08.02.2010

Pop-Up and UpRight join forces

Pop-Up and UpRight/Snorkel have agreed a joint world-wide marketing agreement for low level access products.

The agreement will kick off with Snorkel introducing the current Pop-Up products to the North American market, at the Rental show in Orlando later today. Snorkel will market the products under the Pop-Up brand rather than badging them.

It will also use the Pop-Up brand on its other low level products, including its PAM26 push around mast lift and recently launched SPX10 self propelled scissor, and SPM20 -20ft self propelled mast lift. All of these products will also be painted in Pop-Up's red and grey livery and be sold on the UK and Ireland by Pop-Up Products.
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The current Pop-Up offers a working height of 3.6m

The deal, which was only concluded on Friday evening, is therefore a combination of master distribution agreement and badging/licensing deal.

Nigel Woodger, managing director of Pop-Up Products, said: “Pop-Up Products has the market experience, product knowledge and a proven track record in innovation in low-level personal access and we were looking for a partner to develop and rapidly expand our product range worldwide.
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A corner of the Snorkel stand was reserved for Pop-Up - note the Pop-Up name on some Orange Snorkel products

“Working in partnership with UpRight / Snorkel is a match made in heaven for us. Pop-Up is the undisputed market leader in the UK and by leveraging UpRight’s global expertise in sales and distribution, we can take our products worldwide and be the dominant force in low level, personal access. It will also enable us to fast track our product development programme, with the Pop-Up Push being the first of many product ranges which we will jointly be bringing to market.”

Darren Kell, chief executive of the Tanfield – owner of UpRight and Snorkel, said: “Major contractors and rental companies are increasingly aware of the efficiency and cost benefits delivered by low level, personal access solutions. We see huge potential for sales growth across the world – with the combined experience and reputation of the two organisations and our planned new products, we intend to make Pop-Up THE global brand in this exciting market.”

Vertikal Comment

This is a surprise move on the part of both parties and does have some logic to it. It immediately gives Pop-Up the benefit of a world wide distribution network, while promoting the Pop-Up brand over a much wider area. It also gives it access to UpRight’s self propelled lift expertise and some immediate self propelled products to sell under its own brand name.

UpRight gains the push-around scissor lift expertise that Pop-Up clearly has, along with a strong brand name for its personal and low level work platforms – offering its some alternative or dual-line distribution possibilities.

The deal clearly needs some more work and detail decisions, although some of these may simply have not been released while others will be better left until the deal has a few months under its belt. but in essence it looks like a good move for both parties.

There will be some other self propelled manufacturers which might be wishing today that they had struck a deal such as this with Pop-Up.