ALH C&A 2016

 

Over 180 attendees heard from industry leaders on topics that directly affect their businesses, including how mobile devices and technology affect business; big data and priorities of using such; the real cost of Tier 4 engines on rental; current rental metrics and what they tell us about rental market trends; cost of ownership; online rentals and much more.

 

The morning's keynote speaker, Larry Silber, opened the day with a discussion about the impact that mobile devices and new technology are having on the equipment rental business.

 

Silber, who is President and CEO of Herc Rentals, argued that data, technology and logistics will differentiate the industry’s leaders.

 

“Through mobile technology, service-oriented businesses are increasingly accommodating the way their customers work and are delivering real-time information when their customers need it”, said Silber.

 

“With service at the core of its mission, the equipment-rental industry is just beginning to imagine this ‘mobile’ future, with a customer base that is already familiar with how mobile apps and related technologies can meet their operational requirements.  Indeed, the future of the equipment-rental industry is mobile, and ― as far as our customers are concerned ― that future is already here.”

 

Presentations were also given by:

 

Brad Boehler, President, Skyjack

Gary McArdle, Executive Vice President, Rouse Services

Alex Schuessler, President, International Group & Founder of SmartEquip

Dale Asplund, Senior Vice President - Business Services and Chief Information Officer, United Rentals

Tony Groat, North American Manager, International Powered Access Federation (IPAF)

Chad Hislop, Director of Engineering, Terex Aerial Work Platforms/Genie

Kip Eideberg, Vice President, Public Affairs & Advocacy, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)

Liam Stannard, Chief Technology Officer, BigRentz

Craig Paylor, Chief Operating Officer, Ahern Rentals

Plus a roundtable will be given on fleet management with  Charles ‘Chuck’ Miller, Vice President – Operations, Herc Rental; Mike Crouch, President and Chief Operating Officer, ACME Lift Company; Jonathan Dawley, Global Vice President – Aftermarket, JLG Industries and Alex Schuessler.

 

Rental companies in attendance include: ACME Lift Company; Aerial Access Equipment; Ahern Rentals; BigRentz; Cloverdale Equipment Co.; Compact Power Rental; Herc Rentals; Neff Rentals; NES Rentals; RentalYard.com; Sunbelt Rentals; United Rentals; UpEquip; US Markets and more.

 

 

ALH C&A 2016 winners announced in Miami

 

The Access, Lift & Handlers Conference & Awards (ALH C&A) was spared by Hurricane Matthew and therefore the industry was able to honor the year’s best during a lavish dinner and sensational awards ceremony.

 

Held Oct. 11 at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, the second ALH C&A saw more than 200 attendees and honored people, projects, safety, equipment and more during the evening’s celebrations.

 

The awards dinner was hosted by roaster extraordinaire, Kevin O’Shea, director of safety and training at Hydro Mobile.

 

“I would like to personally congratulate every company, person and project that took home a trophy tonight,” said Lindsey Anderson, ALH editor and fellow judge of the awards submissions. “It was a very difficult process ranking the entries, but after hours of deliberation, the judges and I were happy with the outcome. Thank you to my fellow panel for all of your hard work.”

 

The winners and judges comments are below:

 

Access Industry Employer of the Year

TVH Parts Company

 

The judges said of the winner: “They go beyond the ‘normal’. They are innovative and the employee program is well-rounded. From the leadership academy, mentoring and reimbursed tuition - they ticked all the boxes.”

 

Access Project of the Year – Aerial Work Platforms

ReachMaster for the The Old Patent Office Building

 

The judges said of the winner: “It was an enormous challenge to get the platform into this jobsite, and if Reachmaster hadn’t managed it, the alternative solution of scaffolding would have been extremely costly and time consuming. This is truly innovative when you compare it to the ‘old’ way of doing things, and highlights the positive impact that aerials can have.”

 

Access Project of the Year – Mast Climbing Work Platforms

Hydro Mobile for the Ohio River Crossing project

 

The judges said of the winner: “This is a very cool jobsite. Any time you have a work platform and you don’t have a plumb line that you’re going to be setting up on, you have an engineering issue. When you look at how high they were going and it not being a vertical load, we thought this was a great engineering solution.”

 

Access Rental Innovation

United Rentals, who developed a fully automated online rental ordering system

 

The judges said of the winner: “United’s new online rental system is a key step in the rental industry’s engagement with the digital world. The customer can select the rental dates, delivery and payment options, and if desired, can call or live-chat for assistance at any time. Integration the platform throughout its systems was the clincher. It’s a digital milestone for the rental business.”

 

Safety Innovation Award

MEC for its Proactive Platform Safety System

 

The judges said of the winner: “We haven’t seen anything else like it in the market, with sensors creating an alarm before a collision incident happens: it’s proactive instead of reactive. We also liked the use of enable trigger bar switches on each control handle, instead of a traditional footswitch. This also highlights that smaller companies can be innovative and make positive contributions in the area of safety.”

 

Product Innovation – Telehandlers

Magni Telescopic Handlers for its new range

 

This was a very tightly contested category with the judges praising all three as “top notch” entries.

 

For that reason, the judges presented a Highly Commended certificate to Manitou for the MRT 3255.

 

The judges said of the winner: “This is a great product. The technology inside the cab makes it high-tech, but Magni has successfully harnessed that technology to make the machine very user-friendly. The judges have been in the cab and learned its operations very quickly. It is a great example of innovation in the service of the user.”

 

Rising Star Award for Small Rental Company (Less than 10 Locations)

UP Equip

 

The judges said of the winner: “We were wowed by UP Equip’s remarkable revenue growth and its ranking among the top 50 fastest growing companies in Canada. We liked that the company has on-site training, video training, technical training and more. From the company’s clearly set out principles to its new website, it has shown itself to be a growing in stature in all areas and will be fun to watch in the coming years.”

 

Product Innovation – Vehicle-Mounted AWP

Socage for its forSte 120DJ

 

The judges said of the winner: “We liked the machine very much. It does not require a Commercial Driver’s License, yet is a 120-foot unit with a maximum working outreach of 75 feet. The basket load is 800 pounds. The configuration of the boom was also impressive.”

 

Product Innovation – Self-propelled/push-around AWPs under 20-feet of Platform Height

JLG for its EcoLift

 

The judges said of the winner: “There’s a lot of interest for this type of product because people are moving away from ladder use. The EcoLift is power-free, with no oil, batteries or hydraulics, which means it will be long-lasting and eco-friendly. There are a lot of attributes to this machine that make it innovative: it’s totally manual, the wheels lock, it’s safe and a pretty cool little device.”

 

Product Innovation – Self-Propelled AWPs over 20-feet of Platform Height

ReachMaster for its Falcon FS170

 

The judges said of the winner: “Compact lifts are changing the way work is done. This is a 170-foot boom that can fit between double doors, offering a powerful combination of height and reach on a small base. The engineering is outstanding, and the potential impact on the market is huge.”

 

ALH Person of the Year

Vincent Dequoy, owner of Hydro-Mobile

 

The winner this year successfully weathered the economic storms and in 2015 brought his company back to record profit levels.

 

As the leader of a manufacturer, he introduced his businesses first rental store, which blossomed into a multi-million dollar division.

 

He encouraged staff to play important roles in industry and national standards bodies, helping lead the way in design, use and safety regulations for mast climbing work platforms.

 

His company trains OSHA staff, they train Union Trainers, they run webinars on safety and liability management and they contribute important safety articles to the trade press.

 

The Person of the Year was as concerned for the welfare of his employees as he was about the business. His belief was that you don’t find the person to fit the job, you find the right person for the team and then build around that person’s strengths.

 

He set the example for the team, and his response to every challenge is thoughtful, positive and collaborative. He is a pioneer in the mast climbing business, and one of the true entrepreneurs of the North American access industry.

 

 

Awards shortlist

 

More than 50 entries were received for the 11 award categories. There were a number of stellar entries; if your company didn’t make the shortlist this time around, please try again for the next ALH C&A. ALH would like to thank all of the companies who entered this year’s call for entries.

 

The 2016 ALH C&A shortlist is as follows:

 

Access Industry Employer of the Year

•  TVH Parts Company

•  JLG Industries, Inc.

•  Genie

 

Access Projects of the Year – Powered AWPs

•  Ahern Rentals (T-Mobile arena)

•  ReachMaster (The Old Patent Office Building)

•  UpEquip (New York Metropolitan Opera)

•  UpEquip (Montreal subway station)

 

Access Projects of the Year – MCWPs

•  Hydro-Mobile

•  Klimer

•  Mastclimbers

 

Access Rental Innovation

•  Ahern Rentals

•  Point of Rental Software

•  United Rentals

 

Access Safety Innovation

•  Genie

•  JLG (Reverse Camera)

•  JLG (SkyGuard)

•  MEC

•  Snorkel

 

Product Innovation (AWPs over 20 feet)

•  Dinolift 220XSE

•  Genie Z-6037FE and DC models

•  JLG 1500AJP

•  ReachMaster Falcon FS170

•  Teupen Puma

•  Elliott Equipment E190

 

Product Innovation (Telehandlers)

•  JCB

•  Magni Telescopic Handlers

•  Manitou

 

Rising Star Award

•  Aerial Access Equipment

•  UpEquip

 

Product Innovation (Vehicle-mounted AWPs)

Winner to be announced the evening of awards.

 

Product Innovation (AWPs under 20 feet)

Winner to be announced the evening of awards.

 

ALH Person of the Year

Winner to be announced the evening of awards.