All articles by Grant Collinson
Grant Collinson
The resell market
Using data from Ritchie Bros., the worlds biggest industrial auctioneer which specialises in re-selling heavy equipment from the construction, transport and agriculture sectors, Rohmeder argued for leasing firms to keep a close eye of the equipment auction market.
Small companies present opportunities
Strong relationships built on trust and a good understanding of risk will help to reap the rewards of the SME market Jochen Jehmlich, managing director of Socit Gnrale Equipment Finance (SGEF) Germany, presented a snapshot of the SME market in his home country and how his business utilises the opportunity small companies present.
Lease accounting update
Jacqueline Mills, senior adviser with Leaseurope, cut through the confusion to deliver a microscopic analysis of the minutiae in the lease accounting re-exposure and what it will mean for Europes leasing industry.
A sobering wake-up call
With G20 leaders in deadlock in Cannes, the economic environment and its effect on leasing was an ever-present and frequently expressed concern among delegates.
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Work life quiz: Neil Davies, Close Leasing
Current job: Managing Director, Close Leasing Limited Location: Manchester and London.
UK manufacturers favour asset finance
Asset finance is the main source of funding for UK manufacturers, second only to cash reserves, according to the Annual Manufacturing Report 2011 (AMR). Asked to select which methods they had used to raise capital over the last two years and which they expect to use over the next two, 37% of UK manufacturers identified asset finance. The funding model outstripped overdrafts, bank loans and venture capital investment but was surpassed by the option to use company reserves which 80% of manufacturing companies selected.
The state of the Union
As the eurozone lurches out of recession and into full-blown crisis, Grant Collinson and Richard Brown asked leading fleet managers and lessors from across Europe what they expect the short-term future holds for the industry.
High overdraft rates aid asset finance growth
The UK finance provider said figures from the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) for the twelve months to the end of September, which will be released at the end of November, show £20.9bn in asset finance was lent to businesses in the UK, up by 8% on the previous year.
SME hunger is chance for alternative lending
UK SMEs are hungry for acquisitions but lack takeover experience, presenting an opportunity for asset-based finance to offer cash-flow protection, according to Venture Finance. A study by the invoice and asset-based lender found one in ten small and medium-sized businesses plan to acquire competing companies in 2012. Nearly 80% of these potential purchasers have never acquired another business and a third admitted to being unsure how to buy or sell a business.