ERA strengthens action on equipment theft

Equipment theft remains a major challenge for the European equipment rental industry.

Across Europe, theft and vandalism cause significant financial and operational damage to rental companies, contractors and their customers. For the rental sector alone, ERA estimates the value of stolen equipment to exceed €500 million per year.

To help the industry respond, ERA has developed practical resources focused on prevention and is now strengthening its work on the recovery of stolen assets at European level.

Andrew Huddleston of the UK's Police National Rural Crime Unit, speaking at the theft workshop held during the ERA Convention in Maastricht. (Image: ERA / Maurice Vinken / kleurstof.eu)

The prevention work, led by a subgroup of ERA’s Technical Committee, resulted in the ERA Theft and Vandalism Prevention Guide, published in 2025. The guide was developed to help rental companies and their customers better understand theft risks and apply practical measures to reduce them.

Toolbox talks and video

ERA has also produced two toolbox talks on theft and vandalism prevention. These short, practical materials were created to make the topic easier to address within rental companies and on customer sites. They are intended to support simple, direct conversations with employees, operators and customers, and to reinforce good practices in day-to-day operations.

The toolbox talks complement the guide by offering a more accessible format for team briefings, safety moments or site discussions. Their aim is to help make theft prevention part of everyday operational conversations.

As part of this work, ERA has published an interview with Matt Ross, Chair of ERA’s Technical Committee, and John Smeets, both members of the subgroup on theft prevention. They explain why theft is such an important issue for rental companies and their customers, and how the subgroup approached the development of practical prevention tools for the sector.

They underline that equipment theft is not only a financial problem. It can disrupt projects, delay work on site, create administrative burdens and affect the relationship between rental companies and their customers. Prevention therefore requires awareness and cooperation across the rental value chain.

Recovery of stolen equipment

While prevention remains a key priority, ERA is now also addressing the recovery of stolen equipment.

ERA has launched a new Working Group on Theft, which held its first meeting on 11 May. The Working Group will focus specifically on the recovery of stolen assets at European level, where cross-border coordination is often needed.

The recovery of stolen equipment remains complex. Processes and information flows vary between countries, and stolen machines can move quickly across borders. Recovery rates also differ depending on national practices, available tools and the security measures in place.

The new Working Group brings together National Associations, rental companies, OEMs and police authorities. Its first task is to map existing approaches and tools in different countries and identify what is already available at European and international level.

Based on this mapping, the group will assess where ERA can add value. Possible areas of work include improving communication between countries, supporting closer cooperation across the value chain, exploring options for a centralised stolen equipment register with appropriate data confidentiality, and with appropriate international enforcement bodies or similar initiatives.

By combining practical prevention tools with a more structured approach to recovery, ERA aims to help the European rental industry respond to equipment theft in a more coordinated and effective way.