Nearly two years since SDLG entered North America, the company’s development plan continues to be right on track. The goal of providing customers with value-featured machines, as opposed to premium wheel loaders, has found footing in the industry. Both dealers and customers are seeing the benefits of well-made loaders that are backed by a global, top-tier manufacturer, seasoned dealers and substantial warranties.
Dealers across the region have now seen how well the wheel loaders are performing, and many new locations have signed on to offer the machines to their customers. A unique support system, which relies on a central parts location and ultra-fast shipping to dealers, has also won the brand many fans. The modern approach, modeled on 21st-century logistical innovations, has kept costs down while still ensuring speedy responses.
Eight new dealers have joined SDLG’s network this spring, bringing the total to 24 dealers and 40 locations. New locations in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Minnesota and New York, among others, are ensuring the brand has a sales presence across North America. Canada has taken to the brand especially well, with SDLG wheel loaders handling snow removal, roadwork and mining in the country.
In many ways, the success of the value brand in North America will come down to its dealer partners. The strategy in bringing new dealers to the brand has been to partner with locations that have several years of experience and know their customers well.
The decision to purchase a value machine versus a premium one is strategic – SDLG loaders are great for customers that don’t run their machines 24/7/365, or don’t need the features of a premium loader. A dealer that knows its products and customers well is in the best position to assist customers in making a decision that best works for their company.
SDLG is also listening to the needs of the North American market with great attention, offering new models and features based on customer feedback. When SDLG entered North America in 2013, the brand had no experience selling in the region. It was inevitable that adjustments would have to be made – both in terms of the product and the way the brand operated in the new territory. Flexibility was going to be the key.
SDLG has met this challenge with great adaptability and nimbleness, both by offering new machines and by providing customizations to wheel loaders already being sold. For example, early impressions from potential customers that viewed SDLG’s loaders at trade shows explained that a 3.0 yd³ capacity loader would be ideal for the region. At the time, only a 2.4 yd³ and 4.0 yd³ loader were offered. Within seven months, SDLG was able to send a 3.0 yd³ loader to North America.
Not only did SDLG scramble to ship the new loader to North America, its team of engineers quickly customized the model for the particulars of the market. More horsepower was given to the engine and more counterweight was added, making the machine more powerful and more stable. This stability aided the increased bucket size.
In another impressive display of SDLG’s quick adaptability, the company also improved its wheel loaders’ bucket feathering functioning, which enables operators to shake out bits of a load, increasing their accuracy. Several SDLG dealers explained that an improvement in this feature would enable better operation in almost all applications.
The SDLG team responded quickly, modifying the machines’ spools to improve the bucket feathering function. A group of engineers assembled to find a solution to the problem, and the fix was delivered in a matter of months.
Nick Tullo, sales manager for the brand in North America, has seen part of his role as becoming a liaison between the regional market and SDLG in China, relaying the market’s demands back to the company and rolling out those changes for customers.
“It’s pretty fascinating and impressive how quickly SDLG in China can respond to the North American market,” he said. “We are in a position to ascertain exactly what the region needs in a value wheel loader and deliver a solution. Then we back it with a world-class warranty and support from an expert dealer network.”
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