Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has adopted a new distribution system for its dealers in France.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has adopted a new distribution system for its dealers in France similar to its dealers' arrangements in the UK and Germany, enabling more direct communication with the manufacturer's European base at Almere.

Olivier Clerc, general manager of the newly established Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks France, tells Forkliftaction.com News that Mitsubishi wanted to implement a new distribution system and to develop a new network of dealers, with technical and commercial support from a local office. "Similar organisations have already been established in the UK and Germany. (With) France being a key market for Mitsubishi in Europe, it was a natural move to go in this direction too."

Clerc clarifies that the support office he manages is "not an importer and not a mailbox for orders and invoices".

The staff is dedicated to sales and marketing support, technical support and the training of salesmen and technicians. There are now five employees with three positions to be filled.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks' aim was to be closer to its customers by developing a network of regional and local dealers. While the dealers maintain their close relationships with the end-users, they are now more efficient with direct access to the sales administration and spare parts service through a set of dedicated IT systems and French-speaking contacts at the Almere base.

Since January 2010, 12 dealers have joined the network and the national coverage is close to 70% of its market potential.

"We aim at covering about 90% by the end of 2010," Clerc says.

He adds that forklift volumes in Germany, Italy, France, UK and Spain reduced by over 43% in 2007-2009.

While Clerc says Mitsubishi's marketshare has increased slightly during this period, a temporary drop in marketshare was seen in France during the 2009 transition period between the old distribution system and the new one.

"But since the start-up of the new distribution system, the trend is very strongly up," Clerc says.

Clerc was formerly responsible for the distribution network of Finnish warehouse truck manufacturer Rocla, which was integrated in the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group at the end of 2008.