BrandSafway Finalizes Acquisition of AGF Access Group
BrandSafway has finalized the acquisition of AGF Access Group Inc., effective March 2. Headquartered in L’Assomption, Quebec, Canada, with two manufacturing sites in Canada and 24 branches across North America, AGF Access Group provides turnkey solutions for both small-scale as well as multibillion-dollar commercial construction and refurbishment projects.
“By combining with a leader in motorized access equipment, BrandSafway can grow its market presence in mast climbing, suspended solutions, elevators and building maintenance units throughout North America,” said Dave Witsken, president of Energy and Industrial at BrandSafway.
As a combined entity, BrandSafway and AGF Access Group will be able to provide an even wider range of solutions and a greater depth of expertise.
“AGF Access Group is a great fit for BrandSafway,” added Witsken. “Our companies are complementary businesses in many aspects. AGF Access Group’s strong presence in the mast climbing and suspended work platform segment; its capacity to engineer and manufacture custom temporary suspended platforms, MCWPs (Mast Climbing Work Platforms), and permanent access systems; and its strong commercial presence in Quebec and Ontario are a perfect match for BrandSafway’s leading market position in industrial and commercial scaffolding, suspended access, and construction elevators projects throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
AGF Access Group includes four divisions, two world-class product groups – Hydro Mobile and Winsafe – and two successful rental units – AGF Access, which includes recent acquisitions Jamco Construction, IEQ/Noxxent, and Hydro Rents. Moving forward, both Hydro Mobile and Winsafe will retain their names. AGF Access and IEG/Noxxent will be combined with AlumaSafway. Hydro Rents will become Hydro Rents by BrandSafway, and Jamco Construction will become Jamco Construction by AlumaSafway.
“We look forward to working together to leverage our complementary businesses for growth,” said Vincent Dequoy, president of AGF Access Group. “Our combined customers will benefit from a broader portfolio of products and services and an expanded team of dedicated engineers. This is an exciting time for AGF, our employees and our customers.”
BrandSafway has 340 locations in 30 countries and offers a full range of forming, shoring, scaffolding, work access and industrial service solutions. BrandSafway is No. 6 on the RER 100. For more information, visit www.brandsafway.com.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.