Phil Mist appointed general secretary of UK's Hire Trade Alliance

The Hire Trade Alliance (HTA), a trade association focused on the UK's tool hire market with around 70 members, has appointed Phil Mist as its general secretary.

Mr Mist was one of the founder members of the trade association in 1997, alongside Patricia Laidler, who is the association's chairman. HTA said his initial brief is to raise the profile of the association within the rental industry throughout the UK and beyond.

The HTA aims to enhance the status of small and medium sized rental companies in the UK and Ireland and is now targeting further expansion. The organization said; "HTA is focusing upon a newly developed website, offering virtually instant help and essential information to members at the touch of a button. HTA membership can draw upon a very hands-on approach from experienced staff with further expert help available from a number of well known UK rental industry experts."

Mr Mist, who has also been general secretary of Portable Sanitation Europe (PSE), the association that represents renters of toilets and other products, said; "The next few weeks and months will be challenging for all concerned in coming to terms with the changes made to HTA, and I am looking forward to a successful future with the association which already caters for a broad range of firms within the UK rental industry sectors".

The HTA - which should not be confused with the much larger Hire Association Europe (HAE), another UK-based rental association - said it had services in place that would help its members to cut their costs, streamline systems, improve the level of service on offer to customers and train their operators.