Jaco Du Plessis, president of Atlanta’s Talisman Rentals, attended the ARA’s Rental show this year, as always with an eye toward what’s new and different. This year he noticed an appreciable increase in the number of cordless power equipment exhibitors.
“Makita had a battery-powered chainsaw. Hilti exhibited the high-performance TE60 rotary hammer, and Wacker had a battery-powered compaction rammer,” said du Plessis. “We’re interested in battery-powered equipment because its ideal for indoor applications, easy to use, powerful, low in maintenance, and very convenient for the customer. We just send along two batteries, and with chains saws for example, there’s no gasoline to handle and starting is as easy as pushing a button.”
He didn’t see the larger battery-powered and hybrid equipment like they have at European rental shows, but that day may come as compliance and noise issues become more rigid here in the U.S. As du Plessis pointed out, solar and wind power have been around virtually forever and only recently gained popularity here. “Some things take a while to catch on,” he added.
Talisman Rentals has two Georgia locations, the one in Canton (acquired in 2017) and another in North Marietta, both of which du Plessis said are very competitive markets and good for rental. “There’s a lot of development in and around Atlanta just as there is in cities like Dallas and Charlotte. Telehandlers, mini excavators, skid-steer loaders, rollers, trenchers, professional hand tools, and rammers are among popular rental items for our DIY and general contractor customers.
“Business has been very good, apart from the record high rainfall over the winter, which had a slight impact on demand. This year looks very promising due to a lot of pent-up demand to be filled," he said.
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