European Rental Awards – the winners

The winners of the 2014 European Rental Awards have been announced during a ceremony on the evening of 25 June in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Held during the European Rental Association’s annual convention and the International Rental Exhibition (IRE), the awards cocktail reception and dinner was a glittering and exciting event that celebrated the best that the industry has to offer

The shortlisted companies gathered in the Elicium 2 room at the Amsterdam Rai venue in the Netherlands for the ceremony.

There were six awards categories, and the judges were Claudio Fiorentini, managing director of special projects at JCB Sales; Pedro Luis Fernandez, CEO of GAM Alquiler; Sat Dhaiwal, CEO of A-Plant, UK; Vesa Koivula, European Rental Association (ERA) president, and CEO of Cramo; and Murray Pollok, managing editor of International Rental News (IRN).

The non-voting chairman of the panel was Michel Petitjean, secretary general of the ERA.
The judges praised the quality of the entrants and thanked all the companies that had participated, whether shortlisted or not.

They said, “The submissions demonstrated the passion and enthusiasm that is in the rental industry, with companies proud of their achievements and willing to share their experiences. Even in a generally difficult year for rental in Europe, many companies were able to grow and innovate.”

Here is a list of the winners for each category:


AWARD ONE – RENTAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

SHORTLIST:
4-punto-1 (Italy)
Hewden (UK)
Nationwide Platforms (UK)

The award, presented by Helen Wright, editor of IRN, was won by HEWDEN, which created a Core Fleet of its most popular 30 products and guaranteed next day delivery. HEWDEN marketing director, Jeff Schofield, collected the award.

The judges said, “This was a clear and successful campaign with measurable results. Hewden identified core products, aimed the campaign at a specific customer sector, and supported the campaign with effective marketing materials.”

AWARD TWO – RENTAL SAFETY CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

SHORTLIST:

AFI (UK)
Lavendon Group (Europe)
Ramirent (Finland)

The award, presented by ERA, Secretary General, Michel Petitjean, was won by Ramirent, for its safety campaign in Sweden. Erik Alteryd, executive vice president of Ramirent Sweden collected the award.

The judges said they liked Ramirent’s “back to basic approach, with a focus on customer visits. The campaign went beyond the simple promotion of safety products and brought to life important health and safety messages.”

AWARD THREE – RENTAL PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

SHORTLIST:

- Firefly (Cygnus hybrid generator)
- Niftylift (HR28 hybrid access platform)
- Power Towers (Pecolift access platform)
- SDMO (Rental Compact generators)
- Tower Light (VTLED lighting tower)

Highly Commended award – The judges said that SDMO deserved recognition from the rental industry for the way that it had developed its new range of generators.

The award, presented by Marzia Giusto, General Director at Nacanco, was won by Power Towers for the Pecolift access platform. Power Towers managing director Brian King accepted the award.

The judges said, “This is the type of product that rental companies are looking for, with a low cost of maintenance, easy to operate and designed for rental. These factors have meant that it has quickly gained acceptance in the market.”


AWARD FOUR – RENTAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR (turnover under €15 million)

SHORTLIST:
- Crestchic (UK)

- Dromad Hire (Republic of Ireland)

- GGR Group (UK)

- Hotmobil (Germany)

- Industrial Access (Romania)

The award, presented by Ritchie Brothers senior vice president, Jeroen Rijk, was won by HOTMOBIL. Managing director Christian Han collected the award.

The judges said, “Hotmobile is a pioneer in a niche rental market, with a very clear strategy. It demonstrates a closeness to its customers through the development of new products for specific applications. It is also sharing its expertise by selling its heating and cooling units to the wider market.”

AWARD FIVE – RENTAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR (turnover above €15 million)

SHORTLIST:

- AFI (UK)
- GAP Group (UK)
- Loxam (France)

The award was won by LOXAM and was accepted by Loxam CEO Gerard Deprez.

The judges said, “A leader of Europe’s rental market, Loxam has been a consistent financial performer throughout the crisis years. The initiatives it launched last year – Loxam City, in-store locations – show that it is alive to the changing demands of its customers and of new market areas. The company has played an enormous part in developing the French and European rental market and deserves recognition for its consistently professional approach.”

AWARD SIX – THE ERA/IRN RENTAL PERSON OF THE YEAR

The award, presented by ERA president Vesa Koivula, was won by founder and managing director of GGR Group, GILL RILEY.

Ms Riley leads a company that in 15 years has become one of the fastest growing small and medium sized rental companies in Europe, with a rental fleet of mini-cranes and 27 dealers throughout Europe all promoting the mini-crane concept. In 2013 GGR celebrated the sale of its 1000th mini crane and has 150 mini cranes in its hire fleet.

The European Rental Awards are jointly organised by the European Rental Association and IRN.

Ritchie Bros is the Gold Sponsor for the awards, and IronPlanet is the sponsor of the awards drinks reception. Silver sponsors are Caterpillar, Grindex, Hilti, Bredenoord and Intermat.