Founded in 2018, Altitop France is the French rental division of the Vertimac group. Bringing together the Naessens family and Jacques Catinot, Altitop France has established itself as a specialist in access equipment rental, with a strong promise: offering recent, reliable machines and responsive technical service. But beyond operational performance, there is above all a family story, and even families (plural), that has shaped the company since its beginnings.
Today, Altitop France has three depots (Ablis, Douai, Rouen) and has just surpassed the milestone of 1,000 machines. Solid growth, driven by a human-sized organization and a “family business” culture.
A new generation committed to the company
At Altitop, transmission happens naturally, through the direct involvement of the children in the company’s development. Pierre Catinot joined the adventure in July 2023, in a context of strong acceleration: “I joined Altitop to help with the opening of new depots.” When he arrived, the company only had one site in France: “At the time, we only had the Ablis depot in the Yvelines department.” His mission was then clear: structuring expansion and improving work processes.
Camille Catinot joined more recently, in February 2025. Her journey started with a technological focus, working on machine tracking: “I started working at Altitop on a temporary mission updating the fleet trackers, then I stayed to help the operations department with other tasks, training with my brother on managing our after-sales service hotline.”
Very quickly, she moved into a key role: “Since then, I have been in charge of VGP inspections follow-up, the after-sales hotline and the planning of our field technicians.”
This complementarity between development and operations reflects the organization of a family business where everyone finds their place and contributes to moving the group forward.
The “family business” as a decision-making accelerator
Altitop is based on a long-standing alliance between the Catinot and Naessens families. This relationship, built over thirty years of collaboration, allows for faster communication and direct decision-making. The trust established over time prevents friction and fosters a culture of transparency, more efficient on a daily basis. As a human-sized company, Altitop also cultivates a “big family” spirit within its teams.
Camille confirms this culture of directness and efficiency: “We don’t beat around the bush, it’s more impactful and more efficient over time.” And this dimension extends to the collective: “Altitop is a big family since we remain a human-sized company. »
Haulotte: a historic partner present from the beginning
The relationship with Haulotte is a strong marker of Altitop’s positioning. Pierre simply recalls: “The first machines of Altitop France were Haulotte. The latest ones that just arrived are still Haulotte.”
For Camille, this partnership works because it is based on shared values: “We have the same vision when it comes to safety, quality and technical expertise.” She also highlights the importance of proximity and support: “We work as a team with the entire technical department.”
Pierre emphasizes the strength of the service: “We immediately have someone on the phone.”
A key combination to ensure continuity on jobsites, even in the event of a technical issue.
A lifting specialist, differentiated by a very young fleet
Altitop claims a clear positioning: “We are truly specialized in pure lifting.” The company offers a wide range, from “4-meter manual masts to 43-meter articulated booms,” with around 129 different models.
But its main competitive advantage remains its renewal strategy. Pierre explains: “Machine renewal is done every five years.” A philosophy that is rare in the market: “Few rental companies do that.”
The impact is direct: “Our fleet is always very young. And therefore, a new machine is still more reliable than a machine that is twelve or thirteen years old.” For customers, this means more reliable, more recent, better-maintained machines and improved availability.
Training: an essential internal pillar
Skills development is an important challenge at Altitop. Training concerns field teams in the broad sense: “We try to train our technicians and operators internally.”
And this requirement is all the more important as technologies evolve rapidly: “Since technologies are changing a lot, we need to train technical teams on the latest technologies and new options.”
Tomorrow: electrification, new depots, specific machines
Altitop continues on an ambitious path. Pierre outlines the main directions: “We will continue to develop the diversity of our fleet and continue opening depots. Our ambition is to be a national player, specialized in lifting.”
Altitop also plans to expand its offering with more specific equipment, such as tracked machines: “It is a growing need, work on muddy terrain is increasing and our partnerships with manufacturers specialized in tracked platforms give us a real competitive advantage.”
Growth that remains true to its family DNA
Altitop is growing fast, but retains the agility and proximity typical of family businesses. Pierre perfectly illustrates this mindset: “Decisions are made very quickly, we remain agile and pragmatic in the face of market and field realities.”
This is undoubtedly Altitop’s strength: combining the solidity of a structured fleet, technical rigor and the power of a “family business” where trust and commitment translate into efficiency in the field.