Déprez urges aerials producers not to overlook Europe

Gérard Déprez, chief executive officer of Loxam - Europe's largest equipment rental company - urged aerial platform manufacturers not to overlook the requirements of the European rental sector as they chase emerging markets in Asia and Latin America.

Mr Déprez, speaking to an audience of aerial platform rental companies and manufacturers at the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) Summit conference in Amsterdam on 14 April, said aerial platforms represented a very important product for rental companies, but that "As a rental industry, we are anxious that manufacturers may not be able to deliver...in our region.

"The priority for manufacturers seems to be given to emerging countries where they want to increase their market shares."

Aerial platform manufacturers are trying to increase production rapidly to meet growing demand from Latin America, Australia and other Asian markets. Lead times from products are anticipated to increase.

Mr Déprez said he was "anticipating a growth phase in Europe" when the demand for aerials will return.

In response to Mr Déprez' presentation, IPAF's newly elected president, Wayne Lawson, JLG's vice president and managing director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, reminded the conference that manufacturers were having to cope with an upturn in demand after a period when sales fell by as much as 70% from the peak levels in 2007.

He said it would be a real challenge for suppliers to meet the rising levels of demand but assured the audience that JLG was aware of the needs of the European market; "Europe, in the short term, offers the greatest potential for growth...within a couple of years we will see Europe bounce back really strongly. We just need to do a lot of planning, us and rental companies."

Mr Déprez also called on rental companies to do a better job of anticipating the cycles of growth and recession in the industry. He said the rental sector, and the aerial platform market in particular, experienced exaggerated cycles, and that analysis of previous cycles gave rental companies a way of anticipating when demand was likely to fall.

"Our industry would definitely benefit from better anticipation of market cycles", he told delegates.