New German rental marketplace launched

German tech company UMT (United Mobility Technology AG) has launched an online rental marketplace called Smart Rental based on a mobile phone App.

The company said customers would be able to rent excavators, vibratory plates, loaders and other construction equipment using the ‘Car-2-Go’ concept, meaning close to their sites, at any time and contact-free.

Smart Rental is a new online rental marketplace created by UMT in Germany.

The platform uses technology developed by UMT’s in-house software business UMS (United Mobile Services). Customers download the App, register, find and reserve the machine, and pick it up. The app serves as the key for the machine. The rental fee is paid through the App via PayPal, credit card or invoice.

UMT, which develops technology to digitise business processes including online payment tools, said the development and testing phase was now complete and the concept would eventually be expanded to cover Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

It said it would partner with “experienced partners for construction equipment rental” and initially offer the service in Germany; “The first approaches to suitable partners for the provision and operation of the machines are already underway.”

Smart Rental joins several other already established online rental marketplaces, including Klarx and the Zeppelin Group-owned Klickrent.

UMT said there were plans to further develop the Smart Rental technology for areas of rental beyond the construction industry. It said there were opportunities, for example, with its recently acquired MEXS business, which provides workflow and messaging platforms for business.

Dr Juergen Schulz, Spokesman of the Board of Management at UMT, said; “With our new smart rental technology, which functions according to the now established and proven Car-2-Go concept, we are significantly expanding our value chain.

“The ongoing trend in the construction industry away from buying to renting construction machinery naturally plays into our hands. Against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties, many customers are placing a greater focus on flexibility and cost efficiency when procuring construction machinery.

“And that automatically means they end up with smart rental at some point, which opens up enormous growth potential for us”.

UMT licenses a large mobile payment platform in Europe and acts as an interface between retail chains, banks, bonus programme providers and consumers.

Its technology is in operation at around 16,000 stores and 71,000 checkouts. In Germany, more than 14 million users have used UMT’s mobile payment technology for more than six years.