Merlo America has added Piranha Rentals to its U.S. dealer network, expanding sales, rental, parts and service support for Merlo telehandlers and attachments across South Louisiana.
Headquartered in Houma, Piranha Rentals operates facilities serving Venice, Port Fourchon and Plaquemine. The family-owned company supports offshore oil and gas, petrochemical, construction, pipeline, homebuilding and industrial customers, and is known locally for fast response and 24/7 support.
Piranha’s footprint mirrors key demand centres in the region, with Port Fourchon positioning the business near one of the Gulf Coast’s busiest offshore hubs and Plaquemine connecting it to industrial and plant-construction activity near Baton Rouge. As an authorised Merlo America dealer, Piranha Rentals will offer Merlo equipment sales and rentals, along with parts and service, across its Louisiana locations.
“Every machine has to earn our customers’ trust before it leaves the yard,” adds Lirette. “It needs to be clean, tested and ready to work, because that is the standard our customers expect from us. Merlo supports that same standard, giving us a premium product line we can stand behind with confidence.”
Said Jimmy Lirette, Piranha Rentals’ CEO.
Piranha Rentals added Merlo telehandlers to its fleet as customer demand increased for lifting and material-handling equipment. The company now runs 36 Merlo telehandlers across oilfield, construction, industrial and pipeline jobs. The machines are being used for a wider mix of work than traditional lift-and-place tasks, helping some customers cover more activities with fewer types of equipment on site.
Across the range, Merlo models typically feature enclosed cabs, strong all-round visibility, stability-assist systems and simplified controls. A selection of attachments supports job-to-job changeovers, depending on the application.
In oilfield, industrial and pipeline work, customers are pairing telehandlers with attachments such as winches and grapple buckets to reduce the amount of dedicated equipment required at a site. The company also sees demand for smaller models in construction and homebuilding, where transport and access constraints can be deciding factors.
“Customers are realising these machines can do far more than traditional telehandler work. With the right attachments, a Merlo telehandler becomes a multi-purpose platform that can help them take on more work with one unit, instead of bringing in additional equipment for every task.”
Says Lirette.
“Piranha Rentals brings exactly the kind of market knowledge and service commitment we look for in a dealer partner. Their team understands the realities of working in South Louisiana, where uptime, safety and responsive support are essential. With deep customer relationships and a strong presence across key industrial markets, they are well positioned to help Merlo customers get more from every machine.”
Said Cole Renken, General Manager at Merlo America.
For Merlo America, the partnership expands local access to equipment and service support in a region where reliability is critical.
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