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CROSSHIRE: ASSOCIATING ACROSS EUROPE I am proud to recall that I was one of a large number of hirers who were present at a meeting held during the second ever Hirex in 1973. The purpose of that historic gathering was to determine the level of support for the formation of a trade association to serve the rapidly emerging tool hire industry. It was a room full of enthusiastic owners eager to push forward a fledgling industry and who felt let down by the attitude that then prevailed in the hallowed offices of the CPA. We felt that we were on our own, as the CPA was not interested in encompassing what was perceived as a gang of ironmongers and paraffin salesmen who wanted to rent out electric drills and paint sprayers to all comers. There was plenty of debate and opinion and, rather surprisingly to me at the time, there was the frequently expressed view that tool hire was set to become an international business. If, as seemed inevitable, a new trade association was to be formed, many agreed that it should expressly encompass the brave new world that was emerging and clearly not be limited to the British Isles. On the grounds that one vision is worth any amount of hindsight, Brian Shannon (owner of the original Hire News magazine) and the late John Rogers, the founder of the tool hire industry, were eventually to put their signatures to the founding Memorandum & Articles of Association of Hire Association Europe. Guided by an elected council of dedicated pioneers, HAE went from strength to strength and, in those early years, there was indeed an outlook on Europe and a sizeable group of members joined from Holland, Belgium and France. Over the past decade, much of that momentum has been lost and HAE has gone through a number of changes in its attitudes and policies to the extent that it is no longer easily perceived as a pan-European organisation. The writing is now clearly on the wall as we read that there are serious stirrings within continental Europe to form a European hire association. The impetus is coming from large rental groups and manufacturers and has probably now reached critical mass and is unstoppable. Will this leave the HAE as a rump body to represent just the UK and Ireland? Will the large UK hirers, many with European agendas, feel compelled to get on board the new gravy train? One thing is for sure - the prospective losers in all this are companies that are similar in outlook to the visionaries who founded the HAE over 30 years ago. Many of us, due to our fleet inventories, choose to belong to more than one trade body; however, with membership costs ever rising, it is unlikely that all but the largest players will encompass yet another trade association. For the third time in 12 years, HAE has recently changed its Articles of Association mainly on the grounds that it wants to make it easier for ordinary members to volunteer for posts on the board. In the old days, there was a clamour from more high quality talent to help the HAE than it ever needed. Well-known and respected hire executives would organise Regional Meetings including some in Europe! The original HAE Catering and Leisure Division held more meetings out of the UK than they did in this country. We cannot turn the clock back, nor is there any profit in analysing the reasons for more recent policy changes at the HAE. All members should, however, consider whether the HAE will be devalued by the emergence of a new and, apparently, truly pan-European hire organisation. With, currently, a strong membership of all the leading hire groups and Independents within English-speaking Europe, the HAE must meet this new challenge and if it cannot head them off at the pass, then the parable of the man peeing in the tent springs to mind. • Executive Hire News › Archives › April 2006 › Crosshire › Associating across Europe
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