Crepa managing director Ad Kornet

Crepa BV has taken over forklift sales and service company Mageon to create a central organisation for Caterpillar forklifts in the Netherlands.

Crepa managing director Ad Kornet says June 1 marked the official transfer of Mageon's activities to Crepa.

"Mageon customers have been informed and the integration started off from that date," he says.

Mageon, in Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel, operates around 400 rental forklifts and has more than 1,000 service contracts for Caterpillar forklifts.

Kornet says Crepa decided to take over Mageon's activities to manage all Caterpillar forklifts in the Netherlands.

In 2005, Crepa became the Netherlands' Caterpillar forklift importer. Mageon was left as a dealer and service provider for Caterpillar and remained a Manitou dealership and an importer of Carer forklifts.

"Crepa has a big rental fleet and is an experienced service provider. It is logical to integrate sales and service to guarantee one standard service to the market for Caterpillar forklifts."

Kornet declined to disclose the sum Crepa paid for Mageon. He says Crepa will not continue Mageon's Manitou dealership, but will continue to import Carer forklifts which extend Crepa's product range to 25 ton electric forklifts.

Mageon's 28 employees bring Crepa's total employees to 235. The Mageon office and name will disappear by the end of September.

Crepa claims its rental forklift fleet of 4,500 units is the biggest in the Netherlands.