I'm in parts in the UK and tinkered with America, but price was always an issue.
Can I ask you, other than SMH, who do you guys turn to re spares.
I see you mentioned Helmar, are there no others supporting the US on a national scale.
SMH's daddy in Europe is not cheap either, but there are options here.
Would really like to know what options you have over there.

When our company was first started we were COD with SMH, after 6 months we were allowed to have an open account. Maybe it will just take some time.

edward t i am learning thanks

Hi Pam, thanks for having me
you guys have been great :)

towmotor - I did not intend to just single you out, was just a general statement from what I know of the current market place.

Justinm,
This is Pam, Forklift Sales Manager at Flight Systems Industrial Products (FSIP) - We are glad to have you!!!!

just a guess, towmotor, but one good reason to have more than 1 good parts vendor would be to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket?

timj i used to buy from u guys why would i look for another parts supplier at that time

im that small indy
i have so many suppliers its not funny
SMH's line is much more comprehensive than anyone else that ive seen
i can get SMH but im going to pay above list going through a middle man
and to a guy like me (esp in this economy) getting the right part for the right price without much hassle is very important

your current small time guys may be your next super dealer 15 years down the road
youd hate to get that guy upset b4 he breaks out
cause he will remember when the reps are pounding on his door to get his business in the future

towmotor - that is the reason SMH bought out the after-market parts competitors (including our parts division).



SMH is in business to make $$ and their strategic planning that played out over the years in my opinion was brilliant.

The same small independent forklift companies today complaining about SMH, are the same companies that refused to look at other parts sources when they had the chance.

LOL = Laugh Out Loud
lol

|o| = tie fighter

smh bought out a parts supplier in canada over a year ago a certain type of air filter i purchased was approx 9.50 cdn i spoke with smh why now is the same filter triple the price well sir the reply came our filters are far superior guess what the filter i ordered was identical same box same filter i know everbody must eat but not cavier steak seafood every night ps justinm what is lol regards

i have customers and friends not in the forklift business that get supplies from them
maybe you need a tax ID # but thats about it

the SMH rep did say i was too new and too small sorry for that missed detail
but no i dont have a regular supplier for SMH parts (since every dealer and indy around here has an SMH account but me it seems)

and every single forklift store on EBAY sells SMH parts and theyre drop shipped directly from SMH's warehouse, way over wholesale or a decent industry discount and shipping jacked through the roof

well ill try again and let you know how it goes
its been about 7 months now so well see

i am in this business and have been for over a decade now (im only 34) i just found it disheartening when they told thats why i cant purchase from them (even being that i wasnt asking for credit terms cause i like to pay my bills up front)

even before that though i talked to a few people before i applied for an account and they were well aware that i was a brand new business b4 sending out the paperwork, i wish someone could have told me before i started the process, i dont like giving out my info for no reason

SMH was the only place to deny doing business with me
everyone else was more than happy to have my business as a new startup (fsip for example)

Just a clarification, Helmar does not sell to the public, just dealers and independents such as yourself.

You mean you were not in business long enough, not that your company was not "large enough" correct? How would they know how large your company was? Also were you currently purchasing from an SMH dealer? SMH respects their relationships with their current dealer base as they would respect you, had you become a customer.