Out in the field…June 2010
I was at an all day training session for a new Barko dealer. Barko, our sister company, makes what many consider to be the finest loaders in the industry. Two of Barko’s application engineers conducted the training for the dealer’s technicians and sales people. It was great to see the knowledge being exchanged in the room and the hands on time with the equipment that this level of personalized training offers.
The Forestry market has taken off in the past few months and it’s good to see. The general sentiment I’m hearing is that this isn’t short lived and will be sustained. Tiffin’s been committed to this market for well over a decade and we’re actively adding to our product line to meet our customers’ needs. We are the leading aftermarket supplier for Prentice and Hydro-Ax replacement parts and are working to build on that line as well as all of the other brands we support like John Deere and Tigercat.
We’re also the leading aftermarket replacement parts supplier for SkyTrak and Lull telehandlers and are building our line to support JLG and Genie branded rough terrain fork lifts. While utilization rates have remained depressed for this market, we are positioning Tiffin to be the leading supplier of aftermarket parts for all major brands of telehandlers by the end of 2010.
While new forklift equipment sales continue to be off, sales of Industrial Engine replacement parts are up over 2009. Equipment is being put back in service as market conditions slowly improve. We’ll be making a major announcement later this month regarding an addition to our product line as the first in the market to offer parts for a popular engine that up to now has been prohibitive to rebuild.
At Tiffin, we’re committed to helping our customers be successful. Industry leading availability, high quality and personalized service set us apart. Let us know what we can do for you!
Out in the field…February 2010
I’ve spent the past few days calling on customers in Alabama and Georgia. Most were heavy equipment dealers and some were independent repair facilities. At best, cautious optimism rules the day.
The general sentiment seems to be that once the weather clears that logging activity will be up in the Spring over last year since the mills are in dire need of wood. Once their needs are met, there seems to be some sense that the price of wood will drop and the logging segment will fall back to last year’s levels.
It was surprising to hear that several dealers had sold all of their Skidders and were waiting on delivery of more. It was not a surprise to see how little new inventory was sitting on the lots. The most sales activity seems to be with 2 and 3 year old equipment.
If there were bright spots, it seemed to be with equipment that moves dirt, whether it be for road construction or mining. In general, the feeling was that 2010 may be the same as or just slightly better than 2009 and that the market won’t show marked improvement until 2011.
We want to know…what are you seeing in the markets you serve???
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