Access Link teams up with PartnerLift

Access Link, a group of independent access rental companies from the UK and Ireland, has extended its depot network into mainland Europe by forging a partnership agreement with German rental organisation, PartnerLift.

The two groups have been in discussions for a year: a visit by Access Link chairman, Malcolm Bowers (also director of Lifterz) to the PartnerLift Hannover offices resulted in a framework agreement being made. The agreement was finalised at an Access Link meeting, which was addressed by Oliwer Dahms, a PartnerLift member, and held at the UK exhibition Vertikal Days last week.

Mr Bowers said, "We are seeing an increasing number of contractors working throughout Europe and this alliance will allow both PartnerLift and Access Link members to offer their customers a far better geographical coverage of the major European countries."

Mr Dahms said that he would like to see the alliance extended to France Scandinavia and Spain and was looking for companies from those countries that might be interested in joining the alliance.

Access Link is an association of Independent Powered Access companies who together offer their customers a one point of contact for countrywide service. Between them they have around 4600 units based in 29 depots. Members must also be members of IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) and must have IPAF Rental+ accreditation or ISO equivalent by the end of the summer this year.

Chairmanship of Access Link is rotated annually and the organisation has no paid employees: all work being carried out on a voluntary basis for the common good. PartnerLift is a similar organisation with a fleet of 7500 machines from 135 depots; however, PartnerLift employs a fulltime MD, Joachim Metzner.

Mr Bowers said, "There is much we can learn from PartnerLift and the way that it operates. Of particular interest is their very sophisticated website as well as preferential buying deals which are offered to all their members, something we are in the early stages of ourselves."