For more than two decades, Acarlar Makine has been a key player in developing Turkey’s access equipment industry. As one of the country’s earliest specialists, the company helped build awareness around safe working-at-height practices and supported the emergence of a structured rental ecosystem. Today, as a fully integrated Haulotte subsidiary, Acarlar Makine continues to drive growth in a rapidly evolving market.
A long-standing partnership that built a market
When Acarlar Makine entered the access platform sector in 2003, the industry in Turkey hardly existed.
As General Manager Serkan Acar recalls: “When we started, the access platform market in Turkey was literally non-existent. We built everything from the beginning: joining exhibitions, raising awareness, creating demand.”
From 2003 onward, Acarlar Makine operated as Haulotte’s exclusive distributor, reaching close to 50% market share for many years and playing a pioneering role in shaping the sector. Their collaboration entered a new stage in 2014, when Haulotte acquired Acarlar Makine. “Since then, we have been fully aligned with the Group’s standards, values, and long-term strategy,” Serkan asserts.
Today, the Turkish market has reached an annual volume of approximately 4,000 units. Despite increasing competition, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, Haulotte maintains solid performance. “We currently hold around 15% market share across the general product range,” Serkan adds,“and when we exclude battery scissor lifts, we maintain over 35%.”
A young and fast-growing access market
Over the last fifteen years, Turkey has seen rapid industrial development, major construction projects, and a rise in safety awareness.
According to Serkan, “the Turkish access market is young, dynamic, and expanding, driven by safety, efficiency, and growing industrial infrastructure.”
Today’s rental fleets total around 25,000 units, still far below the level seen in comparably sized European markets.
This gap indicates considerable growth potential: “we expect strong and steady growth for at least the next 10 years, with the market likely reaching around 50,000 units before it approaches maturity.”
Service excellence as a competitive advantage
In Turkey, the quality and responsiveness of after-sales service are major decision factors for rental companies. Access platforms are tightly linked to operator safety, and downtime can have significant financial consequences.
This is where Haulotte and Acarlar Makine stand out.
“With over 20 years of experience, a highly qualified service team, and strong spare parts availability, we clearly differentiate ourselves from competitors,” Serkan says. “Our response time and technical capability are still ahead of many players in the market.”
This reputation is one of the key reasons Haulotte continues to be a preferred brand among Turkish rental companies.
A rental market on the rise
Traditionally, companies preferred to own their equipment. But the nature of aerial work platforms (complex, maintenance-heavy, and essential for safety) naturally drives adoption through rental fleets.
Today, around 65% of the market is covered by rental. The sector includes four to five major companies with fleets of more than 1,000 units, alongside a very large number of small operators with fewer than 100 machines.
“The access industry truly develops in parallel with professional rental operations,” Serkan notes.
However, Turkey still lacks large generalist rental companies like those seen in Western Europe. New investments are expected as the market matures.
A future shaped by electrification and smart technologies
Looking ahead, strong growth is expected over the next decade. At the same time, global trends are transforming the industry: “customer preferences are rapidly shifting from diesel engines toward electric and hybrid solutions,” Serkan explains.
“Compared to five years ago, we now offer electric versions of many models, and soon almost the entire portfolio will be available in electric or alternative-energy versions.”
Haulotte is investing heavily in technologies such as telematics, predictive maintenance, and enhanced user experience, to anticipate these needs in a fast-paced and rapidly evolving Turkish market.
Serkan concludes, “in a highly competitive period like today, these innovations are essential to maintaining leadership and meeting the evolving needs of customers.”
