Konstantin Titov

Rocla Oyj has opened a Moscow office to capitalise on the city's geographical and business opportunities and to support its dealer network.

The new office, Rocla Moscow, is a division of Rocla subsidiary OOO Rocla Rus in St Petersburg. The latter, headed by managing director Konstantin Titov, was established as a Rocla base for Russia and CIS in 2004.

Titov says the Moscow sales and service operations will benefit from the region's growth.

"Many of Rocla's target business segments are in Moscow," he says, citing estimates that the area's warehouse market is growing at over 70% a year.

Currently, 11 sales, support and marketing staff have been hired for the Moscow office and more will be recruited in future. Rocla is also looking to expand its Moscow operations with service and warehouse premises and to grow its Russian dealer network.

Rocla has been active in the Russian market through its dealer network since 1995. It has sold "tens of thousands" of hand pallet trucks to the former Soviet Union since the late 1960s. Titov says in good years, about 20,000 hand pallet trucks were delivered each year.

Rocla CEO Tapio Rummukainen is confident the forklift business in Russia will grow rapidly.

"There is a shortage of millions of square metres of warehouse space in the area. Progressive building of warehouse space will take place in the coming years," he explains.