 Manitou's Ancenis headquarters. |
Manitou is an established rough-terrain forklift provider with headquarters in Ancenis, France and eight plants overseas. Forkliftaction.com News reporter Christine Liew spoke with the group's executive vice president Bruno Fille about his company.
Q. What are your company's products/services?Manitou BF, headquartered at Ancenis, France, is a leading global rough-terrain materials handling provider and produces aerial work platforms and industrial handling equipment. It has a network of 500 independent dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries across five continents. Its distribution, industrial and financial subsidiaries are spread across 17 companies. It has eight plants, five in France, of which the main plant is in Ancenis, one near Bologna, Italy, one in Waco, Texas, USA, and one in Hanghou, China. The company has more than 2,200 employees.
Q. Give a brief history of your company's involvement in the materials handling industry. The MRT 2440 rotating telehandler. |
Current CEO Marcel Claude Braud's grandfather started the company in the early 1950s, producing concrete mixers and cranes for the construction market. He designed the first rough-terrain masted forklift in 1958 and marketed it under the Manitou name. The name Manitou is a contraction of two French words. "mani" which means "handle" and "tout" which means "all". The company began expanding overseas in the early 1970s, establishing sales affiliates in the UK and Portugal. In 1981, Manitou launched its first telehandler in the construction market.
Its shares were introduced on the unlisted securities market on the Paris Stock exchange in 1984. With the acquisition of Loc Manutention in 1993, Manitou diversified into warehousing equipment. Two years later, it diversified further into access platforms and truck-mounted forklifts.
In 1995, Manitou started a joint-venture agreement with Toyota to manufacture industrial forklifts for the European market. The machines were previously assembled in a Manitou factory. In 1997, the group started a partnership agreement with Case New Holland to supply it with a full range of telescopic handlers for the farming industry.
The year 2004 saw the group celebrate production of its 200,000th rough-terrain forklift and unveil a new logo. In that year, the group also formed an industrial and sales agreement with Gehl in the USA.
Q. What is your company's current position in the regional market? How about globally?Manitou is by far the world leader in rough-terrain forklifts with a market share exceeding 25 per cent. It has a strong position in telescopic handlers. In the Pacific area, its market share is even higher. In Australia, its products have been distributed for almost 30 years through a dealer network.
Q. What makes your company outstanding in its market? The 180 ATJ articulating aerial work platform. |
All competitors have different strategies but they are not present in all Manitou's markets. The company is in a unique position in that it addresses the needs of three different markets. Manitou's business is in three main sectors. Total net sales are split between the construction market (48 per cent), farming (27 per cent) and industries, which covers all sectors of activities not in the first two (25 per cent).
Q. Tell us your company's future plans. While it is the group's strategy to develop all three sectors it is involved in, it aims to become a global player in materials handling with an extended range of products in the industries sector. It also plans to continue to grow by reinforcing its worldwide leadership in its core business.