Sumitomo appoints new head of equipment rental division

Sumitomo Corp has appointed Kengo Shibayama as head of its Construction Equipment Rental business unit. The division owns Sunstate Equipment in the US and Aver Asia in Singapore.

Shibayama succeeds Koichiro Hihara, who has moved from the rental division to become deputy general manager at Sumitomo’s Ship & Marine business.

The new rental division leader joined Sumitomo in 2016 and for almost six years until early 2025 was vice president of strategic planning at Sunstate Equipment. From 2023 Shibayama was also a team leader at Sumitomo’s Construction & Mining Equipment business.

Kengo Shibayama, head of Sumitomo Corp's Construction Equipment Rental business unit.

Sumitomo invested in the equipment rental sector in 2009 when it acquired a minority share of Phoenix-based Sunstate, assuming majority ownership in 2012 and full ownership in 2017.

It acquired Singapore-based Aver Asia in 2021. Aver rents construction equipment in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Sunstate has been growing rapidly under Sumitomo’s ownership. It added US business Trench Shore Rentals to Sunstate in 2024, and last year appointed former HERC, Riwal and United Rentals executive Norty Turner as its CEO.