Arne Bugge to retire at end of year

Arne Bugge, co-founder of the Norwegian Rental Association (NRA) and a veteran of Europe’s rental industry, is to retire at the end of the year.

Mr Bugge, who turns 71 in December, is a former managing director of Utleiecompagniet (UCO) and for the past five years has been director of the NRA.

He has been involved in construction equipment for 50 years, driving dump trucks in the holidays while he was studying mechanical engineering and then during a 48 year career with Selmer, Svedala-Arbrå Verksteds A/S, Skanska and UCO.

He was an early champion of the European Rental Association, hosting the association’s convention in 2012 when it was in Oslo and taking part in its EU Affairs committee.

His management role at the NRA will be taken by Mr Yngve Torkildsen, 57, who comes from outside the construction equipment and rental industry.

Since retiring from UCO in 2008 Mr Bugge has acted as a part time director of NRA as well as machinery consultant for Skanska Norge.

His career start working at Selmer A/S in 1965. After three years he joined as Svedala- Arbrå before returning to Selmer in 1969. He ran its rental division between 1998 and 2002, then took up the managing director post at UCO. In total he spent more than 40 years with Selmer/Skanska.

Mr Bugge remembers how his career in equiopment started; "During my education as mechanical engineer (1963-1965) - in most of my holidays - I was driving dump trucks at sites in the Oslo area or heavy cargo trucks between Oslo and Gothenburg. I stll have my driving licences C1E and CE."

Mr Bugge told IRN that he will spend his retirement with his wife and family – he has four grandchildren – and enjoying outdoor pursuits including fishing, golfing and skiing.