05.11.2014

IAPS sells French parts business

IAPS has sold its French parts operation to TVH France, in order to focus on its sales and service business in the country.

IAPS has sold the goodwill and stock of the parts division of its Abzac, Bordeaux based company - Indépendant Pièces et Service – to TVH France, along with the right to use the IPS name in France. The move is intended to allow the IAPS business in France, headed by Frédéric Allier, to focus on its growing powered access sales and service business.

Kristof Bolle, director of sales industrial equipment parts & accessories at TVH said: "With the acquisition of IPS, we continue our strategy to grow and to be a true one-stop shop in the field of aerial work platform parts. It allows us to offer our customers a complete package with the best service they can expect from TVH."

IAPS chairman Tony Jennings, added: “The sale only concerns a portion of our operations in France. This move will enable us to realign our French operations and focus on the continued global growth of the IPS brand, such as our recent joint venture with Kanoo Machinery in the Middle East, North Africa and India, as well as our growing network of official parts partners.”

Allier said: “We have built up a strong machine sales and product support business in France. By retaining ownership of this element we can grow access platforms sales in France while continuing to provide high quality service, preventative maintenance and technical assistance to all our French customers.”

Vertikal Comment

This move is more pragmatic than strategic, the IPS parts business has not been as successful in France, as the sales and service business, and changing this would probably have required a great deal of investment, which was likely to have distracted the small team from its sales and service activities, where it feels it has a definite advantage and greater opportunities.

Outside of France the company is expanding its parts activities, most notably with the recent launch in Germany and the joint venture in the Middle East with Kanoo. TVH will absorb the business into its French operation and use the purchase to further penetrate the access market throughout Europe and North America.