Sennebogen America recently recognized three of its distributors as the top market performers for the company’s expanding line of green machine material handlers. 2006 proved to be a record-setting year for Sennebogen, which first introduced its equipment to North America less than seven years ago. Sennebogen has continued to expand its distribution network and, according to its top sales teams, the company can expect its rapid growth to continue in all parts of the country through 2007.
Last year’s three Sennebogen market leaders included Gibson Machinery of Cleveland, Ohio, Howell Tractor & Equipment, based near Chicago, Ill., and Tractor & Equipment of Atlanta, Ga.
For Gibson Machinery, being in or near the top of the list of Sennebogen dealers has become a habit over the past few years, but the president of the company, Lee Gibson, said he always feels “a big sense of pride” in winning the recognition. With one of the most established Sennebogen dealerships in the country, Gibson acknowledged that the green machines have become the best selling material handler in the region.
“Scrap and demolition is a big niche for us,” Gibson said. “It’s an important part of the business in this area and we study it.”
Gibson often works alongside his sales team on-site with the customer to recommend the right machine and configuration for their application. He also gave credit to Sennebogen factory support for his success.
“Our district manager for Sennebogen, Len Lawrence and our port specialist, Andreas Ernst, are always willing to come in and help us. Anytime we use their expertise, our customers enjoy hearing what they have to say.”
While Gibson believes that the scrap business will continue to be strong for him next year, he also sees increasing activity in new applications. Lee Gibson also has found growing interest in Sennebogen’s electrically driven material handlers, and he recently sold one of the first all-electric, stationary units in North America.
While Gibson is building on its past success with Sennebogen, Howell Tractor managed to break into the company’s top ranks in just its first year of representing the line. Tom Ellis, general manager of Howell Tractor & Equipment, said that his team’s quick ramp-up can be simply attributed to its initial investment in Sennebogen. Once the distribution agreement was signed last year, Howell acquired a number of stock units and an extensive parts inventory right away.
“My own background is in sales,” said Ellis. “I know it’s never easy to sell off an empty shelf.”
Howell also invested in its staff to ensure a strong start. As many as 12 Howell sales representatives have taken training on the Sennebogen machines.
“We have a good market area for this kind of equipment in northwest Indiana and Illinois — the need is here. Now we can all walk and talk Sennebogen with our customers. Any one of us will be able to answer their initial questions and then identify any need for additional expertise.”
According to Ellis, staff training is the most important factor in growing success.
“You have to be able to take care of people. The steel mills we serve run 24/7; you need the crews available to look after them around the clock. Our people understand that the material handler is a primary machine to these operations — they can’t do without it.”
Like Gibson, Ellis expects that scrap recyclers and steel mills will remain the strength of his Sennebogen sales, while Howell’s customers in the aggregates business and port operations present opportunities for expanding his market base.
At Tractor & Equipment, President Dan Stracener agreed that knowledgeable people are essential to effective equipment sales.
“We are partners to our customers, not just suppliers. Our team is committed to helping you make the best business choice for the job. We take the time to understand the machinery, how it will be used and the kind of service it will require to maximize its productivity.”
Stracener said his organization, including 24 branch locations, meets its commitment with multiple levels of application support.
“Every one of our guys is trained on Sennebogen equipment. But they also have access to Sam Thomson, our in-house expert on material handling applications. Then we can also call on Len Lawrence, Sennebogen’s regional sales manager in this area, who brings us a great wealth of field experience as well as detailed insight into the Sennebogen machines. It isn’t uncommon to see all three levels of this expertise on a job site, making sure the customer gets the best advice available.”
The southwest remains a strong market for material handlers, according to Stracener. In more than a year of representing Sennebogen, TEC has delivered dozens of the green machines, and is already receiving repeat orders from several customers.
“In a very short time, we have become a strong force in America’s scrap-handling industry. But internationally, Sennebogen is well established in many more areas such as ports and barge loading, logging and forestry and in the waste industry. We are working with our dealers now to give Sennebogen the same kind of stature and leadership in this part of the world,” said Constantino Lannes, Sennebogen president.
Sennebogen has been in the global material handling industry for more than 50 years. Based in Charlotte, N.C., Sennebogen America offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any heavy lift or “pick & carry” application. A growing network of distributors supports Sennebogen sales and service across the Americas, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability.
For more information, call 877/309-0099 or visit www.sennebogen-na.com.
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