United Rentals, Inc., Greenwich, CT, has acquired Portland U-Rent-It, Inc., a privately held industrial-oriented rental company, with sales of $11 million, Corpus Christi, TX.
 
Michael Kneeland, CEO of United Rentals, said: The acquisition of U-RENT-IT is consistent with our strategic focus on the industrial marketplace. We are actively pursuing growth in industrial rentals, where our depth of resources and branch footprint can give us a competitive advantage. Moreover, industrial rentals are subject to different cyclical pressures than the construction market, where we are seeing demand continue to soften as spending is curtailed.”
 
U-Rent-It has benefited from rapid growth in the past year stemming from increased demand from energy-related customers, such as refineries in the Gulf region.
 
United Rentals, Inc. is an equipment rental company with 665 rental locations in 48 states, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.