Lyndle McCurley

Doosan forklift management met with a cross-section of the brand's forklift dealerships in the US and Canada for round-table, focus group-style discussions on 24-25 August in Denver, Colorado.

"(At the meetings,) we provided information about future plans and strategies, and the dealers provided information on what they need to succeed," says Kim Parkinson, director and chief operating officer of the forklift division of Doosan Infracore America Corp. The meetings were "productive and pro-active", and Parkinson expects to hold similar sessions on a twice-yearly basis.

Most Doosan distributors "are multiple line dealers", so Parkinson perceives "a need to communicate more frequently" regarding Doosan attributes and help the dealers "build their businesses and become stronger".

The 10 "significant dealers" at the gathering represented small-, medium- and large-sized markets, Parkinson says. "They have different agendas and needs."

In a 1 September announcement, the Doosan forklift division appointed Lyndle McCurley as manager of sales and marketing.

McCurley began serving in 2004 as sales manager in the southern region with the division and, for the previous five years, was a territory salesman for forklift dealership United Machinery and Supply Co Inc, which has facilities in Springfield and Joplin, Missouri.

McCurley succeeds Parkinson, who was named recently to his current position (Forkliftaction.com News #425).

Parkinson notes that Doosan forklifts is developing a new US program on parts marketing and plans to introduce the initiative in the near future in conjunction with the corporate forklift team at parent firm Doosan Group in South Korea. "We will put together programs to help dealers become more competitive and make more money," he says. "The back end of the business is important."

Doosan manufactures forklifts in a certified ISO 9001 facility in Incheon, South Korea.

Units of Suwanee, Georgia-based Doosan Infracore America include the forklift division in Warrensville Heights, the machine tool division in West Caldwell, New Jersey and the construction equipment division in Suwanee. Doosan Infracore America manages the finance, human resource, information technology and support functions for the divisions.