EXECUTIVE REPORT
Niftylift had one of the largest stands at the Show.
Back in New Orleans
Leigh Sparrow, Publisher of Cranes & Access and
Vertikal.net, provides a brief review of last month’s ARA Rental Show.
The annual American Rental Association’s Convention and Show was back in New Orleans last month for the first time in 10 years. It had been scheduled to return in 2007, a year after Hurricane Katrina hit the city, but the organisers decided at the time that the facilities were not ready for such a big event and the return was deferred.
This popular venue and a more upbeat US rental market pushed
inspHire has set up in America - MD Graham Dobbs (centre) and team at the Rental Show.
attendance numbers to
the highest levels since 2008. Not only did ARA members turn out in their thousands, but the atmosphere was exceptionally upbeat, with the vast majority of visitors and exhibitors in a very positive frame of mind. All of which translated into a good number of orders and enquiries for exhibitors, further extending lead
times.There was no escaping the improvement in confidence levels since last year and you could not have left the Convention Centre in anything but a positive and upbeat mood. The uncertainty hovering over the European economy is nowhere to be seen on the other side of the Atlantic.
Sadly, new products were in short supply, driven by engineering cutbacks a year or two ago, when equipment would have been designed and the fact that new engine regulations have soaked up a vast amount of engineering time at most manufacturers. In spite of this, there was still plenty to see. Skyjack led the way with a new 21m self-propelled boom lift - the SJ63AJ. The prototype on the stand was decked out in the black and cream colours of local American football team, the Saints, reflecting that the Show was held over Superbowl weekend.
Another launch - albeit of smaller, more general equipment - was found on the LiftSmart
stand.The company, led by Genie veteran Steve Citron, produces material lifts and had its new MLI Industrial Pro Series range on display, with lift heights to 7.6m and capacities up to 454kg, alongside a three model MLM Mini-Pro Series, ranging from 3.3m to 6.1m, with 318kg lift capacity. The range has been designed with Europe in mind and plans to launch in the UK are at the final stages.
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On the Custom Equipment stand, with its range of Hy-brid low-level and push around scissor lifts, we learnt that it is moving its UK distribution away from R2 Access and is in the process of setting up new representation.
Telescopic handler manufacturers were well represented. However, this being the USA, most of the products on display were different to anything sold over here. JCB, Manitou, JLG and Genie were all present, but only Genie had anything new, unveiling an American-style 13m/3.6 tonne unit - the GTH8448. As you might expect, the rental software sector was prominent, with UK-based inspHire making a splash, having recently set up an office in Houston and hoping to add to its existing American customer base.
It is worth noting that this event is far more than just a show - in fact, the Rental Show, as it is known, is a side event to the American Rental Association’s annual Convention - this year being its
56th.The event includes more than 30 major seminars, as well as numerous receptions, addressing subjects as diverse as party and tents and telescopic handlers. The largest session was the Keynote address, given this year by Aron Ralston whose amazing story was made into the recent film ‘127 hours’.Well over 1,500 delegates packed into the hall to hear him speak.
A delegation from the HAE joined rental associations from countries like Australia, New Zealand and Brazil, while Sunbelt Rentals, the US arm of UK hirer A-Plant, had a display of its own at the entrance to the Convention Centre and more than 100 staff in attendance. Next year the ARA Convention moves to Las Vegas from 9-12 February, thus avoiding this year’s clash of dates with the Executive Hire Show.
A-Plant’s US subsidiary Sunbelt Rentals was prominent at the Show.
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