Friday Roundup: HSS rebrands | Nixon Hire’s ‘bold’ strategy | Electric first

Image: HSS Hire Group

Strategic shifts within equipment rental businesses made the headlines in the week that was September 26 to October 2, with some big names in the industry making notable changes.

Firstly, UK-based company HSS Hire has rebranded its tool hire and equipment rental business to HSS: The Hire Service Company.

The move follows on from the announcement that the company is continuing with its strategy for growth within its HSS Operations and ProService divisions which has seen it restruture its management team.

Group CEO Steve Ashmore is stepping down from the role and will now become executive chairman for ProService. Meanwhile, the company has also named Jon Overman as CEO of Operations and Tom Shorten as CEO of its ProService division. 

Overman said the rebrand is “about delivering great hire and great service together” and will reflect its heritage commitment to service.

Staying in the UK, Nixon Hire is positioning itself as a specialist supplier of equipment for “sustainable sites” and has sold of its larger, traditional plant hire fleet.

The strategic shift will see the company focus on portable accommodation and renewable power, alongside site welfare and portable toilets, for construction, events and other projects. Nixon sold its fleet of larger construction equipment in July this year and will now supply such machines through re-hire partnerships.

The company said the shift will allow it to invest in its “strongest areas of differentiation with the most compelling growth opportunities.”

Meanwhile, this week saw news break that Pedro Torres, CEO of Riwal, will step down from his position on 1 January 2025. That follows a transitional period since Boels Rental acquired Riwal in March this year.

JLG’s E313 electric telehandler for North America. (Photo: JLG).

Lars Reehorst will take over from Torres as managing director of Riwal and Manlift, the company’s India and Middle East-based subsidiary, at the beginning of January, with Torres to embark on a new chapter,” of his career. 

Elsewhere, JLG unveiled its first compact electric telehandler for the North American market. The battery-powered E313 is designed for all-terrain and off-road use, as well as zero-emission and low noise operation for moving materials around indoor construction, urban, residential and municipal projects.

The unit has a 1,587.57kg maximum lift capacity, a 3.99m maximum lift height, 51.73 m forward reach and 14.97 km/h travel speed.

JLG said the eletric ultra-compact unit does not sacrifice performance for loading and unloading trucks and flatbeds, moving materials around or accessing single-story buildings.