to all of their account information. Furthermore, it allows them to streamline their account management with no paperwork, no calls and no fuss."

Rental Marketing Award

Ramirent, Norway (WINNER)
Ramirent's Norwegian business rebranded from Bautas to Ramirent last year and it is this campaign that is shortlisted in the marketing awards.
The campaign combined advertisements in print, web, TV and radio; press releases and direct mail; and the use of social media such as Facebook. Part of the campaign involved a vote on the childrens' playground that most needed improving, with 500 playgrounds put forward by the public for the Ramirent ‘makeover'. This was so successful that Ramirent is considering making it an annual competition.
Ramirent says the campaign produced "amazing results and brand recognition after only a short while" and said had "given new energy to the Norwegian organization".

HSS Hire, UK (SHORTLISTED)
The company launched its ‘Better Equipped' campaign as part of its shift away from its old image as a high street hire shop towards its new identity as a technical service partner.
HSS describes the Better Equipped campaign as "clean, crisp, uncluttered and clear. It uses only our core brand colours and is always led with a large ‘Better Equipped to....' message which can change according to the audience." For example, it can read: Better Equipped to keep you safe; Better Equipped to serve our customers; Better Equipped to build revenue; Better Equipped to keep you safe.
"Better Equipped resonates with colleagues and customers and for the first time in our history, we have real congruence between who we are, what we do, our customer expectations and our marketing", said the company.

Rental Safety Award

GAP Group, UK (WINNER)
GAP launched its highly-regarded ‘Split Second Safety' campaign in 2007 to raise awareness of safety issues among customers and staff. During 2010 GAP redesigned and extended the campaign by adding 4 new topics: Electricity, Diamond Blades, Trailer checks and Environmental Awareness. The safety campaign now covers 16 different subjects.
To date the campaign has helped reduce GAP's accident rates by 44% to their lowest level in 5 years, an impressive figure given that GAP has nearly twice the amount of employees and an additional 20 depots.
The company has also invested in health and safety in its fleet. The company spent £110000 in equiping all 59 of its depots with the Reactec's HAVMeter, which allows users of hand-held tools to limit their exposure to hand arm vibration.
In addition, GAP has made the inclusion of quick hitches a standard specification on all the excavators it bought in 2010, and is retrofitting these to all of its 5.5 t and 8.0 t excavators. It has also followed the initiative of one of its larger customers, Morgan Sindal, by making it easier for operators of its site dumpers to enter and leave the machines, with all steps, foot plates and handles repainted in high visibility yellow paint.

Hewden, UK (SHORTLISTED)
Despite the challenging economic climate, severe winter weather and a change of ownership, Hewden achieved a sixth consecutive year of improvement in health and safety performance in 2010.
In 2010, the company had 10 recordable incidents (30 in 2008, 24 in 2007) in over 2.84 million working hours. The turn of the year also saw Hewden reach the one million hour mark without a classified lost time incident.
During the year, Hewden held a ‘health and safety' week for all employees and produced ten ‘golden rules' for health and safety.

HSS Hire, UK (SHORTLISTED)
HSS's commitment to safety was confirmed in 2010 when it achieved zero non-compliances in its Safe-Hire re accreditation. (Safe-Hire is the safety audit undertaken by Hire Association Europe(HAE)). It was also the only UK rental company in a recent Which? report to record no safety faults in their inspections. (Which? is a UK-based consumer watchdog.)
Also during the year it formed a team of ‘Safety Champions', who HSS says are "just everyday colleagues with a passion for health and safety." Each hub and office location has a safety champion - making 60 in all, or one for every 30 employees. All have been trained in IOSH Working Safely.
The company says it has seen a consistent reduction in its accident and incident frequency rates and in the severity rate, and a significant increase in the duration rate between accidents. It says it is the only tool and equipment hire company to have achieved a four star British Safety Council award.

WHEN:
15 May 2012

WHERE:
Radisson Blu Hotel,
Oslo, Norway

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