Manitowoc tabs David Hull as vice president
Manitowoc has announced that David Hull is its new vice president of sales in North America for crawler cranes and mobile cranes.
Prior to this position, Hull served as Manitowoc’s general manager for the Australia and New Zealand region, based in Sydney, Australia. Before that, he held the position of director, global trade finance at the company’s Manitowoc Finance division and was located at the corporate office in Manitowoc, WI.
In his new role Hull is responsible for all aspects of outside sales and marketing for Manitowoc crawler cranes and Grove mobile hydraulic cranes in North America. He will manage a team of regional business managers who work directly with the Manitowoc distribution network and major accounts throughout the United States and Canada.
Hull reports to David Birkhauser, Manitowoc’s senior vice president of sales for the Americas, who says Hull’s experience at many levels of the organization will be a major benefit in his new and expanded role.
“Dave has had many years of experience at many levels of the Manitowoc organization,” he said. “His leadership ability and knowledge of the crane industry will be invaluable as he takes over in this new role.”
Hull replaces long-time sales director Bob Hixon, who retired in June.
Toyota is distributor for Aichi aerial work platforms in America
Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A, Inc. is now the sole distributor of Aichi scissor lifts and wheeled and crawler boom lifts in the U.S. Customers benefit from Aichi's high-quality products supported by key dealers in Toyota's dealer network and Toyota's more than 40 years of experience in the United States.
“Our customers expect the highest level of quality, durability and reliability,” said Shankar Basu, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. “And these Aichi products deliver just that – as well as the best warranty in the industry. We are thrilled to be offering another line of Toyota quality products to our customers.”
Toyota Aichi dealers offer a line-up of aerial work lifts, including scissor lifts, crawler and wheeled boom lifts designed specifically to meet a wide range of indoor and outdoor needs.
“These new Aichi built aerial work platforms have been developed for the U.S. market with efficiency in mind,” said Hisao Suzuki, chairman of Aichi Corp. “With unique designs that optimize productivity and minimize downtime, our products allow customers to focus on their business.”
Product offering
Toyota Aichi dealers offer two models of SV-Series scissor lifts ranging from approximately 20- to 26-feet high, two models of SP wheeled boom lift models and four models of ISR-Series crawler boom lifts.
Aichi’s new SV scissor lifts feature a brushless AC drive system and unique inverter design for longer duty cycles and faster traveling speeds (1.5 times better than previous models). AC drive motors have no directional contactors or wearable parts thus reducing planned maintenance. Because there are fewer moving parts maintenance is simpler, and access is made easier for inspections. Batteries are housed in an easy slide out compartment for full access.
The new SV-Series also features a new optional proportional steering system for more control when steering. The standard 90-degree steering angle makes it simple to maneuver in tight workspaces. With the fold down handrail option, the new lower stowed height of 5 foot 7 inches allows operators to easily store the scissor lifts. Aichi scissor lifts offer a platform extension that adds an additional 3 feet 3 inches of workspace.
Both the SP-Series wheeled boom lifts and ISR-Series crawler boom lifts help customers meet the demands of such environments as rough outdoor construction worksites and are currently available in heights ranging from approximately 40- to 46-feet (SP-Series), and 60- to 70-feet (ISR-Series).
The unique three-stage boom structure, standard on all wheeled boom lifts, allows for the most compact stowed position in the industry. This permits the operator to have a larger working range (from stowed position to horizontal outreach) without ever moving the boom lift. As the SP-Series products also are able to be in a low, compact stowed position, operators in smaller sites or with height restrictions also receive the same maneuvering capabilities. The shorter stowed length makes parking simple and can reduce transportation costs as both a boom lift and scissor lift can fit on a standard trailer.
With an extensive model range of crawler boom lifts in the U.S., Aichi products have been tested and designed for rough terrain and allow a 16-17 inch clearance and 55 percent gradeability. In addition, all Aichi Boom lifts feature a standard harsh environment package featuring wipers on the boom sections, boots on the cylinders, and protection on pivots and bearing points.
Genie sings the blues and wins a silver
Genie Industries’ sales manager, Scott Owyen, has been awarded a prestigious Silver Communicator Award in the audio category of Inspirational Recording with special achievement noted for the Production of Original Music.
Owyen was awarded the distinction by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) for his original blues song “Genie Blue,” a reference to the company’s blue aerial lifts.
“This is such an honor and thrill for me,” said Owyen. “Presenting this song started off as simply a fun and wild way to wrap up a meeting, but it has blossomed into something much bigger. The song really encapsulates the way we try to have fun at Genie – it’s another way to communicate what type of company we are.”
With over 9,000 entries from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring the creative excellence of communications professionals. The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the IAVA, a 200-plus member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media.
Genie Media Producer, Phil McCoy, recognized the potential of the song and brought Scott together with producer arranger Geoff Ogle of goplaymusic.com. Together, they recorded the song as an electric blues tune just as Scott envisioned it.
“Scott has magical songwriting ability – and combined with Geoff’s talent for quality production and arrangement, we had a winning combination,” says McCoy. “Working with Scott and Geoff on Genie Blue was a career highlight. I love the sound, it’s phat and from the first note of Scott’s blistering guitar performance, you’re hooked.”
“All I can say is this is really cool,” said Ron DeFeo, CEO of Terex Corp. “It is nice to be recognized by your peers and appreciated for the excellence achieved in this artistic pursuit. But for the businessmen and women to appreciate it as well, then it is just downright remarkable. Whatever we do in life it is important to have fun.”
Owyen now leads the Terex All Star Band, which kicks off important company events throughout the year. To download Owyen’s winning song, and to see a video performance of the Terex All Star Band, please visit www.genieindustries.com/genieblue.
Breast cancer awareness lifted to new heights
When Bud PeCoy decided he wanted to raise awareness about breast cancer, he did it – literally. In fact, he not only raised awareness, he lifted it over 80-feet in the air.
PeCoy, of Mid Country Machinery, a construction equipment dealer and rental company headquartered in Fort Dodge, IA, along with partners Mark Swedlund, Lucas Peed and Bob Conaway, were looking to find a way to “give back” to the community when they learned that the wife of one of their customers suffered from breast cancer. Seeing this as a worthwhile cause, they decided to create a breast cancer awareness campaign by purchasing two “special” JLG Model 800S telescoping boom lifts to add to their rental fleet.
While purchasing the 80-foot tall machines was nothing new, PeCoy and company had the machines painted a special pink color at the JLG factory and added custom decals to the boom with their company’s “REACH HIGH FOR THE CURE” slogan, and other decals promoting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists.
In addition to painting and decaling the booms to promote breast cancer awareness, Mid Country Machinery also signed an agreement with the Des Moines chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to donate 10 percent of all income derived from the rental of the machines for the next 54 months, an amount that is expected to total between $25,000 and $30,000 during the life of the agreement.
Because of the current volume of construction activity to build and enlarge existing hospital facilities throughout Iowa, PeCoy plans to send the 80-foot tall pink JLG boom lifts to those sites as often as possible. In fact says PeCoy, “If painting our booms pink and adding decals to support the cause can increase awareness of breast cancer, we may even order more pink booms. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of our contribution.”
Jergens Inc. names Eric Van Steenlandt director of sales and marketing
Jergens Inc. recently appointed of Eric Van Steenlandt as director of sales and marketing. In his new capacity, Van Steenlandt will be responsible for all of Jergens’ sales and marketing activities in North America. His staff includes 18 direct sales and manufacturers’ representatives as well as product managers and support personnel.
He will also interface with the company’s more than 200 distributors throughout the United States and Canada.
Van Steenlandt has previously served as a corporate national sales manager and as a systems design and development engineer. He brings to Jergens a combination of strategic skills and experience in sales, engineering, and management.
Van Steenlandt holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, University of Michigan.
Cattron Group International fills China position
Cattron Group International (Cattron), a leading global manufacturer of industrial wireless remote control products and aftermarket services recently announced the assignment of Martin Chen as Marketing & Sales Manager-China located at the Shanghai, China affiliate office.
Reporting to Jim Robertson, executive director-business development for Cattron Group International, Chen is responsible for providing leadership and direction for all of Cattron’s marketing and sales operations in China. He will develop new strategic business relationships, expand Cattron’s distributor sales network in China by adding additional distributors as well as work directly with major key accounts within China.
Chen has over 16 years experience in the industrial market as well as over 12 years experience in sales and marketing. He holds a master’s degree in business administration- managerial science and engineering from Webster University in St. Louis, MO.
“We are extremely pleased that Martin has elected to join the Cattron team. His experience brings invaluable expertise to Cattron,” said Robertson. “We are looking forward to working with him to help us grow our business in China. He is responsible for increasing our industrial, mining and rail sales through existing and new OEM, dealer and distributor channels.
In addition to expanding its sales network, Chen’s responsibilities include providing leadership and direction for all of Cattron’s marketing and sales operations in China; developing new strategic business relationships and working directly with major accounts within China.
IronPlanet appoints Michael O’Donnell
IronPlanet, an online auction company for used construction and agricultural equipment, recently appointed Michael J. O’Donnell to the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer.
O’Donnell will be responsible for the company’s overall financial management and for developing the infrastructure to support the continued growth of IronPlanet’s business.
“Michael provides a tremendous amount of experience and leadership capability in financial oversight and management of rapidly expanding companies,” said Gregory J. Owens, chairman and CEO of IronPlanet. “His background and expertise in building sound financial strategies will be invaluable as we continue to scale our business.”
O’Donnell brings more than 25 years of financial and business management experience to IronPlanet. Previously, O’Donnell served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Procuri Inc., a leading on-demand supply management software company. O’Donnell also held the position of managing director with Price Waterhouse Corporate Finance and SunTrust Capital Markets, where he led the merger and acquisition advisory group.
“IronPlanet has demonstrated significant growth over the last several years and is well-positioned to accelerate this high-growth trajectory,” said O’Donnell. “I am very excited to join the IronPlanet team and to focus on building the infrastructure that will help the company continue to grow globally and profitably.”
O’Donnell holds a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia.
Morris Material Handling Inc. offers inspection services
Morris Material Handling, Inc. now offers inspection services for all brands of overhead cranes and hoists. Highly trained and certified technicians analyze hundreds of crane components and deliver a simple, easy-to-read report (enhanced by proprietary ProCare crane-inspection software) of all deficiencies.
Technicians are equipped with a Panasonic ToughBook, unique to inspections of material-handling equipment. Use of the Panasonic Toughbook on-site expedites the complete report and repair proposal — typically available within three to five days. Morris Material Handling crane and hoist inspections assist with safety and reliability, help ensure regulatory compliance, and lower the total cost of crane ownership.
To find out more about the Crane Inspection Services, contact Morris Material Handling, 315 W. Forest Hill Avenue, Oak Creek, WI 53154, or visit www.morriscranes.com. In Canada, contact Kaverit Cranes & Service, 649 Enfield Road, Burlington, ON, L7T 2X9, or visit www.kaveritcranes.com. For the nearest service center anywhere in North America, call 800-933-3001.
Terex to acquire Fantuzzi port equipment business
Terex Corp., Westport, Conn., has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the port equipment business of Fantuzzi Industries S.a.r.l. for total consideration of about $319 million. These businesses are global leaders in the design, manufacture and service of port equipment, with factories in Italy, Germany and China, as well as sales and service branches around the world.
The company had 2007 revenues of about $664 million. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, and is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of 2008.
“This acquisition provides us with an important growth opportunity in the intermodal transportation area of infrastructure,” said Ronald DeFeo, Terex’s chairman and CEO. “The acquisition is an excellent fit with our strategy of expanding our market presence in related product areas and is a natural extension of our cranes business. We expect this acquisition to be accretive to Terex earnings per share by the end of 2009.”
The company said that the existing Terex reach stacker product line will be joined by the Fantuzzi product range that includes Noell-branded straddle carriers, both Fantuzzi- and Noell-branded rail- and rubber-tired gantry cranes, mobile harbor cranes, ship-to-shore cranes, reach stackers and forklift trucks designed to improve port productivity.
Company continues to deliver
ClickSafety.com, Inc., a provider of online construction safety training solutions, surpassed the 2-million-courses-delivered mark on Aug. 1, 2008. The company announced the sale of its one-millionth course in March 2007.
"Reaching this milestone is exciting for the entire team," said Eric King, CEO of ClickSafety. "Each of our clients played a role in helping us achieve this goal, and we hope they'll join us in our journey to three million."
ClickSafety celebrated the milestone by giving away a 46" Sharp LCD flat panel TV to user Curt Carlsen, general superintendent for Perini Building Company, Inc. Carlsen completed the two-millionth course in Reno, Nev., as part of a company-wide training program.
"Safety is the most important aspect of any job," said Carlsen. "Our goal at Perini is to ensure that each of our staff and subcontractors undergoes proper safety training. Proper training and awareness of our surroundings is what sets Perini apart from the others."
Perini recently partnered with ClickSafety to take advantage of ClickSafety's construction-focused content and extensive online training library. |
