In the late 1940s, the European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan, set out to create a stronger economic foundation for the countries of Europe. The initiative followed a speech by the then US secretary of state, George Marshall, who spoke of the administration’s desire to help the European recovery following the Second World War.
Like his countryman, Roy Burger is focused on Europe emerging from financial turmoil.
The idea, Link-Belt, was conceptualized long before the First World War—in 1874— when William Dana Ewart, a young farm implement dealer in Belle Plaine, Iowa, conceived an idea of a square detachable “link” for a chain belt—a “linked belt.”
Now, with headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, Link-Belt is a specialist in the design and manufacture of telescopic boom and lattice boom cranes for the construction industry worldwide. And it has been working on bringing a wave of cranes to the EU for a while now.
But, as Burger points out, “the Link- Belt name and its products are not new to Europe. Remember we had a manufacturing plant in Italy and shipped products from Milan as well as North America from the 1960s through the 1980s in significant numbers. We have a fairly large machine population and customer base in that market.
“There were, however, trademark issues with the Link-Belt name in Europe after FMC sold Link-Belt to Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Once they were resolved, we were able to focus on tailoring products to the European market. For achieving CE compliance, we worked closely with TUV.
“Any new endeavour comes with a learning curve. The CE codes are very complex and, especially with the truck cranes, vastly different from the SAE codes in the United States. It required significant re-engineering. The rough terrain cranes and telescopic crawlers were somewhat easier.”
The product range available to the EU includes its 70USt HTT-8675 Series II (hydraulic truck terrain), 70USt TCC-750 (telescopic crawler crane) and 60USt RTC- 8065 Series II (rough terrain crane), which are all CE compliant. “These cranes were shown with the CE mark at Bauma,” Burger recalls.
“We are definitely working on additional models for the European market. Of course, we will choose products with a logical fit, as some are better suited for Europe. Our next new product launch is ConExpo 2011.”
Link-Belt’s truck cranes have different features to the ATs that many EU-based manufacturers make but it believes many of its products are a natural fit for the marketplace. Take the TCC-750 telecrawler it displayed at Bauma, for example. “It received a very positive response. I like to say it needed no translation: people saw it, they understood it and they liked it.”
“An all terrain crane is a very complex piece of lifting equipment. It takes a well trained, highly-skilled individual to drive and operate it. Further, because of this complexity, they yield higher maintenance costs. That’s justified in the higher tonnage versions by rental rates but it doesn’t really make sense in the lower tonnages. Truck cranes are much simpler to operate and the maintenance costs are significantly lower.
“As for the rough terrain cranes, I think we’re seeing more consideration given to RTs for jobsites in Europe. You need to be able to transport them on the roads and make assembly and disassembly fast and easy.”
Link-Belt has found an ally in Rod Abbott at UK rental firm NRC Plant. “We signed NRC in 2007. Everybody in that region knows Rod and the NRC staff and that they run an absolutely first rate operation. They have been invaluable in getting us reconnected with customers and making sure our products are in step with the key markets. They currently have all CE models in their rental fleet.
“In addition, we are working with other potential distributors throughout the EU. Naturally, I can’t discuss the ‘who’ until we have a signed agreement.”
Selling cranes in a new market isn’t just about features and cost, but service too. Furthermore, good after-sales support can guarantee repeat customers.
“That’s very true in both Europe and the rest of the world. We’ll do the same thing in Europe as we do in the United States: sign outstanding distributors that can provide the kind of support our customers expect from Link-Belt. We have also made the commitment internally by creating dedicated sales and service staff to fully support those distributors.
“We will also pursue marketing and distribution in regions where we believe our products and specifications make the most sense and will find the most acceptance. We are being very strategic in where we are going and do not necessarily intend to have distribution in all European markets.”
