Coates makes ‘Access Push’ in Western Australia

Coates Hire has initiated an ‘Access Push' project in Western Australia to increase the size of its aerial platform rental fleet in response to growing demand from major projects and the mining sector.

The company said projects worth A$40 billion (€31 billion) are underway in Western Australia and that the access market had gained strength on the back of the thriving mining and project sectors. It said demand for access equipment "is increasing at an impressive rate".

To meet the demand, Access Push has been put in place "to increase the fleet size of access equipment in WA and to give the guarantee of quality equipment to all Coates Hire customers and keep up with the market pace."

Coates said its West business unit alone will invest more than A$110 million (€85 million) next year in new equipment, across all product groups.

The rental company is currently involved in a number of current and upcoming projects in Western Australia, including Karara Iron Ore in the Mid West region and Rio Tinto Cape Lambert Expansion, Jimblebar, Hope Downs 4 and Solomon Iron Ore in the Pilbara region.

Coates Hire has two major owners, National Hire Group and private equity firm Carlyle. National Hire was recently fully acquired by Kerry Stokes' Seven group, prompting speculation in the Australian business press that the Seven may try to float Coates on the stock market or try to sell the business.