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HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • AUGUST 2014
EARTHMOVING & MINI EQUIPMENT
Celebrating its 50th anniversary,
telehandler manufacturer Merlo has
revealed plans to grow market share in
Australia, according to Australian General
Manager,Wayne Munce.
Wayne said the brand has spent the
past six months increasing capacity in
Australia, in readiness for business growth.
“We’ve moved our head office to Sydney
and opened a second parts warehouse as
part of that facility, so we now have fully
stocked warehouses in both Perth and
Sydney, each carrying a six month parts
supply. We’ve also employed a number
of new staff who will offer great support
to our dealer network, and our Sydney
dealer has relocated to bigger premises to
support Merlo customers.
“These investments have been about
building a strong foundation so we can
support our growing customer base with
not only high quality equipment but quick
access to parts and exceptional technical
expertise,”Wayne said.
“What Merlo offers customers is 50 years of
very stringent manufacturing experience.
Unlike most manufacturers, we design and
manufacture a lot of the key elements of
the machines in-house. The electrics, cab,
load systems and more are all designed
directly by Merlo and manufactured at our
own facilities in Italy. Ninety percent of the
telehandler is manufactured by Merlo.”
The growth in Merlo’s Australian
Merlo celebrates milestone with big plans
presence comes
at a time when
infrastructure
programs are
growing across the
Asia Pacific region.
“Australian
businesses have
an important role
in infrastructure
development
across the region,
particularly in
mining and
agriculture across
Asia. There are
also plenty of local
projects including
tunnels and rail lines where telehandlers
will be in strong demand,”Wayne said.
The Merlo brand has an established
reputation across Europe. “The telehandler
has a much higher penetration rate in
Europe than here in Australia, but we are
starting to catch up and Merlo already has
a loyal customer base of operators who
have seen the benefits it can deliver.
“Now, more business operators are starting
to see the value a telehandler can bring
to their operations through its sheer
versatility.”
Wayne said anyone who needs convincing
of the robustness, comfort and durability of
Merlo’s telehandlers needs look no further
than the diary of Leo Terqujeff. Leo –
Manne to his friends – is a Merlo after sales
service technician from Finland who is so
passionate about the brand, he decided to
drive a Merlo P 25.6 telehandler halfway
across Europe, from Italy to Finland.
The journey, in celebration of the brand’s
50th anniversary and Manne’s own
approaching retirement, got underway in
Italy on 28 April. Manne arrived in Finland
in June after travelling through Slovenia,
Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic,
Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The
4,000km journey is the longest distance
ever travelled by a telehandler.
Visit:
New staff and new premises. Wayne Munce, Merlo Australia General Manager
(pictured 6th from the left) with staff members outside the Sydney warehouse
The owner of the first Kobelco SK55SRX-6
in Australia expects the machine to deliver
improved fuel economy that will help him
to remain competitive in the market.
Callum Roberts, owner of Pro-Dig
Earthworks, is based in Launceston but
operates across Tasmania, with 17 staff
and 15 pieces of plant and machinery,
including seven Kobelco Excavators.
“With diesel costs increasing the way they
are, the fuel economy of the SK55SRX-6
was key for choosing it,” Callum said.
“Lower fuel costs will help reduce our
overheads and increase our bottom line.
“Our jobs include commercial civil works,
car parks, house footings, plumbing
excavations, bulking out houses and
digging trenches. All of this demand a lot
of grunt, which we know the SK55SRX-6
will deliver, because we’ve seen the
First Kobelco SK55SRX-6 put to work
Callum Roberts of Pro-Dig Earthworks in
Tasmania took delivery of the first Kobelco
SK55SRX-6 in Australia
performance and toughness of our other
Kobelco machines.”
“We are really impressed with the specs.
The larger cab is a major plus, with bigger
windows and plenty of mirrors.”
“It is also set up to provide proper operator
comfort, which is critical when you
work machines hard, for long periods, in
challenging environments.”
The SK55SRX-6 is able to accommodate
a wide range of attachments, which is
essential for Pro-Dig’s variety of work.
“We run tilt hitches, rock grabs, augers and
rock breakers and the SK55SRX-6 handles
them all with ease. It is also very easy
to maintain, with everything that needs
attention out in the open and convenient
to reach. The new Kobelco iNDr filter is
especially impressive. It makes day-to-day
maintenance so much easier.”
Call 1300 KOBELCO or visit website:
