So if I'm interpreting your blog correctly, the companies that lease tend to use the dealers or manufacturers techs for their forklift service.

In America, large companies employ their own service techs even if they lease the machine. The dealer only gets involved when warranty claims are needed.

This could explain why Europe buys more forklifts- In Europe, when the term of the lease runs out, they replace the entire package ( forklift & tech ). In America, when the lease ends, the company still has a tech force ready to repair the units they now own.