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AM45102 AMA MARKET FOR ACCESS EQUIPMENT SEPTEMBER 2002

Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AMA Research have published the Fifth Edition of the 'UK Access Equipment Market Report' updating research undertaken during 2000. incorporating original input and primary research, the report represents a unique review of this changing and complex market and is excellent value for money.
Sectors covered include:

LADDERS -Aluminium, wood, fibreglass, steel.
ACCESS TOWERS - Mobile, stair, span units, folding platforms.
SCAFFOLDING - System and traditional.
MOBILE ELEVATING WORK PLATFORMS - Personnel lifts, trailer-mounts, self-propelled booms, scissor-lifts, vehicle mount
. SUSPENDED ACCESS SYSTEMS/MAST CLIMBERS.

The overall access equipment market has grown substantially in recent years, driven by health and safety issues, construction growth, expansion of the rental sector and the quest for increased productivity. The individual product sectors are at various stages of development, with the MEWP market temporarily experiencing a period of depressed demand, following high growth in the mid-late 1990s.

Key points of interest:-

Review of the market for mobile elevating work platforms.
Specialist end-use sectors for MEWP's including railway applications, and road/railers.
Market forecasts for ladders, access towers, scaffolding, MEWPs, suspended access and mast climbers.
Distribution - including tool and plant hire companies, builders merchants and their market share, etc.
Trends in UK manufacturing output, industrial and commercial construction.
UK Wall cladding market, future projections, and product mix.
Comparison of access product mix in 1995 and 2001 and market shares.

This unique report reviews developments within the industry, with emphasis on both QUANTITATIVE and QUALITATIVE assessment of the market. Research for the report involved primary research with manufacturers / suppliers, trade associations, specialists and hire companies within the access industry. Data and comment is therefore specific and relevant to the market.

Key areas of coverage in the report include:-

THE MARKET ·

Total Access Equipment Market - analysis of market size by value 2001, historical trends, forecasts 2002-2006, mix between key product sectors.
Impact of economic and construction industry climate on market development. ·
Review of major factors influencing market - H&S legislation, growth of hire, widening customer base, niche market development etc. ·
Review of supply and distribution structures - impact of hire on access market.

LADDERS ·

Market size - analysis by value 2001, historical trends, forecasts 2002-2006.
Factors Impacting on the market - Health and Safety regulations, possible negative implications for ladder sales, competition from other access products.
Product Mix/Trends and Developments - mix by product material, product developments, product branding.
Suppliers - main suppliers, company profiles, product strengths etc.
Distribution - main distribution channels.

ACCESS TOWERS

· Market Size - analysis by value 2001, historical trends, forecasts 2002-2006.
Factors Impacting on the Market - H&S regulations, competition from MEWPS etc.
Product Mix/Trends and Developments - mix by product type, mix by material - decline of steel at the expense of aluminium, influence of competitive products on sales.
Suppliers - main suppliers, company profiles, product strengths etc.
Distribution - main distribution channels and shares.

SCAFFOLDING

· Market Size - analysis by value 2001, historical trends, forecasts 2002-2006.
· Factors Impacting on the Market - product substitution, productivity issues.
· Product Mix/trends and Developments - dominant share held by traditional scaffolding, potential growth of system scaffolding share, new product applications.
· Suppliers - main suppliers, company profiles, product strengths etc.
· Distribution - main distribution channels and shares.

MOBILE ELEVATING WORK PLATFORMS

· Market Size - analysis by value 2001, historical trends, forecasts 2002-2006.
· Factors Impacting the Market - specialist niche subsectors, volatile nature of market sector.
· Product Mix/Trends and Developments - mix by type - dominant share held by self-propelled and scissor lifts, product trends and substitution, specialist end use sectors, niche product development.
· Suppliers - key suppliers and market shares, company profiles, product strengths etc.
· Distribution - key distribution channels, Plant & Tool Hire, Builders Merchants, etc, developments within channels.

OTHERS - MAST CLIMBERS AND SUSPENDED ACCESS

· Market Size for Mast Climbers and Suspended Access - Analysis by value 2001, historical trends, forecasts 2002-2006.
· Factors Impacting on the market - competition, productivity issues.
· Product Mix/Trends and Developments - mix by type - growth sectors, factors influencing product usage.
· Suppliers - main suppliers, company profiles, product strengths etc.
· Distribution - main distribution channels and shares - developments within the distribution channels.

The 2001 UK Access Equipment Market is estimated to be worth some £252 million at manufacturers sales prices.

Following several difficult years in the depths of the construction industry recession in the early 1990's, many sectors of Access Equipment experienced a more buoyant period between 1996 and 1999. In particular, the mobile platform sector grew rapidly fuelled by expanding rental demand as privatisation and outsourcing gathered momentum.

However, during 1999-2000, the overall Access Equipment market was severely impacted by a downturn in demand in mobile platforms due to an imbalance between end-user demand and excessive fleet building by new entrants to the rental sector during 1997 and 1998.

In overall market terms, demand for Access Equipment in 2001 was more positive although most sectors experienced a softening of demand due to site access restrictions arising from foot and mouth disease and a combination of flooding and generally difficult weather conditions. The September 11th terrorist attacks and 'Accounting-based' problems have also adversely affected business confidence and investment decisions.

Currently, in 2002, whilst certain sectors of construction are performing more positively, the 'carry over' of the above factors is tending to inhibit market growth, particularly in the mobile platform sector, which is still experiencing a situation of relative over-capacity.

In general, the overall market has been influenced by increasingly stringent safety regulations, which tends to encourage certain sectors at the expense of others, with an underlying trend towards powered access. A further tightening up of safety legislation is likely to benefit the Access Equipment market in the short to medium term although a point will eventually be reached where there will be fewer topics to address on the subject of 'working at height', with consequent implications for the relevant access sectors. It is our view, therefore, that safety-related demand may ultimately become more limited in the long term in so far as it affects the substitution of one access method for another.

Underlying trends reinforcing the overall Access Equipment market include the competitive requirements for productivity improvements, the growth in outsourcing and its impact on the rental industry, and the expansion of a broadening customer base through development into increasingly diverse and specialised applications, 'solutions', etc.

Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) account for the largest share of the market at approximately 48 percent with sales in 2001 of around £120m. Emphasis on safety when working at height and 'niche' marketing of a wider range of powered access products for specific applications has tended to stimulate demand, although the development of rotary telescopic handlers represents a possible area of challenge for mobile platforms used in construction applications.

Ladders and scaffolding represent long-established sectors of the market accounting for shares of 19 percent and 17 percent shares respectively. Sales of ladders have been relatively stable with marginal growth forecast for the long term, reflecting a steadily growing level of DIY activity and a continuing move to higher specification products.

Scaffolding is also a mature sector and represents the traditional method of working at height for long-term contracts. System scaffolding provides the advantages of speed of assembly and dismantling, and improved safety, and continues to gain share gradually due to the high initial capital investment.

Access towers, suspended access systems and Mast climbers account for the balance of the market, with combined annual sales of over £40m in 2001.

Leading suppliers to the industry include SGB Plc, a division of Harsco, who are prominent in most sectors of manufacturing and hire. The leading suppliers in the MEWPs sector are JLG, Genie, Upright and Haulotte. Most of the major suppliers in the powered access sector have manufacturing plants in America, Europe, or both territories.

Distribution of Access Equipment is dominated by direct sales to end users and hire companies. Changes in Health & Safety legislation, privatisation, growth of facilities management and the subcontracting of maintenance operations, and the introduction of new products to meet specific access requirements, have all encouraged the use of hire rather than outright purchase of equipment. Hire operators comprise plant hire, tool hire and specialist MEWP companies such as Loxam, Nationwide Access and Universal. Certain large plant and tool hire companies have set-up specialist MEWP divisions with large fleet holdings - for example Hewden Stuart and A-Plant. Plant and tool hire companies may also offer products such as ladders, towers, and scaffolding for hire or sale whilst builders merchants, DIY multiples and independents are involved in more specific sectors.

Given the current state of macro-economic conditions in the UK and the difficulty of discerning an improvement in manufacturing and IT/Telecoms, future prospects for Access Equipment will ultimately depend upon identifying further end use sectors where productivity can be improved in an extensive analysis of construction, manufacturing, commercial and 'leisure' applications.

Finally, it should be observed that whilst powered access products, principally mobile platforms, are estimated to comprise 48 percent of the total market by value, non-mechanical access products actually comprise the slightly larger share at 52 percent. In practical terms the relative stability of the non-mechanical sector has, in effect, 'underwritten' the volatility of the mobile platforms sector, thereby minimising to -3 percent the impact on the overall Access Equipment market of the forecast 8 percent decline in mobile platforms in 2002.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLES & CHARTS
1	INTRODUCTION	5
2	SUMMARY	6
3	ECONOMIC BACKGROUND	9
3.1	GDP	9
3.2	INFLATION & INTEREST RATES	10
3.3	UNEMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER SPENDING	11
3.4	CONSTRUCTION	12
3.5	STERLING	12
3.6	CONCLUSIONS	12
4	THE ACCESS EQUIPMENT MARKET	13
4.1	MARKET DEFINITION	13
4.2	MARKET SIZE	14
4.3	PRODUCT MIX	19
4.4	KEY MARKET INFLUENCES	21
4.4.1	Contractors Output	21
4.4.2	Manufacturing Output	23
4.4.3	Plant Hire	24
4.4.4	Self Build Market	25
4.4.5	Prefabricated Buildings	27
4.4.6	Cladding	28
4.4.7	Security	30
5	PRODUCT REVIEW	31
5.1	LADDERS	31
5.1.1	Market Size	31
5.1.2	Supply & Distribution	35
5.2	SCAFFOLDING	37
5.2.1	Market Size	37
5.2.2	Supply And Distribution	42
5.3	ACCESS TOWERS	44
5.3.1	Market Size	44
5.3.2	Supply and Distribution	46
5.4	MOBILE ELEVATING WORK PLATFORMS (MEWP'S)	49
5.4.1	Market Size	49
5.4.2	Product Mix	58
5.4.3	Distribution	62
5.4.4	Suppliers	64
5.5	OTHER ACCESS PRODUCTS	70
5.5.1	Market Size	70
6	DISTRIBUTION REVIEW	79
6.1	DIRECT CHANNEL	79
6.2	PLANT AND TOOL HIRE	79
7	FUTURE PROSPECTS	95
TABLES & CHARTS
CHART 1	UK ACCESS EQUIPMENT MARKET 1996-2006	6
TABLE 2	GDP percentAGE CHANGE PER ANNUM 1980 - 2004	10
CHART 3	INTEREST RATES AND INFLATION (RPI) FROM 1990-2005	11
TABLE 4	UK ACCESS EQUIPMENT MARKET 1996 - 2006 (£M MSP) BY VALUE	14
CHART 5	UK ACCESS EQUIPMENT MARKET 1996-2006 BY VALUE (£M)	16
TABLE 6	PRODUCT MIX IN THE UK ACCESS EQUIPMENT MARKET BY TYPE - 1995 AND 2001 BY VALUE	20
TABLE 7	CONTRACTORS OUTPUT - NEW WORK AND RMI NON HOUSING - CURRENT PRICES (£ MILLION) 1995-2004	21
TABLE 8	NEW ORDERS OBTAINED BY CONTRACTORS 1994 - 2002 CURRENT PRICES	22
TABLE 9	LEVEL OF UK MANUFACTURING OUTPUT 1997-2002 (1995 = 100)	23
CHART 10	UK PLANT HIRE MARKET 1999-2003 AT £M MSP	24
CHART 11	SELF-BUILD HOUSING MARKET BY VOLUME 1995-2001	26
CHART 12	PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS MARKET 1998-2004 AT £M MSP	27
TABLE 13	UK WALL CLADDING MARKET 1998-2005 AT CURRENT PRICES	28
TABLE 14	UK WALL CLADDING MARKET- PRODUCT MIX BY TYPE BY VALUE 2000	29
TABLE 15	UK LADDERS MARKET 1996 - 2006 BY VALUE (£M MSP)	32
CHART 16	LADDERS - MATERIAL MIX BY VOLUME 2001	34
TABLE 17	UK SCAFFOLDING MARKET 1996 - 2006 BY VALUE (£M MSP)	38
CHART 18	UK SCAFFOLDING MARKET - PRODUCT MIX BY VALUE 2001	41
CHART 19	DISTRIBUTION OF SCAFFOLDING - 2001 SHARE BY CHANNEL	42
TABLE 20	UK ACCESS TOWER MARKET 1996 - 2006 BY VALUE (£M MSP)	44
CHART 21	UK ACCESS TOWER MARKET DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL SHARE 2001	47
TABLE 22	UK MOBILE ELEVATING WORK PLATFORM MARKET 1996-2006 BY VALUE	50
CHART 23	UK MEWP MARKET 2001 MIX BY VOLUME	59
CHART 24	UK MEWP MARKET DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL SHARE 2001	62
CHART 25	MEWPS - MARKET SHARE OF MAJOR SUPPLIERS 2001	64
CHART 26	MEWP MARKET 1995 MAIN SUPPLIERS & MARKET LEADERS	65
TABLE 27	THE MARKET FOR 'OTHER' ACCESS EQUIPMENT', 1996-2006, BY VALUE	71
CHART 28	MIX BETWEEN SUSPENDED ACCESS/MAST CLIMBERS 2001 BY VALUE	72
CHART 29	SUSPENDED ACCESS MARKET - MIX OF PERMANENT/TEMPORARY SYSTEMS BY VALUE - 2001	73
CHART 30	PERMANENT SUSPENDED ACCESS MARKET 2001 - KEY SUPPLIERS AND MARKET SHARE	75
TABLE 31	MARKET SHARES OF THE UK PLANT HIRE OPERATORS - 2000	83
TABLE 32	MARKET SHARES OF LEADING COMPANIES BY VALUE 2001	87
CHART 33	MERCHANTS MARKET SHARES 2001

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Last updated by Paul Tucker 10th November 2002