IPAF forecasts 40% annual fleet growth in Brazil

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) is forecasting annual growth of 40% in the Brazilian access rental fleet for the next five years.

Tim Whiteman, IPAF CEO and managing director, speaking at the IPAF Summit in Rome, told delegates that its research consultant, Ducker, was forecasting around 40% annual growth in aerial fleets as rental companies expanded to meet the growing demands from construction and infrastructure.

If correct, that would see the current estimated fleet of around 14500-15000 units increase to 25000 machines by the end of 2013.

The predictions are contained in IPAF's soon to be published updated powered access reports for Europe and North America, which will be launched at Intermat.

Mills Rental is the biggest access rental company in Brazil and has been growing rapidly over the past five years. Sergio Kariya, Mills Rental's managing director, who was attending the Summit in Rome, told Access International that he was also optimistic about growth over the coming years, but said he thought annual growth in the fleet might be between 30 and 35%, slightly lower than IPAF's forecasts.

Mr Kariya said the access industry was facing constraints as a result of the rapid expansion, with difficulties in finding technicians and the need for significant investment in management and operations.

He said that Mills Rentals' growth this year would be around 50% this year, slower than in recent years. The fleet size was doubled last year, but a smaller number of additional machines - around 1000 - will be added this year.

Mr Whiteman acknowledged that the rapid growth in Brazil was bringing its own challenges, as well as opportunities. In operator training, for example, he said it was likely that just 10% of platform operators in the country had received professional training.