Having started by offering four telescopic forklifts for rent 10 years ago, Adampolis Rental has about 120 units of specialised equipment in its portfolio today and officially represents two strong European brands, Dieci and Wacker Neuson; their equipment leads the Lithuanian market in sales. Although production and supply chain problems are disrupting business around the world, nevertheless the company’s growth plan for this year is ambitious, according to Laimis Krevnevičius. Good relationships and contracts with European suppliers point in a positive direction: there will be no shortage of equipment.
“We even plan to use the shortage in the markets as an advantage. Our partners are reliable, we also work proactively, we are able to find equipment, provide it, rent it to customers. If somebody experiences a delay in getting loaders, cranes or other equipment somewhere else, we will be able to meet the need. That’s why we are expanding and hiring more staff,” says Krevnevičius.
Learning together with the market
Adampolis Rental, part of the Adampolis group, currently employs about 50 people. For comparison, ten years ago, there were only two when the business started: Krevnevičius and the company’s head of sales, Mantas Sakalauskas. According to the latter, starting the business was not so easy. Businesses still suffering from the effects of the 2009 crisis did not have access to financing and lacked the internal resources to invest in equipment. Many rental representatives providing services in the pre-crisis period had already returned their fleets of equipment to their suppliers, and not everyone had a good understanding of what kind of equipment was needed for one or another job.
“We were like market innovators. If we saw that there was a need to lift certain loads to a specific height, we took it upon ourselves to search for equipment that could do the job. From searching online to travelling abroad to see how construction was done in Western Europe. We drove, we bought the equipment, we brought it here. At first we tried just to sell it, but the market simply did not have the money to buy it. So we started renting it out,” Sakalauskas remembers.
There were some embarrassing mistakes; for example, the decision to try to offer builders working in the Lithuanian climate a “cabriolet”, an excavator without a roof, which seemed laughable to them. However, it was through mistakes and experience, according to Sakalauskas, that they gained a better understanding not only of the local market, but also of what global producers had to offer, which was little known to the Lithuanian construction, industrial or agricultural sectors.
Made use of the available potential
An important step forward for the company’s operations took place in 2013, with the opportunity to represent Dieci, an Italian manufacturer of telescopic loaders for the construction industry. At that time, the Italian manufacturer already had representatives in Lithuania, but the brand’s equipment was used only within a narrow circle of farmers; the unused potential was large.
“We went to Italy, we talked with them, we were firmly convinced that they didn’t need us as much as we needed them. They probably sensed our inclination and desire, and gave us the opportunity to be one of their representatives. And so now, in the telescopic forklift market in Lithuania, we have been firmly among the TOP3 suppliers for the last four years, and in the case of telescopic rotary loaders, we have 100 % of the market,” says Sakalauskas.
In 2020, Dieci rewarded the company’s efforts by making Adampolis Rental a representative in Lithuania not only in the construction and industrial sectors, but also in the agricultural sector. According to Krevnevičius, these efforts were also of great benefit to customers. For example, equipment such as telescopic rotary loaders did not even exist in Lithuania before.
“Ten years ago, such forklifts were completely unknown in Lithuania, no one used them. The best thing is, everyone who tries them out can no longer even imagine how to work without them,” says Krevnevičius. According to him, customer education and development are a very important part of the business. Often, having listened to a customer’s needs, it is possible to offer equipment better suited to solve a problem than the customer had expected.
Important innovations
In 2015, Adampolis Rental became a representative of another long-standing European manufacturer, Germany’s Wacker Neuson. Wacker Neuson specialises in the compact equipment segment, but is increasingly expanding its assortment by producing compact large-scale equipment for more complex construction applications. Wacker Neuson invented the world’s first vibratory rammer for soil compaction. Also, the company is the first, and so far the only one, to design a solution for efficient excavation on sloped terrain: the Vertical Digging System (VDS). This system is used to reduce the different heights between tracks when working in particularly difficult conditions — on slopes or on the edges of curbs.
“The quality of German manufacturers is difficult to match. Wacker Neuson manufactures everything that might be needed for construction, and we have selected the categories of goods that are the most needed in Lithuania,” says Sakalauskas. He hopes that this year will be a very good one for this manufacturer’s equipment in Lithuania. Even as the world suffers from supply chain disruptions, the German manufacturer produces everything itself, so it has a strong advantage and ensures it provides what it says it can. Many new, innovative solutions can be found among the company’s offerings.
In addition, one of the most important innovations in the transport sector, solutions powered by electricity, has not gone unnoticed in the specialised equipment business. According to the senior executives at Adampolis Rental, although large-scale equipment will have to wait a while longer for electric solutions, the compact equipment is being electrified very quickly. Hybrid equipment already has great potential; an internal combustion engine can be used to reach the site, and the on-site work can be performed using electricity.
“Last spring we brought in a completely new product: an electric front loader. Although it is more expensive, some of our customers tried it out last year and ordered it for this year’s season. Electric equipment has many benefits: simple and easy operation, no noise, no pollution, no need to take care of fuel supply. Customers in Lithuania are already beginning to appreciate this,” says Krevnevičius.
A full package of services
The turnover of Adampolis Rental grew by 8 % in 2021. Marking the tenth anniversary of operations, the company has updated its brand and logo. Today, the largest customers of the company are businesses in waste sorting, biofuel production, grain processing, construction and agriculture. Unlike ten years ago, some customers today already have the ability to buy expensive equipment, and do so. However, the demand for rented equipment will not decrease in the future. According to Krevnevičius, it is not a matter of having funds available, but of convenience. With the purchase of expensive equipment, all costs related to its maintenance, management and service fall onto the customer’s shoulders.
“Our strength is that we can offer a full package of services, business doesn’t have to worry about anything. We get the most advanced equipment, we can ensure its maintenance, service, we can take care of fuel. Many participants in the rental market offer only equipment rental, while we offer the opportunity to rent equipment together with experienced operators. We also have a mobile technical support team. Whether it’s Christmas or Sunday, we know what losses can happen to a business because of broken-down loading equipment, so we’re always working,” says the CEO of Adampolis Rental. This approach to the customer and the services provided by the company, according to him, have helped the company to grow in the last 10 years, and, it is expected, will help in the future.
