United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company, with about 13 percent of the North American market share. It owns the largest rental fleet in the world with about 660,000 rental units totaling about $15.97 billion in original equipment cost (OEC). The company has a combined total of 1,350 locations- an integrated network of 1,301 rental locations in North America, 13 in Europe, 28 in Australia and 18 in New Zealand.

United Rentals was founded in September 1997. Then-chairman and CEO Bradley Jacobs planned to grow the company through acquisition and consolidation, beginning in October 1997 with six small leasing companies scattered across North America.

United Rentals is primarily a provider of construction and industrial equipment: trucks, aerial work platforms, counterbalance forklifts, reach forklifts, earth movers, compressors, homeowner equipment, and similar devices. Together, these are considered general and aerial rentals, and they make up the bulk of URI’s rental fleet and customer base.

The company took an industry-leading position in e-commerce in February 2000 when it launched a new business-to-business website: E-Rental Store allows customers to rent or buy equipment on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week. Since going public in 1997, United Rentals has met or exceeded financial analysts’ estimates for every quarter of each fiscal year.

According to fundinguniverse.com. Source of photo: internet