AFI Rentals

What AFI Rentals does

AFI Rentals (legal entity: AFI-Uplift Limited, Company No. 03539352) is a UK-headquartered specialist provider of powered access equipment and associated services, operating continuously since 1998. The company operates 15 depot locations across the United Kingdom and 6 locations in the Middle East through its Access Rental Gulf entity, supporting a rental fleet in excess of 6,000 mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) including scissor lifts, articulating and telescopic boom lifts, spider lifts, truck-mounted platforms, van-mounted platforms, underbridge units, construction hoists, push-arounds, mast lifts, and telehandlers. Legal domicile is England; the registered office is in Normanton, West Yorkshire, with operational headquarters listed at Witham. Headcount is stated as 501–1,000 employees.

The commercial offering spans five revenue streams: short-term and long-term equipment hire (with tiered long-term pricing under AF10/AF20/AF60 plans and 7-day hire extensions); machine sales of new and ex-hire units through AFI Resale; IPAF, PASMA, and CITB-accredited training delivered through 15 dedicated UK training centres (training more than 30,000 people annually); service and maintenance including LOLER inspections, thorough examinations, Service Maintenance Agreements, and paint and repair; and add-on options including Damage Waiver (10% of hire) and All Risk (20% of hire) cover, traffic management, site surveys, and Chapter 8 compliance. A digital layer comprises the AFI Online Portal, AFI Mobile App, and AFI Tracking for 24/7 order management, plus an AI-driven site survey assistant branded SiteSurvAI. Vertical exposure is deliberately diversified across construction (primary), renewables, infrastructure, installation, telecoms, maintenance, industrial, and media/film applications.

The go-to-market combines direct field sales across the 21-strong depot footprint for enterprise accounts with self-serve online/app ordering for SMB and walk-up customers. Distribution is supplemented by manufacturer relationships (specialty units such as the Bronto S56XR 56m truck mount and Aspen A-62 underbridge units) and industry body alignments (IPAF, PASMA, CITB, CPA). The group structure spans AFI-Uplift, AFI-Training, AFI-Resale, Wilson Access, Rapid Hoists, Facelift, Spiderlift, and Access Rental Gulf as wholly owned operating entities under the AFI Group umbrella. Ownership, financial scale, and investor composition are not publicly disclosed.

Name

AFI Rentals

Legal name

AFI-Uplift Limited

Website

https://afi-rentals.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

AFI Rentals is a UK-headquartered specialist in powered access equipment (MEWP) rental, sales, training, and maintenance, operating 15 UK depots and 6 Middle East locations with a fleet exceeding 6,000 machines serving construction, infrastructure, and industrial customers since 1998.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Witham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equipment Hire: Short-term and long-term rental of powered access equipment including scissor lifts, boom lifts, spider lifts, truck mounts, van mounts, and other MEWPs. Revenue generated through daily, weekly, and monthly rental rates with tiered pricing for longer hire durations (AF10, AF20, AF60 rate plans).
2. Machine Sales: Sale of new and used powered access equipment through AFI Resale division, including special offers on ex-hire machines.
3. Training Services: IPAF and PASMA accredited training courses delivered through 15 dedicated training centres across the UK, training over 30,000 people annually.
4. Service & Maintenance: LOLER inspections, thorough examinations, SMAs (Service Maintenance Agreements), paint and repair services, and mobile engineering support.
5. Damage Waiver & All Risk: Optional damage protection plans - Damage Waiver at 10% of hire cost covering accidental damage during working hours; All Risk at 20% covering 24/7 including theft and malicious damage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AFI Rentals rents powered access equipment (MEWPs) including scissor lifts, articulating and telescopic boom lifts, spider lifts, truck-mounted platforms, van mounts, underbridge units, construction hoists, push-arounds, mast lifts, and telehandlers to construction, infrastructure, installation, telecoms, industrial, and renewables customers across the UK and Middle East. The company also provides IPAF and PASMA accredited operator training through 15 dedicated centres, machine sales via its AFI Resale division, LOLER inspections, Service Maintenance Agreements, paint and repair services, and digital self-service via its online portal and mobile app.

Product overview

AFI Rentals operates a comprehensive powered access equipment rental, sales, training, and service business with a portfolio centered on mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and associated services. The core offering includes scissor lifts, articulating boom lifts, telescopic boom lifts, mast lifts, spider lifts, truck-mounted platforms, van-mounted platforms, underbridge units, construction hoists, push-arounds, and telehandlers. Supporting the equipment fleet, AFI provides industry-accredited IPAF and PASMA training through 15 dedicated training centers, LOLER inspections, Service Maintenance Agreements (SMAs), paint and repair services, and additional services including traffic management, site surveys, and damage waiver options. The company also offers digital services through its AFI Online Portal and mobile app for account management, order tracking, and 24/7 ordering. Hire options include standard daily/weekly contracts, 7-day extended service, and long-term hire programs (AF20/AF60/AF10). AFI operates 15 depot locations across the UK and 6 in the Middle East with a fleet exceeding 6,000 machines and trains over 30,000 people annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scissor Lift Hire

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IPAF (International Power Access Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFI Training provides IPAF accredited training courses including IPAF 3a 3b Operator Training, IPAF 3 Subjects, IPAF PAL Plus, IPAF E-Learning, and IPAF MEWPs Managers. IPAF is the leading international body for powered access training standards.
• PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFI Training provides PASMA accredited Tower For Users training courses. PASMA is the standards body for mobile access tower safety in the UK.
• CITB (Construction Industry Training Board)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFI Training is an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) under CITB, enabling construction industry workers to access certified training.
• CPA (Construction Plant-hire Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFI Rentals operates under CPA terms and conditions for equipment hire. CPA provides the framework for standard industry hiring practices and terms.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HSS Hire: UK general equipment hire provider with a substantial powered access offering. Comparable to AFI in the UK hire-plus-services operating model, depot network, and customer base, though HSS is more diversified across tool categories rather than MEWP-specialised.
• GAP Hire Solutions: UK plant and tool hire group with a substantial powered access division. Competes directly with AFI in the UK MEWP rental market across construction and infrastructure customers with a similar multi-product services model.
• Nationwide Platforms: UK-based MEWP specialist rental company with a national depot network. Competes head-to-head with AFI in the same product categories (scissor lifts, boom lifts, truck mounts) serving the same UK construction and infrastructure end markets.
• Speedy Hire: UK-listed equipment rental company offering tools, plant, and powered access. Competes with AFI in the UK hire market with overlapping customer segments (construction, infrastructure, industrial) and a comparable depot-based plus digital service model.
• Riwal: Pan-European powered access (MEWP) rental specialist headquartered in the Netherlands. Directly comparable to AFI in fleet composition, customer base (construction, infrastructure, industrial), and rental-plus-services model across multiple European geographies.
• Mateco: European MEWP and aerial work platform rental specialist operating across multiple European countries. Closely comparable to AFI in fleet type (scissor lifts, booms, truck mounts), customer verticals, and integrated service offering.

Broad incumbents

• Haulotte: French MEWP manufacturer that also operates a rental fleet and services business. Overlaps with AFI in MEWP product portfolio and increasingly competes in the rental channel as OEMs move closer to end customers.
• JLG Industries: Global MEWP and telehandler OEM (Oshkosh subsidiary) that is expanding its rental and customer-direct services. Comparable to AFI in underlying product categories and increasingly in the access-as-a-service model.
• A-Plant (Sunbelt Rentals UK): UK arm of Ashtead Group's Sunbelt Rentals, one of the largest equipment rental operators in the world. Competes with AFI across MEWP and broader plant hire with substantially greater fleet scale, capital base, and cross-border operating leverage.
• Ashtead Group: FTSE-listed parent of Sunbelt Rentals in the US and A-Plant in the UK. The publicly traded benchmark for the UK plant-hire market and the most capital-rich competitor facing AFI, with overlapping product categories including MEWPs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFIUplift
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afi-rentals
• Facebookfacebook.com/AFIUplift

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFI Rentals