02.03.2016

Fishburn joins Snorkel

Snorkel has announced the appointment of Andrew Fishburn as divisional managing director of its Snorkel UK operation, with immediate effect.

In his new role he will be based at Snorkel’s production facility in Washington, Tyne & Wear and will responsible for the direct sales and service division which covers the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Formed in 2010 the Snorkel UK business has grown steadily under the leadership of Mark Yarnold, and now includes a fleet of mobile parts and service vehicles to provide regional support to customers. Under the new structure Yarnold moves to the position of sales director.
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Andrew Fishburn

Fishburn has a wide experience in the access industry, having established and run a rental operation, worked with a major manufacturer founded and run an independent distributor and acted as a training and marketing consultant. He began his access career in the early 1990s with Instant Zip-Up, then part of UpRight International, which through Tanfield acquired Snorkel and then adopted its branding. His initial role was selling and marketing to major end user accounts, with a particular focus on specials.

In 1995 he moved to JLG as a regional sales representative and was promoted to director of UK sales and European marketing in 2001. He then joined a Management Buy in led by Drivemaster of Independent Access which had gone into administration having been heavily indebted to JLG. His role as sales and marketing director. Under his guidance Independent was re-branded as Wizard Workspace which was acquired by Lavendon in 2007.

In 2008, he and fellow director Stuart Honeywood were joined by Andy Pratt to form Bravi UK to distribute the Italian manufacturer’s products in the UK and Ireland. In 2009 they added the Bluelift range of spider lifts followed later by RAM truck mounted platforms and then PB Liftechnik scissor lifts. In 2012 the company re-branded as HLS – Height Lift and Shift both to acknowledge the broader product range, and in preparation for the loss of the exclusive Bravi distribution contract.

The business has three owner directors Lorraine Flemming, Stuart Honeywood and Andrew Fishburn. The company then launched its own low level self-propelled product – the Hugo. Fishburn also established his own sales training business Spirit Network.

Snorkel chief executive Matthew Elvin said: “Andrew is well-known and highly regarded within the industry. The UK is an important market for Snorkel, and his appointment will help us to achieve the next level of growth within this territory, while ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of our valued UK customer base. We are delighted to welcome Andrew to the team.”

Fishburn added: “I am genuinely excited to join Snorkel at this key stage in its growth. The recent business developments and new product introductions are building a strong foundation for the brand, and I am looking forward to strengthening our position in this very pivotal market.”

Yarnold said: “I am delighted to be working with Andrew, he will bring some fresh ideas and strategy to the business to further enhance our presence in the UK and Ireland.”

Vertikal Comment

This looks like a sensible move for both Fishburn and Snorkel, it adds substance to the company’s UK team, which has already made much progress in overcoming substantial resistance and scepticism within the UK rental market. With a host of new products coming on stream and Don Ahern’s buy-in looking like it has real long term potential, the time is right to build the operation. At the same time HLS was struggling to support three director/owners and may well help that business.

This move is also a prime opportunity for Fishburn to show that he can build market share within the broader UK powered access rental market, not something that he has always warmed readily to. It is a tricky and, at times fickle or even slightly illogical market. And being truly successful in it as a dealer, sometimes seems to be more of an art-form than a science or skill.