10.01.2005

Manitou restructures Sales & Marketing team in USA

Manitou North America has announced plans to reinforce its sales and marketing team in the USA as part of its plan to increase its market share.

The positions of western and eastern agricultural regional sales manager have been created to focus and reinforce the company's efforts to expand in the agricultural market.

Once the new positions are filled, the current group of five regional managers will no longer be responsible for agricultural activity and will focus their full efforts on expanding and increasing sales of construction and industrial products within their respective markets.

Effective immediately Kirk Zander, the Mid West regional manager for the past five years, has been promoted to the new position of Field Sales Manager, he will manage the activities of the expanded group of seven regional managers..

Two new positions in the marketing department, Construction specialist and Technical specialist will also be added to support the efforts of the regional managers and their dealers for the construction telescopic handler market.

“The additional staff reinforces Manitou North America’s commitment to expanding and supporting its ambitions and presence in the marketplace and support of our dealer network,” said Edward J. Ugolini, Director of Sales and Marketing at Manitou North America.

At a major dealer meeting in November to celebrate the 200,000th Manitou Rough Terrain forklift, and establish strategies for the next five years, (see Vertikal.net Novemnber 12th) Marcel Claude Braud, group president of Manitou set an ambitious target to increase the pace of sales by 50 percent and to better balance the business across its three main markets of Construction Agriculture and Industry.

This expansion of the North American sales team is clearly aimed to further those objectives.

Vertikal Comment

With JLG vowing to push Manitou or JCB into the third pace in the world telehandler market within five years and having set its sights on taking 10 percent of the European market in two years, Manitou needs to take JLG on in its home market where it currently has a dominant position with a market share well over 40 percent.