How quickly is China’s equipment rental sector growing?

China’s rental industry is evolving rapidly, but in which directions? And what opportunities are there to participate in the Chinese rental market?

Senior Chinese OEM and rental company participants at the ninth International Rental Conference (IRC) in Shanghai will answer these questions and others, giving detailed presentations on the key trends.

The conference - being held at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Pudong, Shanghai on 25 October, the day before the APEX Asia and CeMAT Asia exhibitions – will be a largely Chinese affair, with few foreign delegates expected for Covid-related reasons.

However, the presentations will be recorded and made available for an international audience in translated versions, after the event.

Senior equipment rental participants

Speakers include the Chairman of Liugong; the CEO of Cat dealer LSHM North China; the heads of China’s two largest rental businesses, Shanghai Horizon and Zhongneng United; the Managing Director of Hitachi’s Chinese business; and JLG’s General Manager for Asia Pacific.

Mr Tei Gyomei, Managing Director, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) Co.

Topics and presenters will include:

Tei Gyomei, Managing Director, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Mr Tei is an experienced construction equipment and rental executive with extensive knowledge of Asia Pacific and Japanese construction equipment markets.

Before joining Hitachi in China, Mr Tei was leader of Nippon Caterpillar’s rental business in Japan, which is one of the largest OEM-led rental businesses in Asia. In 2018, he joined Hitachi in China to help develop its rental strategy in the country.

At IRC, he will look at different aspects of rental management, covering asset management and operations management.

Lawrence Luo, Chief Executive Officer, LSHM North China

Mr Lawrence Luo, Lawrence Luo, Chief Executive Officer, LSHM North China

Mr Luo is the CEO of LSHM North China, the former WesTrac business that was acquired in 2017 by Caterpillar dealer LSHM (Lei Shing Hong Machinery).

He has more than 30 years’ experience in the mining and construction equipment industry, having worked in senior roles for Dynapac, Sandvik Mining and Construction, Volvo Construction Equipment and WeTrac.

At IRC he will address the opportunities for equipment dealers in the rental sector, asking if rental should be considered a sales channel for new equipment or an avenue for future business growth.

He will also consider what he sees as the “natural advantages” that dealers have in expanding into rental.

Zeng Guang An, Chairman, Liugong

One of the most senior figures in China’s construction equipment industry, Mr Zeng is Chairman of Guangxi Liugong Machinery Group Co., Ltd. and Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd.

He is an engineer by profession, having joined Liugong in 1985 and rising to become its seventh Chairman in 2014.

Mr Zeng will give delegates an insider’s guide to the thinking of one of China’s largest equipment OEMs, and an insight into the role that the rental industry will play in the its strategy.

Liugong acquired the Hertz China equipment rental business in Shanghai in 2020.

Yang Tian Li, CEO, Zhongneng United

Mr Yang is one of the new breed of rental entrepreneurs in China. In 2015, after a trip to the USA, he decided to launch an access equipment rental business in China, creating Zhongneng United.

In less than six years, the company’s fleet has grown to 37,000 units, making it one of the top 10 access rental owners in the world.

The company is focused on the digitalization of the rental industry and aims for “digital operations and technology-enabled growth”, with an all-in-one rental platform using data, AI and IoT.

Mr Yang will be able to report on the front-line of China’s rental market, reporting on activity levels, supply challenges and future strategy.

Zhang Chun Yu, Managing Director, Shanghai Horizon

Mr Zhang is Managing Director of the world’s fastest growing, large access rental business. In the past 12 months its fleet has grown by more than 15,000 units and now stands at almost 55,000 machines, which is the fourth largest fleet in the world.

He will participate at IRC as a round-table speaker, and will give delegates an up-to-date view of China’s access rental market.

Mr William Gu, General Manager, JLG APAC

William Gu, General Manager, JLG APAC

Also focusing on the aerial platform market will be William Gu, who leads JLG’s operation in Asia Pacific, having joined the company in September 2017.

Mr Gu will look at how China’s aerial platform market weathered the pandemic and prospects for future growth in access rental in China.

Paul Wilson, Managing Director – Commercial, IIoT Division, ZTR (by video recording)

IRC has a track record of providing Western expertise in rental to delegates. This year, with speakers from outside Asia unable to travel to China, there will be several recorded video presentations looking at certain aspects of rental.

One of these presentations will be given by Paul Wilson, who is a commercial leader at ZTR, one of the market leaders in telematics technology for equipment rental.

He will look at the latest trends in how rental businesses are exploiting asset tracking systems.

Murray Pollok, Managing Editor, International Rental News (by video recording)

Murray Pollok will give delegates in Shanghai an overview of how rental businesses in Europe and North America adapted to the pandemic, and the extent to which the adoption of digital processes and other changes in operating models have been accelerated by the crisis.

APEX Asia

The day after the IRC conference delegates will be able to attend the APEX Asia and CeMAT Asia exhibitions, held on 26 to 29 October at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), located a short walk from the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel.

APEX Asia is the Asian version of the APEX aerial platform exhibition and is a showcase for all types of aerial platforms.

It is being staged in Hall N2 within CeMAT Asia, which is the largest industrial forklift and factory automation exhibition in Asia, held in Shanghai every two years.