The powered access equipment industry has huge potential in Turkey, although it is facing competition from the heavy use of low-cost alternatives such as personnel baskets with knuckle boom cranes and scaffolding. This was among the hot topics at the Europlatform conference organized by Access International and IPAF, which was attended by 120 delegates this October in Istanbul.
The audience was told that Turkey’s booming economy and a large number of infrastructure projects, including a third Istanbul airport and a new bridge over the Bosphorus river, meant that the demand for access equipment would increase significantly in the coming years.
Mustafa Bilgin, chairman of Istanbul Vinc, one of the largest crane and access rental companies in Turkey, said that while demand for powered access was growing, common use of lower cost solutions such as crane baskets was hampering the introduction of booms and scissors. Turkish import regulations also largely prevent the import of used machines, providing a barrier to entry for large rental companies in Europe, he noted.
Serkan Acar, general manager of Acarlar Makine, a major access equipment rental company and dealer in Turkey, told delegates that major infrastructure projects, coupled with new health and safety regulations, would help increase the use of powered access. He estimated that the current access rental fleet of around 2,800 machines could rise annually by 20-25%, doubling by 2016, reaching more than 9,000 units by 2018.
Other speakers at Europlatform included Pierre Boels, CEO of Boels Rental, who shared his company’s experience of entering new markets, and Soren Rosenkrands, COO of Riwal, who highlighted the particular demands of managing large booms and emphasised shared responsibility between manufacturers, dealers and rental companies.
Tim Whiteman, IPAF CEO, announced at the close of the conference that the next Europlatform would be held on Sept. 25, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Event details will be added at www.europlatform.info
