04.03.2013

IPS & APS are now one

The merger between parts and service company IPS and access sales company APS has been completed.

The merger, which follows the announcement last September, sees the two - Access Platform Sales and Independent Parts & Service - becoming the IAPS Group. It is now the largest independent powered access distributor in the UK. See APS and IPS to merge.

IAPS Group will simply be the corporate ‘umbrella’ organisation, within which three distinct divisions will operate.

Access Platform Sales (APS) will continue as before as the official UK distributor for Hinowa, Omme, Youngman BoSS X-Series, Wienold Lifte, Bison X-Step, while also being a regional dealer for Genie Aluminium products, Niftylift and Snorkel.
Please register to see all images

The APS name stays the same but it adopts the IPS coloours and logotype

IPS is renamed Independent Parts Specialists and will continue to provide replacement parts for a wide range of aerial lifts and is the official UK parts supplier for Genie, Grove Manlift, Manitou, Pop-Up, and Snorkel /UpRight.
Please register to see all images

Platform Service & Repair (PSR) is the new name for the merged service divisions of the two companies. PSR will provide aerial lift inspection, service and repair, with a team of 23 directly employed, fully equipped mobile service engineers covering the UK, supported by three workshops in the West Midlands, South East England and Scotland. It is also the appointed warranty repair providers for a number of the manufacturers represented by other divisions within the group.
Please register to see all images

The completion at the end of February follows the combination of back office functions and the integration of the service teams and spare parts functions of both businesses. The new business has adopted the black and yellow IPS branding, which is also reflected in the three business units.

IAPS chairman Jim Daintith said: “While IAPS Group is the parent company, we were very conscious that we had two strong brands in APS and IPS, so it was important to retain and build on them. Our belief was always that, together, we have a compelling full service distribution package that will be highly attractive to equipment manufacturers as well as customers. We are already seeing evidence of this in our recent contract wins to support Youngman BoSS in France and our appointment as the exclusive UK distributor for the innovative X-Step low-level access platform.”

Managing director Tony Jennings added: “IPS and APS both have great employees who made the merger very seamless and straightforward. With the integration now complete we have a new size and scale that will allow us to better serve all of our customers both in the UK and through our overseas operations.”

Vertikal Comment

What to do with the merged company’s name and brands was always going to be something of a challenge, however the result looks highly sensible and retains the value in the existing names while still bringing the operations together into a group in order to gain the important synergies that such a merger offered.

A sensible solution