18.09.2014

Access Link adds members and scraps price guide

The UK’s Access Link, the association of regional access providers, held its quarterly meeting yesterday at Niftylift’s fabrication plant in Barnsley.

New members attending included Martyn Bass and Ben Dobson of Essex based MBS Access and Graham Brooks of GB Access, which is based in Northamptonshire.

Two new members which were also approved included LTC and Summit Platforms. Plymouth based LTC runs mostly JLG and Skyjack platforms and adds two new locations to the network in Devon and Cornwall, while Birmingham based Summit Platforms is headed by Grant Woodward (the ex-owner/director of The Platform Company). The latest additions takes the Access Link network up to 33 locations with a combined fleet of 5,500 units.

The meeting also took the decision to scrap the Link’s inter-member rental rate guide, replacing it with the ‘Link Pricing Pledge’ which is intended to provide a more flexible pricing system that will also reflect the increase in average rates that the industry is seeing and offer more versatility for members to work together on national accounts etc…
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The Access Link members meeting was held at Niftylift Barnsley

The meeting was hosted by Niftylift and included a tour of the facility, while Joe Ennis and Andy Northwood of Custom Lift were given the opportunity to present and demonstrate the Custom Hybrid range of small scissor lifts.

Link chairman Keith John, said: “For a few meetings the inter-link hire rates have been discussed and yesterday we took the brave step of scrapping the Link hire rates and replacing it with the ‘Link Pricing Pledge'. The members felt that the upward movements in hire rates should be allowed to take its natural course with nothing being allowed to stand in its way. The Pricing Pledge will allow members the opportunity to work together in servicing their national account business without the rigidity of a fixed price which will allow market forces to help control pricing.”

Carole Williams of Mainline Plant & Tools added: “The Link rates have become the industry norm and are doing us more harm than good. We’ve even had end users demanding Link rates.”