Italian truck mount and spider lift manufacturer Socage is setting up a new distribution subsidiary Socage UK, and has appointed industry veteran Craig Rooke to head the venture as UK managing director.
The company says that the move is part of its ‘Internationalisation’ strategy, designed to offer solutions that are even closer and more targeted to the British market.
Socage UK will obviously be responsible for sales of new Socage equipment but will also set up and develop a 'comprehensive after sales service programme with rapid response times throughout the country.' The first job for Rooke is to find premises for the business.
Chief executive Fiorenzo Flisi said: “This new opening is further proof of Socage's commitment to being ever closer to its customers, wherever they are in the world, offering not only technically advanced products but also a concrete and reliable presence in the territory. The UK market is one of the most dynamic in the world and we are confident that our experience and commitment to excellence will allow us to offer unique value to our customers”.
Welcome aboard: (L-R) Alessandro Flisi, Craig Rooke and Fiorenzo Flisi
Craig Rooke has spent his entire career in the access industry having started out in 2000 as a sales rep with rental company GT Access, moving to JCB in 2006 as a sales engineer for telehandlers, before joining Haulotte UK in 2008 as Southern region account manager. He followed this with five years at Teupen as sales director for the UK and Ireland and year with Danish spider lift manufacturer Falcon, moving to CTE in 2018. After announcing plans to leave CTE last July he joined Sinoboom to lead its planned UK operation but decided that was not working out and left to look for another opportunity.
Speaking of his new role, which involves the type of product where he has previously excelled, he said: “I was so pleased to get the personal call from Mr Flisi to hear about his plans for the UK and after visiting the company’s headquarter in Carpi, Italy to see the facilities and discuss the idea in more detail, it was a very easy decision to join the company at what is a very exciting time. Socage produces a fantastic full range of equipment which is of a first class quality and importantly simple to use which means that users of this type of equipment will be very impressed as was I.”
The new venture will have its official debut at Vertikal Days on September 10th & 11th.
Spidermewp
All the best Craig