Don Moes

Three more regional forklift dealerships in the Pon North America (PNA) materials handling group are adopting the common brand name Equipment Depot.

Two dealerships currently carry that identity. The five entities will now operate under a single name at more than 40 locations in 12 states, covering about 25% of the US, says Don Moes, president of Waco-based PNA group. "Going to market using a common name better reflects our ability to offer customers more choices."

The three dealerships to get Equipment Depot signage by early November are Forklifts Inc (USA), of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, founded in 1955; LeveeLift Inc, of Evansville, Indiana, founded in 1954; and Portman Equipment Co, of Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1960.

The original Waco-based Equipment Depot was founded as Central Texas Clarklift in 1975. It changed its name to Equipment Depot in 1995 and became part of PNA in 2000.

Elgin, Illinois-based Equipment Depot of Illinois, founded as Material Handling Services Inc in 1951, became part of PNA in November 2006 (Forkliftaction.com News #289).

Each dealership sells different products from original equipment manufacturers. Together, they represent at least 19 forklift and 11 aerial lift brands.

Moes says the revised identities do not impact the leadership or direction of any of the five operations. The organisation will distinguish between the five dealerships for accounting purposes but try to portray the unified image for marketing and other public purposes.

PNA is a division within the equipment and power systems group of privately held trading company Pon Holdings BV, of Nijkerk, the Netherlands. Pon Holdings employs more than 10,000 persons in 11 countries.

PNA acquired each of the dealerships, usually from long-time family owner-operators, over almost a decade.

Management weighed the value of the familiar identities against the advantages of a unified brand as the regional dealerships expanded their geographic base. "These are familiar, trusted names in our industry," Moes says.

The transition began on October 1.

Some multi-state customers work with more than one of the dealers but were unaware one company owned them all, Moes says. "As we expand our rental operations throughout our dealerships, it will make it easier for customers to rent products they need from people they already know."

The dealerships employ more than 1,750 people, including 900 technicians, maintain about 26,500 customer-owned units under service contracts and generate annual sales of more than USD420 million. Their short-term rental fleet has more than 7,500 forklifts, scissor lifts, boom lifts, telehandlers, skid steers and backhoes.