May 2009 Vol. 64 No. 5
Business
Rental News: EPA revs up retrofit program, 2008 state-of-industry report released, and more
EPA revs up leased construction equipment retrofit program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) a $400,000 grant to help retrofit construction equipment that is leased to construction projects throughout the Northeast. Placing emissions controls on this equipment slashes harmful pollutants from diesel engines, which can directly impact people’s health, including by bringing on asthma attacks. The check was presented to Paul J. Miller, NESCAUM deputy director by George Pavlou, EPA’s top local official, at a ceremony at H.O. Penn Machinery in the Bronx, a Caterpillar Equipment dealer with locations through the Northeast.
“Construction equipment is often leased, and getting rental facilities to put pollution controls on their equipment means cleaner air for communities everywhere the leased equipment is used,” said George Pavlou, Acting EPA Regional Administrator. “Grants like this one create jobs while making a healthier future for our children.”
NESCAUM, a clean air association of the eight Northeast states, will use the EPA grant to retrofit diesel-powered rental construction equipment operating in the six New England states, New York and New Jersey. According to equipment inventories, as much as 25 percent of construction equipment in these areas is owned by rental companies, which is often not equipped with available clean diesel technology. NESCAUM will also work with the construction industry associations in the region and with the manufacturers of emission control devices to aid vehicle retrofits and target rental companies, provide guidance in selecting vendors and technologies, and facilitate competitive bids for the control technology and its installation. The retrofit project runs from December 2008 through December 2010.
New 2008 State of the Equipment Rental Industry report released
The American Rental Association (ARA) has released some of the key findings of the 2008 State of the Equipment Rental Industry report, the latest complete overview of the $38.3 billion North American rental industry produced by IHS Global Insight for the ARA and Rental Management.
According to the 2008 report, the total size of the North American rental market was $38.3 billion in 2008, including $35.3 billion in the United States and $3.0 billion in Canada.
According to the 2008 report, the construction and industrial equipment rental segment remained the largest in the United States in 2008, with rental revenue of $24.5 billion or 69.4 percent of the total U.S. rental market. For Canada, construction and industrial equipment remained the largest equipment rental revenue segment in 2008, accounting for $2.2 billion or 73 percent of the market.
Rental revenues in the United States fell 2.7 percent in 2008, but this performance was significantly better than the broad U.S. construction market. While the report states that further declines are likely in 2009 and 2010, it forecasts rental revenue growth in 2011 and total revenues in 2012 that equal or exceed the 2007 market peak.
The full report is now available for purchase through the ARA. Those who buy the report will receive two free written updates from IHS Global Insight and be invited to participate in two exclusive webcasts to be scheduled in late spring and fall 2009.
Volvo Rents expands franchise
DuWayne and Jackie Eoff, Aaron Eoff and Rob Barnica of EBE Enterprises LLC, announce the opening of their third construction equipment rental store. The new Volvo Rents-Springdale location serves the northwest Arkansas market and is located at 4268 Haile Lane. The store’s telephone number is (479) 750-7368.
“Everyone is asking us why we are opening another store in such bad economic times. Our response is that everyone is cutting—people, equipment and stores—while attempting to maintain their customer base. We believe the only way to truly serve our customers’ needs is to expand in our ability to meet their needs,” stated Barnica.
Volvo Rents is also expanding into Red Deer, Alberta.
Local owners Doug Baumann, Deanna Bauman, and Lance and Twyla Gardiner of Bonus Rentals, announce the opening of their fifth construction equipment rental store. Volvo Rents – Red Deer is located at 66-38403 Burnt Lake Trail, Unit B. The store’s phone number is (403) 341-3171. Their other locations are in Edmonton, Edson, Ft. Saskatchewan, and Rocky Mountain House.
“We’re excited about the opportunity in Red Deer,” stated Lance Gardiner. “Alberta’s strong economy has fueled the demand for more rental equipment.” Gardiner said that a big reason why they decided to expand to the Red Deer area was that many of the contractors they do business with invited them to the area.
Coble Trench Safety
Coble Trench Safety (CTS) has opened a new branch in Norfolk, VA, which will service the Tidewater and surrounding area in Virginia. The company specializes in the rental and sales of trench safety equipment, as well as OSHA-compliant training classes, and the rental and sales of traffic safety equipment.
“We are very excited about our new Norfolk operation,” said Tom Coble, president of CTS. “The Norfolk branch is our sixth expansion outside the state of North Carolina, and will be the ninth fully-staffed operation of Coble Trench Safety in the United States.”
The new branch will be managed by Jeff Becker.
In maintaining the objective of building a network of trench and traffic safety branches, CTS plans to open at least one to two other new branch operations in the coming year with additional branches to follow. For strategic reasons, Coble declined to comment on the location of the additional new branches.
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