TEREX DEMAG has sold its sales and service subsidiaries in Belgium and the Netherlands to Terex PPM distributor Kuiken.
Kuiken, distributor for Terex PPM for many years, now adds the Demag range of telescopic and lattice boom cranes to its franchise. It has taken on eight people from Demag’s operation in Belgium and 15 in the Netherlands.
Director HR Kuiken denied that the move from direct sales to using a distributor would put up the price of Demag cranes for Benelux customers. ‘The market will determine the price,’ he said.
Terex, not noted for exclusive agreements with distributors, has agreed that it will appoint no other dealers in the region for at least three years.
Kuiken, founded by the father of current boss HR Kuiken in 1946, is a E300m company that sells and services agricultural equipment, earthmoving machinery and special application machines, as well as lifting equipment. As well as PPM and now Demag cranes, it also sells and services Sennebogen and CT Compact Truck cranes, as well as Terex telehandlers and reachstackers.
Kuiken has five service centres in Holland, two in Belgium and nine in northern Germany. The target is to have all service centres no more than 200km apart, HR Kuiken said, so that all customers could be reached within one hour.
PPM cranes used to represent a significant proportion of Kuiken’s business, but PPM’s inability to produce a full range of competitive cranes coupled with the erosion of the 30t all terrain market by the growth of the Spierings truck-mounted tower cranes in the Netherlands has diminished the importance of PPM to Kuiken. With the Demag product range, Kuiken expects cranes to rise to between 15% and 20% of company turnover.
