Get ready for the UK's Executive Hire Show in February

The show, taking place this year for the third time, will see many of the biggest suppliers to the rental sector exhibit, including JCB, Husqvarna, Wacker Neuson, Thwaites, Hilti, Takeuchi, Hire Supply Company and Hanix.

The difficult economic condition, however, has led some companies to drop out, including GenSet plc, Dynapac, Terex Corp and Genie Industries. Others, meanwhile, have increased the size of their stands, including Arc-Gen and Hilta, Avant Tecno, Bosch Power Tools, Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power, Sandhurst Manufacturing, Sumner UK and Tacklestore. Wacker Neuson has doubled its stand-space.

Wacker Neuson UK managing director Andy Howells, quoted on the EHS website, said; "At the heart of our reasoning was the success of the last two events, which had proved to be excellent showcases for an important market. We also needed more space to display the expanded product range offered by the company, as well as new products expected for early 2009."

The exhibition is a dedicated rental event, which means that every stand will have equipment or services of relevance to rental companies, and many exhibitors are planning new launches at the show, including:

Hire Association Europe (HAE): HAE is launching a new product that helps in the management of levels of hand arm vibration. The association has the exclusive rights to distribute the new PDS stikk-i range of products in the UK and Ireland. The stikk-I monitors and manages an operator's daily exposure to vibration, alerting them when they should stop using a certain tool or machine.

Mike and Bea Jones, creators of stikk-i from PDS Aros, said: "The stikk-i is a small self-contained unit which is applied to the equipment and offers the operator a universally understandable traffic light warning system, illuminating in green and then yellow and red dependent on the accumulated daily use time. At the end of the work period the unit can then easily reset or reprogrammed with a simple data storage function".

DeWalt: The power tool manufacturer introduces its new 250 mm dual bevel sliding mitre saw (DW717XPS). DeWalt says the most important feature of the saw is the new Crosscut Positioning System (XPS), which uses LED technology to illuminate the work area and also cast a shadow of the blade showing exactly where the cut will be.

JCB: The UK manufacturer will preview its new Floorsaw, which gives the operator the choice of running 400 or 450mm blades on the same saw. It features a depth gauge, 170mm depth of cut, handle-operated throttle, high capacity water tank and adjustable handle bars and also delivers low HAV levels. Also on show will be the HM25LV hand held breaker, previewed last year and now in production. This uses patented technology to reduce HAV levels.

WorkPoint Environments Ltd: This company exhibits the AirBench for Tool Cleaning, an enclosure for cleaning and repairing tools that incorporates a system where dust and debris blown or brushed from tools is drawn down through the perforated surface and captured in internal filters, with clean air is returned to the room. The AirBench runs from a standard 13 Amp socket, so installation costs are also low, said the company.

Premier Diamond Products (PDP): PDP is expanding its range of diamond blades, cores and drills by adding a range of selected machinery to compliment their existing products. The four products - from "one of the world's leading machine producers" - are a wet and dry diamond core drill designed for up to 162 mm dry and 82 mm wet drilling (PD162); a wet and dry dust extractor which features an integral power tool connection (PV25); a concrete planer available with 125 mm diamond grinding heads for concrete applications and tungsten carbide heads for removing awkward coatings (PCP125); and a 1800 W wall chaser with twin 150 mm diameter blades that provide a useful cutting depth up to 45 mm.

The show takes place at the Ricoh Arena on the outskirts of Coventry. For international visitors, the best way to visit is to fly to Birmingham International Airport, which is a 20 minute car drive from the venue. Gatwick and Heathrow Airports in London are two or two and a half hour's drive away.

For more details, see www.executivehireshow.co.uk