MBA study into rental growth

A Ramirent district manager in Sweden has written an MBA study into consolidation of the equipment rental industry. The dissertation considers whether the process is inevitable and identifies the key determinants of success.

Jens Sjöberg (pictured), Stockhold/Uppsala district manager with Ramirent, completed his dissertation in December after interviewing senior rental executives worldwide about the process of consolidation.

“In the last couple of years everyone has been talking about consolidation, and about there eventually only being five global rental companies”, Mr Sjöberg told IRN, “I wanted to see what was driving it, what is the process, and what are the actual benefits.”

He said there were plenty of examples of single acquisitions, but not much work had been done into the multiple acquisitions that have taken place in North America and now, to some degree, in Europe.

He said many senior executives were generous with their time, and open about the results of past acquisitions; “I was surprised how easy it was to get good access to people.”The 121 page dissertation - which gained a pass -includes conclusions on what makes acquisitions successful as well as a discussion on the drivers to consolidation.

The study has not been a purely academic one: Mr Sjöberg is now developing an acquisitions methodology for Ramirent.