12.11.2004

A full review of Manitou’s World wide dealer convention

Manitou hosted over 700 dealer and affiliate personnel from 70 countries at its plant in Ancenis, France this week to celebrate the production of the 200,000th rough terrain forklift truck, the new MI60H.
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The actual 200,000th Manitou a new MI60H will be donated to a Non-Government-Agency, the Red Cross??

Marcel-Claude Braud, Manitou president and Chief Executive Officer and his team, took the opportunity of this milestone to announce a new corporate identity and logo along with the announcement of an upgrade programme for the whole Manitou forklift range, while setting out a new vision to take the company up to 2010 and he hopes, the 300,000th unit.
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Marcel Claude Braud Manitou President and CEO

The new corporate identity is based around a new logo, which replaces the original 1960 one.. The new logo retains the forklift pictogram, albeit with a flashier look and it now faces left to right or as the company says “forward”, While the old logo was boxed in the new one is open to reflect the “open mindedness” of the business now and gone is the tower crane jib from the T. “The new logo is not just a new sticker on the machines, it is a strong commitment to the future” said Braud
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The New Manitou logo unveiled to celebrate the 200,000th unit

The event also included a preview of the company’s plans and vision for the future, presented by the company’s management team entirely in English. Plans include an acceleration in new product development, (an increase of 40 percent in Research & Development spending is claimed for this year) an aim to increase annual unit sales by 50 percent and bring more balance to the three sectors of the business aiming for a 40/30/30 percent breakdown between Construction, Agriculture and Industrial sales. The company has already made progress in this area with Construction this year representing less than 50 percent for the first time at 47 percent, while Agriculture represents 27 percent and the balance being industrial.

In terms of sales targets Marcel-Claude Braud asked that the 300,000 milestone be reached by 2010, in a later more relaxed final address he commented to the dealers that perhaps 2010 was too far off!

To put the 300,000 unit target into perspective it took 22 years to reach 100,000 and only 12 years to do the next 100,000. With five years to go for the next 100,000 it might seem ambitious, however at today’s production levels it would take just over seven years.

In order to help achieve the sales growth Braud outlined a new strategic vision, which includes stepping up the pace of development and progress, adding new product categories to the already wide range. Please register to see all images

Telehandler come backhoe, the Manihoe MLB 628

At the same time Manitou will refresh and upgrade the current rough terrain product line adding the improvements seen on the 200,000th unit, the upgraded units will carry the H suffix.
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The new look, the Manitou MSI50H

Other aspects of the vision, include a major initiative to boost customer satisfaction through improved product quality along with additional services for customers, including Financial programmes, more training courses, (demonstrated by the investment in the new Manitou training centre at Acenis); A new on line information service allowing customers and dealers to access a much wider range of information and services.
A new dealer charter to help step up the quality and consistency of field service and a new range of service contracts.
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The new Manitou training centre in Acenis

Braud also vowed to work had to maintain employee and dealer motivation while maintaining a strong independent financial structure for the business. One thing that he was adamant about was the Manitou distribution policy, “That will not change” he said. He did though call on the dealers to join Manitou with its growth, saying “I expect you to continue to invest with Manitou in terms of more salesmen and more customer support”
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Dealers from 70 countries wave their flag in celebration

In terms of commitment to the access industry, the message was clear, Manitou’s core product is and will be material handling, but it is IN the access business for the long term and will continue to develop the Access product line at a steady but determined pace “We want to be in the MEWPS (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms) business” The fact that this had to be spelt out highlights past doubts.
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Maniaccess platforms were also on display

The timing for this meeting was opportune, with the core telescopic handler market becoming ever more competitive. JLG laid down the Gauntlet earlier this year with its determined target to take the number two position worldwide within five years, thus displacing either Manitou or JCB. Meanwhile Merlo of Italy continue to invest and push hard to increase market share, while Caterpillar and Komatsu are now firmly in the business and likely to step up their investments in the telehandler market.

A brief look at the company’s history

The conference opened with a delightful father and son (with the youthful Marcel looking more like Marcel-Claude’s brother than his father) review of the company history with many of the original post war team present and acknowledged. The following is a brief review of those early days.
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Marcel Braud, (Left) with son, Marcel-Claude

The original Braud company was founded by the current presidents great grandfather, Alexandre Braud who started as a mechanic in Saint Mars La Jaille repairing farm equipment, he progressed to building innovative threshing machines and eventually combine harvesters. When his eldest son, also Alexandre, took over the business in 1936 the younger son Marcel moved to nearby Ancenis to join his father in laws seed and fertiliser company, He soon set up his own business producing animal feed. During the war he secretly designed and tested a range of concrete block machines, concrete mixers and small tower cranes ready to launch after the war. It was not to be however, Marcel, who was a member of the resistance, was killed on the very day Ancenis, was liberated. His wife Andrée was obliged to take control of the business.

With the help of her 13 year old Son, also named Marcel, along with guidance from her father, she continued with her husbands plans to start manufacturing the range of construction machines while retaining the animal feed business that had taken them through the war.
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The Braud Sapine crane from 1946 with 500kg capacity

A team of four local men were employed to help turn the plans into reality. The fledgling company exhibited at its first trade fair in Paris in 1946 alongside mighty companies such as Potain and Richier. The young business took two years worth of orders.
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A Braud Concrete Mixer from 1948

In1953, after a number of managers, Andrée Braud, met Henri Faucheux, who owned his own small business making similar products to Braud including cranes. He joined as a 25 percent partner and Managing director of the restructured company which was named S.A.R.L Braud & Faucheux, rapid expansion followed.

The Young Marcel Braud joined the business in 1954 starting out as a labourer and moving through every job in the company. By 1955 he had risen to the job of foreman of the machine and fabrication shop, that year they bought the first forklift, a three wheel Matral that Marcel had spotted at a show, it transformed production and was also used to tow concrete mixers to the local station for loading, however its iron wheels were dangerous outside and on the loading ramps.

So in 1957 they “invented” a rough terrain handler by putting a lift mast onto a Sambron dumper, they quickly sold 200 of them, However…the unit suffered from repeated axle failures, Sambron were not interested in working with Braud &Faucheux to develop the idea, but the company’s hydraulic component supplier, suggested that they were far more likely to succeed if they used a farm tractor in place of a dumper. A McCormick International tractor was purchased, a mast was fitted to the rear end, a counterweight added to the front along with power steering and reversed steering controls. The Rough Terrain forklift was born!
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The first Manitou Rough Terrain forklift on McCormick tractor 1958

Now that the team had a product to be proud of they needed a name, The use of abbreviated word to form brand names was popular in France at the time, so after a brain storming session , Marcel’s wife Marie-Claude came up with the Manitou name, being an abbreviation for the French words Manutention and Tout , ”Handling All” in English.

In addition it was at this time that the red colour was selected for the Manitou product, Marcel Braud says that red was chosen due to it being different and bright, but also due to his admiration and respect for Poclain, the excavator producer whose colour was bright red. The fact that the McCormick tractors, (which in the beginning were purchased as finished products) were bright ”International red” apparently played no part!
The company’s products until this time had been a dull blue colour.

The Manitou brand name was registered and a logo designed complete with rough terrain forklift pictogram and an extended bar to the T representing a tower crane.
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The old Manitou logo

In 1970 a major serious dispute arose between the Brauds and Henri Faucheux, Marcel now 39, was ready to take on the top job and the dispute was disruptive enough to cause a strike at the plant, eventually a settlement was found and the Brauds purchased Faucheux shares regaining 100 percent of the business.

Manitou’s first overseas subsidiary was established in the UK in 1972, Marcel’s brother in law, Gordon Himsworth was British and advised the company to set up a wholly owned import business rather than appoint a distributor. It was he who found suitable premises, near the port and Manitou Site Lift was born. The UK is still Manitou’s largest export market; over 35,000 units have been sold to date.

In 1980 the tower crane company Cadillon was purchased and the entire tower crane production was moved to Cadillon's plant in Charolles. Cadillon later became part of BPR and then Potain and Legris industries. Leaving Manitou to specialise in fork lifts it was also this year that John Iles from the UK subsidiary Manitou Sitelift, pushed for a telescopic forklift which was already becoming popular in the UK and Ireland.

In 1984 a small number of shares were sold to Societe Generale of Belgium and the company went public on the Paris Unlisted Securities market. However the company has remained very much a family business this is very evident in the way the company is managed and in the relationship it has with its dealers all of whom are made to feel part of the extended Manitou family.

A glimpse of the Ancenis plant

The celebrations this week included some active demonstrations and a tour of the Ancenis plant. Ancenis produces the Rough Terrain fork lifts, both mast and telescopic types. Access equipment is produced at a separate plant some 45 km away, while 360 degree telehandlers are built in Italy.

The following photos will give just a little impression of the event.

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A forest of machines welcomed Delegates

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Units were put through their paces on the RT demo pad

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The telehandlers looked impressive in the mud hole

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Manitou's vast fabrication shop

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The main assembly hall with aurtomated lines in Ancenis

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Last step of the process, units are loaded up and ready to ship out.

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Did you know that Manitou make pallet trucks?