Manitex Liftking has added dealers

Manitex Liftking LLC continues to add authorised dealers including Adobe Equipment Houston LLC, serving the south-east Texas regional market through six forklift-oriented locations.

The manufacturer anticipates more dealership connections soon. "We are working now to sign about eight additional dealers," says Brian McKenzie, Manitex Liftking commercial sales and marketing manager.

In August, Manitex Liftking added both Nebraska Machinery Co of Omaha, Nebraska (trading as NMC Inc) and Wiese Inc of St Louis, Missouri (trading as Wiese USA).

WBC Material Handling of Rocklin, California, an operation of Western Baler & Conveyor Inc, became a Manitex Liftking dealer in July, and Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp of Brookfield, Wisconsin came aboard in June.

Houston-based Adobe Equipment employs more than 160 factory-trained technicians and maintains a rental fleet of more than 600 units.

Adobe represents the Caterpillar, Nissan, Kalmar, Heli, Mastercraft, Noble, Barrett, Jungheinrich and JCB forklift brands and the JLG aerial-lift line.

In mid-2009, Adobe acquired Action Handling Systems LLC in Houston. Action continues as a Nissan dealer and now is adopting the Adobe marketing brand in comprising a separate Adobe division focusing on the Nissan forklift line.

Adobe is structuring its new equipment sales and service operations in the region through a Cat division with its principal location on Wallisville Road and the Nissan division with its main site on Werner Street. Both are in Houston.

"We have a unique system with separate sales forces and different technicians" focusing independently on the segregated Cat and Nissan brands, says Mark Zimmerman, sales manager for both divisions.

Adobe Equipment is hiring. "We are adding people-mostly in parts and service-as soon as we find them," Zimmerman reports.

Manitex Liftking is a unit of publicly traded equipment manufacturer and distributor Manitex International Inc of Bridgeview, Illinois. It produces rough-terrain forklifts, special mission-oriented vehicles, carriers, heavy materials handling transporters and steel mill equipment at a plant in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, near Toronto.