18.12.2014

Gerken acquires Willenbrock access

German access rental company Gerken has acquired the platform division of the Willenbrock group, which says that it plans to shift its focus fully onto its fork truck rental business, following its acquisition by Linde at the start of this year.

The deal was finalised yesterday, and so far no details of the transaction have been disclosed.

According to the last Kran & Bühne Top 20 rental companies in Germany, Gerken runs a fleet of 4,200 aerial lifts, of which 220 are truck mounted, from 18 locations, with 240 employees, while the Willenbrock platform division has a fleet of 679 units, of which 15 are truck mounted. This acquisition takes the Gerken fleet close to the 5,000 mark. Willenbrock work platforms operates from five locations with 73 employees.
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A couple of Willenbrock platforms at work

Willenbrock managing director Ralf Dingeldein, said: “We opted for Gerken, which will continue to run our aerial lift business with the same quality of service that we have built up since 2007. Since January 2014 Linde Material Handling, Europe's largest manufacturer of forklift trucks and warehouse equipment, has held 74 percent of the shares in Willenbrock Materials Handling Holding. The sale of the work platform business is a step that will allow us to focus on our core competencies as a forklift trading house. "
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Ralf Dingeldein

Gerken chief executive Christian Gerken, added: "With the acquisition of the Willenbrock work platform fleet we will not only extend our coverage in northern Germany, but also gain another powerful team of experienced work platform specialists, allowing us to expand our customer base within this region still further.”
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Christian Gerken