Equipment Report

Sennebogen Recognizes Dealers of the Year
Sennebogen LLC, Stanley, N.C., recently recognized its three top-selling distributors for 2010. Each faced the challenges of the year's difficult economy, and succeeded by putting a personal face to its machinery lines, according to the company.

From left to right: Lee Johnston, David Shea, Constantino Lannes, Trevor Ash and Pierre Bazinet.

The three sales leaders included Top Lift Enterprises of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, Gibson Machinery of Cleveland and Tracey Road Equipment, Syracuse, N.Y. While the firms differ in size and product range, the principals say fielding a sales team that adds personal value to the customer is a consistent key to its success.

At Top Lift Enterprises, Managing Director David Shea reorganized the business to deliver more focused expertise to the company's customers. Top Lift represents Sennebogen throughout the central region of southern Ontario and southern Quebec as well as the West Coast's Vancouver, British Columbia, territory.

Shea segregated the primary equipment lines to create a specialized heavy industrial unit representing several manufacturers of material handling equipment. "With the growth that we have been experiencing, both on the construction side as well as in the heavy industrial applications, we knew that we would have to match that increase with more qualified staff to maintain the level of customer service we are known for," he says. To support his customers in recycling, manufacturing and port operations, Shea added three people to the company's staff who combined have more than 63 years of industrial sales experience.

Commenting on the impact of the economic downturn, Shea says, "Our approach has been to treat every deal like it was our last. We invested our time to get involved with the customer instead of just quoting what they requested. By understanding their actual needs, we could show them some more attractive options."

According to Lee Gibson, president of Gibson Machinery, Sennebogen is the primary line sold by the company. The number of green line machines in the Ohio and western Pennsylvania regions is a testament to the focus his sales staff has on key applications such as scrap handling and barge loading, Sennebogen says. Gibson says he also has been expanding his sales force and facilities to help the staff stay closer to customers.

Gibson's company has ranked in Sennebogen's top dealers list for each of the past eight years.

Jerry Tracey, president of Tracey Road Equipment, says he expects each member of his sales team to be a "true solution provider." Tracey says he feels he was bucking an industry trend when he remapped his sales territories to give each representative a smaller territory to cover. "I want them to have less windshield time and more face time," Tracey explains. "Our guys are becoming the equipment managers for many of their clients. We know that our customers are great at what they do; we just want to help them make sure they get the best equipment for the jobs they have to do."

Constantino Lannes, president of Sennebogen, also says the quality of personal service from his distributors has been an essential ingredient in the manufacturer's rapid growth over the past 10 years. "The depth of the Sennebogen line and the engineering behind it allows us to be very flexible in matching our machines to the customers' applications. We rely on high caliber sales people to fully understand the details of what the customer needs. Then we use this flexibility to develop exactly the right solution, but it all starts with the right mindset."
 

Bike Rally Concludes with KPI-JCI Tour
More than 100 people on 65 motorcycles participated in the ninth annual Road Machinery and Supplies (RMS) Adventure Tour, which concluded with a tour of the Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. (KPI-JCI) manufacturing plant in Yankton, S.D.

The majority of the riders were customers of RMS, one of the largest equipment dealers in the nation and the KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens dealer in Minnesota, Iowa and Florida.

The RMS Adventure Tour traveled from Lake Okoboji, Iowa, to Yankton, S.D., where participants were able to tour the plant. According to a news release from KPI-JCI, the RMS event "has grown considerably since its inaugural ride," during which 25 motorcycles and about 40 people traveled from Dubuque, Iowa, to Red Wing, Minn.

"RMS started the ride as a thank you to its customers," says Larry Smith, RMS sales manager. "There is a wide diversity of participation on the rides, from the operators of equipment, to the owners and CEOs of major corporations, to small businessmen and women. Most events held by dealers are geared toward one facet of their customer base and do not offer the broad spectrum of opinions and experience that is offered on this ride. Our Adventure Tour brings about conversations that enlighten all who participate in a way that no other event can provide."

Curt Peterka, advertising manager at KPI-JCI, says the event is a great oppurtunity to build relationships with others in the industry.

"The RMS Adventure Tour is a great way to get out and enjoy the open road," Peterka says.
 

Morbark Expands Dealer Network
The equipment manufacturer Morbark, headquartered in Winn, Mich., has added six new dealers since late 2010.

With the six new dealers, Morbark now has 65 dealers in North America. Combined, the dealers have a total of 150 locations throughout North America. The newest Morbark dealers are the following:

• Columbus Equipment Company, Ohio;
• Bartlett Manufacturing, eastern Michigan;
• White Star Machinery, Oklahoma;
• Fabick Caterpillar, eastern Missouri and southern Illinois;
• Schmidt Equipment, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; and
• Elliott and Frantz, Maryland and Delaware.

Morbark reports that its current full-line dealer, Doggett Machinery Services, has expanded its territory to include the state of Texas (with the exception of Bowie and Cass counties). The expansion added Texas to an already established territory of the state of Louisiana. In addition, Newtown Power, a long-time Morbark tree care products dealer in certain Connecticut counties, expanded its territory to cover the entire state of Connecticut.

More information on locations or product lines that each dealer carries can be obtained by visiting the dealer web page at www.morbark.com.
 

Komptech USA Appoints CEO
Komptech USA has appointed Marcel Vallen as its new CEO. Vallen has more than 25 years of experience in the waste handling industry, starting as a machine operator, working his way to plant management and then executive roles. A Netherlands native, Komptech says he has worked closely with European and American machine manufacturers and has a knowledge of all aspects of the market, on the technical, business and operational levels.

Prior to joining Komptech USA, Vallen was CEO of CBI Europe, importing U.S.-made grinders and shredders.