Commercial & Industrial Equipment Rental & Leasing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry rent and lease equipment to commercial and industrial entities for use in business operations. Major companies include US-based AMECO (owned by Fluor), Herc Rentals (formerly Hertz Equipment Rental), and United Rentals; UK-based Aggreko, Ashtead Group (owner of US-based Sunbelt Rentals), and Speedy Hire; and Japan-based Tokyo Century Leasing and Mitsubishi UFJ.

The global construction equipment rental market is expected to exceed $140 billion by 2024, according to Global Market Insights. Europe and North America are the largest markets; China and India are among those showing strong growth.

The US commercial and industrial equipment rental and leasing industry includes about 15,000 establishments (single-location firms and units of multi-location firms) with combined annual revenue of about $80 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by business and industrial activity, particularly in nonresidential construction. The profitability of individual companies depends on the merchandising mix and cost of financing rental inventory. Large companies have economies of scale in buying equipment and having multiple outlets to share equipment. Small companies can compete effectively by providing specialty products for a local market and by offering superior customer service. The US industry is concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 55% of revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major rental and leasing product categories are agricultural, construction, mining, and forestry equipment (25% of revenue); aircraft, steamships and tugboats, and railroad cars (20%); and medical equipment (5%). Other rental product categories include machinery; ...