SMS headquarters in Wallonia, Belgium.

TVH has acquired Saveco Maintenance Service (SMS), an equipment sales and rental company in Wallonia, Belgium.

According to TVH sales manager Luc Maertens, SMS agreed to the take-over to broaden its product range and improve its after-sales service.

"The exclusive brands of TVH, like Doosan, Lafis, Icem, Thervan, Dinolift and JLG, will broaden the range of access equipment and offer products with the latest technology," Maertens says.

SMS, a local dealer for OMG and Yale forklifts, also supplies its customers with scissor and articulating boom lifts, loading ramps and warehousing equipment.

The dealer will continue to sell and service its existing brands.

The addition of 10 engineers from SMS brings the total number of engineers serving the Wallonia area to 54, the "largest number of engineers from a brand-independent service", Maertens says.

He adds that the technicians will be supported by TVH know-how and "continuous professional development", resulting in improved after-sales service for customers.

SMS has 120 counterbalanced and warehouse forklift units in its rental fleet and made a EUR3.5 million (USD5.1 million) turnover last year. About 20 SMS employees will move to the TVH Group. The Wallonia region will now have access to over 2,000 units of new and used forklift and access equipment.

TVH will take over all SMS customers' existing rental and service contracts under the same conditions.

TVH says the acquisition value is confidential.