The temporary space race

Competition has continued to grow in Europe’s temporary space market after Finnish rental company Cramo acquired MDS Raumsysteme’s modular space fleet in Germany.

MDS is one of the players in the modular space market in southwest Germany and it has a strong position in the industrial segment, with 179 modular space units of which 92% are currently on rent, according to Cramo.

Cramo said the fleet would be integrated into its existing German modular space rental division - C/S RaumCenter. It said the transaction would increase its sales by about €0.4 million annually.

Senior vice president of Cramo Adapteo (the company’s dedicated temporary access business) Petri Moksén said, “The transaction strengthens our position particularly in the industry segment in Germany.

"The modular space fleet purchased is also fully compatible with our current fleet in Germany, so the new fleet can be used together with our existing fleet.”

The acquisition comes after Ramirent, a rival rental company based in Finland, announced at the start of December that it was launching a new sub-brand - Ramirent Temporary Space - to strengthen its position in this growing market.

In 2011, Ramirent took a step forward in the temporary space business by acquiring Rogaland Planbygg, a provider of rental accommodation and office modules to the oil and gas industry in Norway.

Ramirent said it currently generated €30 million in annual sales from temporary space rental mainly in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, where it claims to be the market leader. Ramirent’s temporary space customers are found in the public, industrial and oil and gas sectors.

However, Cramo Adapteo produced 2014 revenues of €92.8 million from its non-construction modular space rental operations in northern Europe, giving it a stronger presence in terms of sales.

Cramo Adapteo currently operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and under the C/S RaumCenter brand in Germany.