01.02.2012

Easi UpLifts buys big

Irish-based international rental company Easi UpLifts, has launched a ‘substantial’ capital investment programme for 2012, with sizeable orders for JLG boom and scissor lifts and Teupen spider lifts.

The bulk of the JLG order is for 60 and 80ft telescopic and articulated booms, including two 150ft (47m working height) JLG 1500SJ- the world's largest self-propelled boom lift. The new lifts will be added to Easi UpLifts’ big boom fleet and will be available for re-rent by other rental companies.

Easi UpLifts managing director John Ball said that the majority of the new machines will be delivered to its UK depots, with a small number being added to its Irish rental operation.
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(L-R) Harry McArdle Easi UpLifts, Alan Hall and Lee Edward JLG, John Ball and Fergus McArdle Easi UpLifts

The company is also expanding its specialised access division wiht the purchase of a number of Teupen spider lifts. The order includes a number of the 23 metre Leo 23 GT and 18 metre Leo 18GT-plus models to be delivered from early April, along with a 36 metre Leo 36T. These machines will also be available as part of the company's re-rent programme.

Ball confirmed that further investment announcements can be expected over the next few months.
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(L-R) John Ball Easi UpLifts, Michael Wotschke Teupen, Harry Mc Ardle Easi UpLifts

Vertikal Comment

Harry McArdle and John Ball have a strong track record for good timing, typically buying big near the bottom of the market and selling equipment on the upward curve when supply is tight.

The company likes to turn over its fleet regularly, in order to have good young equipment for sale and to keep its fleet fresh and maintenance costs low. The two senior managers have caught each of last two or three downturns at just about the perfect point, well before others had spotted it - although that only became clear in hindsight.

This time they appear to be buying slightly later in the cycle, with manufacturers already seeing a solid pick up. If they kept to their usual form they would have been buying heavily around a year ago. However given the extreme circumstances of this latest recession and how hard the company’s home market was hit, it is perhaps understandable – and it is also entirely possible that negotiations have simply taken a longer this time to reach price levels that they are satisfied with? And of course we don’t’ yet have the benefit of hindsight… The fact that they are buying strongly again is another solid market indicator.

As is normal we have been given no indication of how big these orders are, but by past standards ‘substantial’ for these two equates to serious double digit millions.