GTS will supply SANY reach stackers, empty container handlers, heavy-duty forklifts and other harbour and terminal equipment

SANY Germany GmbH has appointed heavy truck supplier Göteborgs Truckservice GTS AB as its agent in Sweden.

GTS managing director Antti Laakso tells Forkliftaction.com News he believes there is room for a "high quality brand with competitive prices" in the Swedish market. "In Sweden, you only have Kalmar and Koncranes in the market for reach stackers, and (for) heavy forklifts, you can add Svetruck."

Laakso says he has been impressed with SANY's professional approach in all his dealings with the company and also with the machinery maker's plans for development in Europe. "And (from) what we have seen of their products thus far, they are more than competitive in the market."

GTS started looking for a new partner for port equipment and heavy forklifts at the end of 2013. Discussions were initiated with SANY and "one other company" before the former was chosen.

GTS will market, supply, service and maintain SANY reach stackers, empty container handlers, heavy-duty forklifts and other harbour and terminal equipment.

Laakso explains that SANY products supplied in Europe are made in Bedburg, Germany. "Forklifts and empty container handlers are currently under development to be modified according to European regulations and customer requirements. [They] are planned to go into production in the second half of this year."

SANY Germany, which was founded in 2008, opened its Bedburg facilities in mid-2011 and started producing SANY concrete pumps and mixers. After SANY acquired Putzmeister, the Bedburg facilities were reorganised and concrete equipment production transferred to China. In 2012, SANY started developing reach stackers, crawler cranes and excavators for the EU. Reach stacker production started in the first half of 2013 and today, the company has equipment operating in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Malta and Denmark.

The company aims to complete its mobile port offering for the EU this year.

SANY Germany GmbH is wholly owned by the Chinese SANY Group, which was founded in 1989. In 2012, the group had a turnover of over EUR10 billion (USD13.8 billion) and had over 40,000 employees worldwide.

GTS has already started selling SANY's machinery in Sweden and negotiations for the first deliveries are ongoing, Laakso says.

GTS, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, was founded in 1965. It sells, rents and maintains new and used heavy trucks and machinery, and its customers include harbours and terminals as well as industries and storage facilities. It employs 13 people and its 2012 turnover totaled EUR5.4 million (USD7.4 million).