Russian mining industry slow to adopt rental

A new study into the use of equipment rental by the Russian mining industry found that only a third of companies are using rented equipment and only in a few product categories.

The study, Equipment Rental in the Russian Mining Industry, by consultancy RusRental, found that the most popular rental products - excavators, dozers and mobile cranes - were rented by no more than 30% of mining companies in the country. The other most commonly rented equipment being scaffolding, formwork and portable accommodation (used by between 20 and 25% of companies).

The survey found that no mining companies rented aerial platforms and in most other products, including rollers, tower cranes and concrete pumps, less than 10% of companies rented them.

RusRental said the survey showed that “the Russian mining industry giants still show a cautious attitude towards equipment rental, [but] more and more of them are becoming rental-oriented”.

The consultant said attitudes towards rental differed strongly in various parts of Russia, with some areas where rental is used very rarely.