WORLD'S BIGGEST ACCESS RENTAL FIRMS REVEALED

The 2024 edition of the world’s biggest access rental players by fleet size shows the sector’s resilience with continued growth despite economic pressures in many parts of the world

The access50 is an exclusive listing of the world’s largest access rental players by the size of their MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform) fleet. This is an edited version of that list, which first appeared in the July-August edition of Access International, and contained 80 companies. When evaluating the results of the table it is worth noting that all the evidence shows that the European rental market has suffered less than the general construction sector and wider economies.

Major acquisitions

That said, there have been some striking developments in the region, including major acquisitions from the internation rental companies, such as Boels’ buyout of specialist access rental giant Riwal.

The deal makes a real dent in the specialist access rental sector and was partly the result of toughening conditions in the market, with equipment process on the up and rental rates on the down, combined with difficult access to finance.

Generally, growth across the European companies has been much less dramatic, and under 10% in most cases. However, it’s worth pointing out that, while slower, it is still in positive territory in the most part, thanks to the gradual improvement in supply and the better than average confidence among rental companies.

The list has seen strong growth in recent years

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

Southern Europe has been bucking this trend, with relatively strong growth in construction and rental. Looking at the access50 table there is compelling evidence of that. Mollo, in Italy, has been on the acquisition trail within its own country, which has seen its fleet grow by 100%. Likewise, fellow Italian renter GV3 has also been on the acquisition trail, again targeting growth in its own country, reflecting the strength of these southern nations.

Chinese influence

The access50 listings of recent years have also been remarkable for the growth seen by the Chinese rental companies. They reported more than 200% fleet increases on some occasions in recent years. While this exceptional growth has slowed, we are still seeing rises of more than 50%.

We have reported extensively on the Chinese market in the past, and will continue to do so. Rental companies in this country are grappling with an immature market that is still dominated by major players and very low rental rates, alongside a flat economy and construction sector.

Rental sector booming in US

The US, on the other hand, is booming, with rental companies there showing real and healthy growth where rental has almost fully returned to its pre-covid state. That doesn’t mean there are no changes in the market. Acquisition by the major companies in the country is still the name of the game and there is a move to a new trend of investing in specialist renters, that are not

(EST) = estimated | NA = not applicable | Fleet details key: S = scissors; B = booms; T = truck mounts; M = mast climbers; H = passenger hoists; P = pusharound

affected by the cyclical construction market. There are a number of new entries this year on the list, notably from the US. This reflects the strength of that market and the number of rental companies in the country with fleets of more than 1,000 units. There are also a couple of entries new from China, which has now become the world’s largest access rental nation in terms of total estimated fleet in the country.

Drawing conclusions

Overall, this edition of the access50 demonstrates rental’s resilience in the face of adversity, with the sector still reporting growth amid tough conditions across Europe and China.

ABOUT ACCESS INTERNATIONAL

Access International is the global leader for access industry information. The magazine is published six times a year. The accessM20 was originally published in the May-June issue and the access50 in the July-August issue.