02.04.2026

Kiloutou moves into Ireland

French international rental company Kiloutou has acquired Irish rental company KDM Hire from its owners, Keith and Julia Mcivor and several members of the senior management team.

Family owned KDM was established in 1990 and now runs an extensive rental fleet which includes aerial work platforms, telehandlers, lifting gear, glass handling robots and spider cranes, from six locations, including two in Belfast, as well as Cookstown, Dublin and Cork, with around 240 employees. Revenues for the year to the end of 2024 were £26.33 million, with a pre-tax profit of £3.7 million.

Kiloutou operates from 650 depots in seven European countries: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Denmark, with around 7,000 employees.

The announcement made yesterday evening said: “We would like to announce the exciting news today that KDM Hire Ltd has been acquired by the Kiloutou group of France. Kiloutou have vast experience in the rental industry and will bring significant financial backing and expertise to further enhance KDM's market position, product offering and customer service in Ireland. The acquisition marks the beginning of a positive new chapter for KDM Hire, which has been a proud family business for over 36 years.”

“The management team, currently led by Michael Donnelly, will continue to steer the company through this new phase of growth, preserving the valued relationships with both customers and suppliers alike.”

KDM chairman Keith Mclvor added: "It is now time for KDM Hire to move to the next phase and become part of a larger group. From the beginning of our conversations with Kiloutou, we identified a similar ethos to KDM, and they have since demonstrated a natural commitment to all that is important to us, namely, customer service and respect for our loyal staff members. We may be in the machinery business, but it is the people that really matter."

"Julie and I would like to take this opportunity to offer a sincere thanks to our many loyal customers for their support over the years, without whom, KDM would not be the business it is today. It has been an immense pleasure getting to know so many people over the years".