The seismic changes in the construction sector during 2009 devastated weak companies and demanded tactical shifts (even some risk taking) for stronger companies to survive. A series of moves by Tramac and Geith in 2009 — including reorganizations of people and programs, new products and new services — are gaining momentum in 2010.
The result: an attitude that focuses on being relevant for a long time to come.
According to Joe Forth, general manager of Geith and Tramac attachments, the changes have been carefully planned and are now solidly in place.
“While the experts are offering mixed projections, we’re prepared for a lift in construction and demolition during 2010 and beyond. That’s why we used the slower times in 2009 to revamp our systems to be even more customer focused, to find ways to reduce overhead and to bring more product innovations to the market.”
Forth went on to cite a number of specific examples:
• Consolidating customer service operations for both Geith and Tramac so that dealers and end users can use one phone number — 866/472-4373 — to order parts and get complete technical support for any product.
• Shifting and consolidating more manufacturing to the company’s North Carolina plant to better utilize existing facilities, thus reducing overall production costs.
• Using the shift to more U.S.-based manufacturing to improve lead times and reduce freight costs.
• Reorganizing the sales team to have consolidated contacts and responsibilities so that dealers have one point of contact for all products versus the multiple contacts of the past.
• More products coming to market in both the Geith and Tramac lines.
“A greater variety of products means we can offer dealers and their customers the chance to be more versatile in work applications. They can get creative in pursuing new business opportunities and getting their work done easier. We want to be the source of their success,” said Forth.
“Our team has worked really hard to keep us strong and viable through the downturn. Their creativity and effort will pay off in the long term for our customers.”
For more information, visit www.TramacUS.com or www.geith.com.
