IN Brief:
- Dinolift has appointed Lars Schulman as chief executive.
- He will take over from Petter Rönnlöf, who has stepped down with immediate effect.
- The leadership change comes as the powered access market focuses on international growth, electrification, and product development.
Dinolift has appointed Lars Schulman as chief executive, replacing Petter Rönnlöf, who has stepped down with immediate effect by mutual agreement with the board.
Schulman is expected to start in September. Karin Godenhielm, who led the Finnish powered access manufacturer before Rönnlöf took on the role in March 2025, will serve as interim chief executive until then.
Schulman has served on Dinolift’s board since 2020 and has experience in commercial and strategic development. He is currently chief executive of Finland-based B2B marketing agency VML Finland, part of an international network.
Dinolift chairman Tom Nickels thanked Rönnlöf for his contribution and said Schulman had the experience needed to lead the business into its next phase of development.
The company manufactures lightweight aerial work platforms from its base in Loimaa, Finland. Its range includes trailer-mounted platforms, lightweight 4×4 platforms, spider lifts, and vehicle-mounted equipment, with recent product development including hybrid and electric models aimed at lower-emission site operation.
The leadership change comes as powered access manufacturers adjust to a market shaped by electrification, rental-fleet investment, emissions restrictions, and higher site expectations. Contractors, hirers, and facilities operators are increasingly looking for machines that combine reach, stability, safety, low noise, lower emissions, and easier transport.
For manufacturers, that creates a more demanding development environment. Powered access equipment still has to deliver core requirements around reliability, serviceability, working height, outreach, stability, and ease of use. At the same time, customers are asking for better battery performance, charging practicality, hybrid operation, telematics, diagnostics, and total cost of ownership.
Dinolift’s lightweight positioning gives it relevance in markets where transport cost and restricted access influence equipment choice. Lighter machines can reduce towing and logistics constraints, while compact configurations can support urban maintenance, utilities work, public realm projects, facilities management, and contractor tasks on constrained sites.
The challenge is to preserve durability and operating performance while adding the technology expected by modern rental fleets. Electrification, digital monitoring, remote diagnostics, and service support all require investment, and smaller manufacturers need to balance product innovation against production efficiency and distributor support.
The powered access market is also internationally competitive. European manufacturers are dealing with uneven regional demand, price pressure, component availability, electrification costs, and the need to support distributors across multiple territories. A chief executive with board experience and commercial development background is likely to place strong emphasis on market positioning, channels, and partner relationships.
Rental companies are scrutinising fleet purchases more carefully as utilisation, residual value, parts availability, battery performance, training, and aftersales support all influence returns. Machines that introduce complexity without improving hire value can be difficult to justify, especially where customers need equipment that can move between different site conditions and applications.
Electrification is a clear direction, but it is not a single answer for every application. Fully electric platforms can reduce noise and eliminate local exhaust emissions, while hybrid machines can offer flexibility where duty cycles, charging access, weather, or remote locations make fully electric operation harder to manage. Manufacturers will need to align technology with real usage patterns rather than treating all sites as identical.
Leadership continuity will be important for customers and distributors. Access equipment is safety-critical, and buyers need confidence in product support, documentation, training, spare parts, warranty management, and long-term development. Schulman’s existing board role should give him familiarity with the business before he takes on day-to-day executive leadership.
The wider access sector continues to benefit from the move away from ladders and improvised work-at-height methods towards engineered access systems. Demand is likely to remain supported by safety requirements, maintenance needs, retrofit work, utilities, and construction activity, although machine selection will become more closely tied to emissions rules, site restrictions, and digital fleet management.
Dinolift’s task is now to convert recent product development and production capability into stronger international growth. The appointment gives the company a leader already familiar with its strategy, while the market around it becomes more technically demanding and more competitive.
