Friday quiz: Access equipment fatalities | Manitou’s new battery joint venture | Who is new Nixon Hire CEO?
1) By what percentage did fatal and major incidents involving powered access equipment decrease in 2024, according to IPAF’s Global Safety Report? 15% 26% 12% 2) Where will Manitou and Hangcha’s new lithium-ion battery joint venture be established? Metz, in northeastern France Le Mans, in Sarthe, France Toulouse, in southern France 3) What is the […]
Judges announced for the 2025 Working at Height Awards
The judging panel for the 2025 Working at Height Conference & Awards has been unveiled, featuring a lineup of esteemed industry experts. As part of the Working at Height Conference & Awards event co-organized by Access, Lift & Handlers (ALH) magazine and the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), the Working at Height Awards brings together […]
Re-rental veteran Truckenbrodt on tariffs, tech shortages and survival in an uncertain market
Founded 35 years ago, USM ReRents is now among the longest-established re-rental providers in the United States, and one of the few independents still standing in a sector that has undergone significant consolidation in the last five years. The company, whose business model is built around supplying specialist machines to regional rental companies that cannot […]
Samoter launches operator training initiative
Veronafiere, organiser of the Samoter exhibition, is launching Samoter Academy, a collaboration with non-profit foundation Engim Veneto and equipment manufacturers to promote training and skills development in the construction equipment industry. The initiative will be established after the next Samoter show, which takes place in Verona, Italy, on 6 to 9 May 2026, and aims […]
New CEO for Opifex-Synergy in US
Opifex-Synergy, the major US rental business in the Southern states of the US, has appointed Joseph ‘Jay’ Vaughn III as its CEO. Vaughn was the CEO and co-founder of Texas-based Opifex. His appointment follows the merger last year of Opifex and Florida-based Synergy Equipment. He succeeds Synergy founder J C Mas, who will become chairman […]
Capex drop hits Genie quarterly revenues
Lower than expected capital expenditure from customers has resulted in a 17% drop in net sales for Genie in the second quarter of the year. Sales at Terex Corp’s Aerials division stood at $607 million, representing a $125 million fall year-over-year as rental customers focused primarily on replaceing their fleets. Genie’s GTH-1044 The lower than […]
JCB on how to beat the skilled labor shortage
What does it take to cultivate the next generation of skilled talent in the access, rental and manufacturing industries? JCB’s Early Career Development Manager Chastity Williams-Lasley will address just that when she takes the stage on Oct. 16 to present at the Working at Height Conference & Awards in Nashville. In her session “Built to […]
Genie launches quick access operator information hub
Genie has introduced the Serial Hub, bringing QR codes to its lift, which makes it easier and faster for operators to find machine information. The service provides access to the operator’s manual, maintenance requirements, safety-related information, and parts ordering and availability, among others. In July, Genie began rolling out QR code decals located in an […]
Spreading the load: How cranes giant Palfinger wants to take its access platform business to the next level
Palfinger, the Austrian engineering group is known around the world for its cranes. The Salzburg-based manufacturer, founded in 1932, produces more than 100 models of truck-mounted articulated loader cranes and is easily considered the market leader in the segment. Yet, despite this specialism, Palfinger, which also produces marine lifting solutions and truck-mounted forklifts, is looking […]
Sun, sea and specialist rental: How Spanish plant hire firm Manain is navigating a buoyant market
“We are not a normal rental company,” says Albert Borràs, founder of Catalonia-based construction equipment rental firm Manain. It’s a statement borne out by the figures: half of Manain’s revenues now stem from equipment sales—particularly of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs)—alongside its core rental business. The firm’s fleet includes 1,400 aerial platforms out of 2,000 […]