Indian access renter Gautam to move into sales

Mumbai-based specialist rental house Gautam plans to start selling access equipment in India. The company currently has a fleet of some 58 machines, comprising Niftylift booms, Scanclimber mastclimbers & hoists and Skyjack scissors.

According to commercial manager, Malay Shah, the company will be targeting specific niches such as facilities management and companies managing road-side advertising hoardings. "We will need trailer mounts for that because the vehicle weight is important and the will need to access small streets,"

Mr Shah added that there was some maturity and greater product knowledge coming to potential access buyers and users in India. "People know the machines better now - they are better educated," he said.

Among the novelties on the company's stand at bC India were two Nifty lift bi-energy platforms, which can be run from either the on-board diesel engine or the machine's battery. "The bi-energy machines are going to be good because they can be used indoors as well as outside. Battery machines are also popular because diesel prices are getting so high - it has gone up +50% or so in the last seven or eight months," concluded Mr Shah.