Capital Equipment News December 2020

MATERIALS HANDLING

Vermeer Equipment Suppliers takes over distribution of MultiOne loaders

Vermeer Equipment Suppliers, the exclusive distributor for US-based Vermeer Manufacturing Company’s range of equipment for agriculture, underground utility installation, tree care, organic waste recycling, land clearing, mining and pipeline solutions in sub-Saharan Africa, is expanding its product offering by adding MultiOne branded articulated loaders and attachments to its portfolio. CSF MultiOne SRL, an Italian based OEM has a strong, 20-year track record of supplying customers around the world with compact articulated loaders that are known for high quality, versatility and efficiency. In January of 2020, MultiOne announced it had entered into a distribution agreement with Vermeer Corporation for the supply of Vermeer-branded loader models to be sold, serviced, and supported exclusively through Vermeer dealers across North America. One year later, Vermeer Equipment Sup- pliers is now the first Vermeer distributor outside of North America to take up distribu- tion of the MultiOne brand. In early 2020, CSF MultiOne SA and Vermeer Equipment Suppliers entered into an agreement that outlined the transition of the MultiOne distribution rights to Vermeer

Equipment Suppliers. This included the acquisition of all inventory and the employ- ment of outgoing director at CSF MultiOne SA, Lofty van Wyk, who will be responsible for the full commercialisation of the MultiO- ne brand within the company. “Since the inception of Vermeer South Africa in 2004, we have steadily increased market share of the Vermeer brand in Sub-Saharan Africa,” says Frank Beerthuis, MD of Vermeer Equipment Suppliers. “The economic contraction in sub-Saharan Africa limits our opportunities for organic growth and therefore the reason for us taking on an

additional product that complements our ex- isting Vermeer product range. The MultiOne brand meets this criteria and the addition of this line of equipment will allow us to keep focusing on our core business, and continue to provide the excellent service that our existing customers are already used to, to a new and growing customer base.” Lofty van Wyk, segment manager Articu- lated Utility Loaders adds: “With the already excellent reputation of MultiOne in southern Africa as a quality-built product and with the Vermeer support structure behind it, we will be geared for further growth.”` b

GLTC’s short-term rental offers customers a flexible solutions With the unsteadiness of the economy, influenced by factors that fall outside the control of the industry, Goscor Lift Truck Company’s (GLTC) short-term rental solution offers flexible and cost-effective solutions for cash-strapped material handling equipment users. The short-term rental division has a big fleet of a wide variety of equipment.

A major benefit of GLTC’s short-term rental solution is its flexibility. Tanya Brummer, national rental manager at GLTC, says the importance of flexibility cannot be reiterated enough, especially during these tough operating conditions. “Short-term rental can be anything from a day to three years. Amid the current uncertainty due to tough economic con- ditions, this is a flexible solution for our customers as they don’t have to be bound to five-year rental contracts, for example. They can terminate the rental agreement anytime when finances are tight or busi- ness production reduces,” she says. If a company rents equipment with GLTC’s rental division on a short-term basis, she says, and the market deterio- rates, they are in a position to return the equipment to the supplier. On the other end of the scale, if they win projects or take on new work, they can still hire more

equipment to meet their immediate needs, without taking on greater risk. “Our short- term rental solution offers that much needed flexibility, allowing customers to easily adapt to business fluctuations,” she says. The rental division is represented in all the major economic hubs of the country, with branches in Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, East London, Cape Town and two multi-franchise branches in Port Elizabeth and Nelspruit. “We also have

our own roll-back trucks that deliver the forklifts to our customers to reduce turn- around times and increase flexibility, for example, when a customer requires early delivery or late collection,” she says. The short-term rental division has a big fleet of a wide variety of equipment that speaks to the needs of different customer groups. The current fleet is 1 200 pieces of machinery, with the majority of this in Jo- hannesburg. The range is from small electric pallet jacks to 16 t diesel forklifts. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS DECEMBER 2020 32