 David O. Turner |
Pon Holdings BV has named David O. Turner as chief executive officer of its global forklift, aerial lift and materials handling equipment companies and opened a Houston, Texas office for the staff of an expanded and restructured Pon Material Handling group.
For North American operations, Turner succeeds Donald G. Moes, who retired at the beginning of the month after 42 years in the materials handling business. Moes was CEO of Pon North America's Equipment Depot materials handling group for two years.
For European operations, Turner takes charge of two previously freestanding business entities.
Primarily, Pon Material Handling dealerships market, sell and distribute logistics equipment with JLG, Genie, Linde, Caterpillar, Clark and Mitsubishi among the largest volume brands.
 Donald G. Moes |
The Pon Material Handling staff includes 13 people at interim offices in Houston. Selection of a permanent location is under way. Previously, those staff members were based in US locations in New York, Cincinnati, Chicago and Houston as well as Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The managing director of each operating company remains at an existing Pon location.
"Combining all of Pon's materials handling companies under one umbrella will give us the opportunity to adapt best practices from both continents and deploy our resources where they provide the best return," Turner says. "It also allows us to develop stronger relationships with customers and suppliers whose operations are increasingly becoming global."
Previously, Turner was managing director of the Pon Power business based in the Netherlands. From 2003 to 2007, he was president and CEO of W&O Supply in Jacksonville, Florida, an entity that Pon Holdings acquired in 1999. Turner is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.
In his new position, Turner oversees 13 operating companies in North America and Europe with 64 locations, more than 2,600 employees and 2008 sales exceeding USD1 billion.
The Equipment Depot group, based in Waco, Texas, includes five companies with 42 locations in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Mexico. Collectively, those locations represent 19 forklift and 11 aerial lift brands of original manufacturers' equipment.
The Gunco group of Rotterdam consists of four companies with 12 locations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany and the Czech Republic under the Gunco, HDW Nederland, Milcon and Statech names.
The Motrac group, based in Almere in the Netherlands, includes four companies with nine locations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany under the Motrac IT, Motrac Handling and Cleaning, Pelzer Fördertechnik and Motrac Hydrauliek identities.
Previously, the Gunco and Motrac organisations reported as freestanding businesses within another Pon unit.
"While this is a challenging time for the material handling and aerial lift business, Pon is committed to be an industry leader for years to come," Turner notes. "We continue to acquire successful companies that fit our performance criteria and whose employees can grow with us."
In addition to materials handling equipment, the privately held parent organisation Pon Holdings BV of Nijkerk, the Netherlands distributes passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and engines, and automotive parts and has annual sales of about USD6.7 billion (EUR5 billion).