Haulotte's open mind on rental

Alexandre Saubot, Haulotte group's chief operating officer, left the door open for the company to establish its own access rental businesses to help develop immature access markets.

Speaking at Bauma, Saubot said Haulotte could use rental as a way of developing the access market in Asia or China. “Maybe we could [create] our own rental business there. If you cannot find someone else to do it … It's a tool.”

He said the company had no intention of establishing rental operations in North America – where it is currently engaged on a project to develop sales with the large rental consolidators – but would consider it in markets where there is no established rental activity. He said the company had found companies willing to develop rental in Eastern Europe.

Haulotte used Bauma to launch the telehandlers built at its new Spanish facility. Saubot said the two models – 4 ton (4.48 US ton) capacity with 14 or 17 meter (45 and 55 feet) placing heights – were developed in particular for rental markets. “Most of our rental clients in access rental are going into telehandlers…There has been strong and clear client pressure to have this range.”

He said the two models had been designed with ease of use and safety in mind, with the controls developed for users who are not full–time handler operators and which do not require experienced operators to obtain the full quoted lifting duties.

Saubot confirmed that other telehandlers would follow, including Roto–type models, and that the long term aim was to have sales volumes of at least 3,000 units, although he expected sales of less than 1,000 machines this year.