Multiquip Inc. recently announced it will register equipment that it sells with the National Equipment Register (NER) to help its customers combat equipment theft. NER is a database company dedicated to helping equipment owners deter theft and recover stolen equipment.

Roger Euliss, president of Multiquip, explained that he has been following NER’s progress over the last few years and has been impressed. “Before taking this step we consulted with our customers and the associations that represent them. I received nothing but strong encouragement to move forward with this initiative and I would strongly encourage other manufacturers to follow suit. Equipment thieves have held the upper hand for too long and we, as manufacturers, now have an opportunity to take back the initiative from the thieves before the problem grows to a level where regulation and registration is forced upon our customers.”

David Shillingford, president of NER, explained that, “NER has helped recover over $13 million of stolen equipment. Although NER has millions of records already, this partnership guarantees identification for any Multiquip machine and it is natural that police will be encouraged to look at more Multiquip machines due to the greater likelihood of success. Multiquip machines have just become a much worse risk for equipment thieves.”

Chris Wehrman, CEO of the American Rental Association, applauded this move by Multiquip, noting that ARA has worked with NER to bring NER’s services to an industry heavily impacted by equipment theft. “ARA has partnered with NER for the past three years to lessen equipment theft for our members. We have found, however, that the few minutes to register equipment with NER is still a barrier for some members. It is, therefore, a huge benefit to the rental industry that Multiquip is leading the industry in taking this important step. This leadership by a manufacturer will assist rental businesses with all size fleets that are registered with NER.”