01.04.2021

Ahern acquires KH Lift

Aerial lift and telehandler distribution group Ahern International has acquired KH Lift in Denmark.

The deal was completed yesterday with Ahern acquiring the assets and major business activities of the Danish distribution business from founder and owner Karsten Haahr. The business will transfer into a new entity - Ahern Denmark A/S - which will take over the ongoing equipment sales operation including the distribution of Snorkel aerial lifts and telehandlers, along with the service and spare parts business with immediate effect. KH Lift employees will transfer across to Ahern Denmark which will operate from the current KH Lift facility in Vejle, Denmark.

Ahern Denmark will be led by Henrik Skibsted, who is currently the Snorkel territory manager for Scandinavia and the Baltics, a role he will continue to cover alongside his new job. An official launch is planned for the new business on May first. The company says that it is recruiting for a number of newly created roles, which it hopes to fill prior to the opening.

Karsten Haahr will continue to run the rest of the KH Lift operations – which includes the distribution of Instant scaffold towers and Sumner material lifts in Denmark, along with its used equipment sales, from its new headquarters in Lunderskov.

Matthew Elvin chief executive of Xtreme Manufacturing, Snorkel and the Ahern International distribution network, said: “We are very pleased to be acquiring the KH Lift business which has been a high performing independent distributor for Snorkel for many years. It gives us great pleasure to be able to support Karsten with the next step in his journey, as well as bring a motivated and experienced team on board who have had great success in the Danish market to date. I wish Karsten the very best for the future and look forward to building upon the solid foundations that are already in place.”

Haahr, added: “I am very grateful to Don Ahern, Matthew, Henrik and the Ahern International business for this opportunity and I am confident that they are the right choice to continue and expand our existing operations in Denmark. I wish them much success.”