21.11.2005

IPAF adds Benelux Rep

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has set up a new office in the Netherlands to cover the Benelux region. This move underlines the organisation’s aim to grow internationally, with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and now the Netherlands, as well as a subsidiary company in North America.

IPAF has appointed Hans Aarse as its representative for the Benelux. Aarse has extensive experience in developing the access market in Holland and Germany. He was responsible for sales at rental and distribution company Gunco for almost 18 years, where he worked on the Grove Manlift account.

During his time with Gunco, he also opened a subsidiary for the company in Hanover, Germany, heading it for more than four years. He started in the access industry in 1976 with Van Kranenburg, the Coles and JLG dealer, where he handled sales for JLG products.
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Hans Aarse, new IPAF rep for Benelux

Aarse is 52 and lives in ‘s-Gravendeel, south of Rotterdam, he describes himself as a real “Rotterdammer”, an expression by those from the area, indicating that they are hard workers. He speaks Dutch, German, and English and can ask for orders and essentials in several other languages.

“Hans adds a wealth of experience to the IPAF team and will enable us to further expand in the Benelux, where IPAF has about 15 approved training centres in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg”, said IPAF Managing Director Tim Whiteman.

Outlining his plans for IPAF-Benelux, Aarse said: “It is a must to promote safe working at height. In many countries, training courses exist for many years, but IPAF’s strength lies in being an association purely dedicated to the access industry. That makes IPAF and the PAL Card so special and that is why I would love to make them the number one in the Benelux as well”.

“It is my strong belief that IPAF offers the best courses and the best tools in the access industry. My main activities for 2006 will be to promote the IPAF message as widely as possible, to industry and governments. A million IPAF trained operators and PAL Card holders worldwide in 2015, with 25,000 in the Benelux, sounds like a nice goal. Too progressive? Maybe, but setting your goals on a low level is not the way to achieve success.”