Haulotte will not exhibit at Bauma

Haulotte will not exhibit at Bauma next year and is choosing instead to invest in customer open days organised by its European subsidiaries and on exhibitions in the US and Asia.

Alexandre Saubot, Haulotte's chief operating officer, told AI that it had been a tough decision to make, but that it was part of a new medium term strategy that will see it focus its exhibitions investment on shows in developing markets for the company. These include North America, where it will attend the Rental Show in Orlando in February, and China, where it will be at the Bauma China next November.

Mr Saubot said it was important to communicate the Bauma decision early so that customers were aware well in advance of the event. He said Haulotte would organise smaller customer events in Europe and also attend smaller shows where appropriate.

"It was a strategic decision, not a short term financial one", said Mr Saubot, "we will have €60-70 million cash at the end of December; there is no financial fragility".

He told Access International that the signs are that 2010 will be as difficult as 2009. In that context, he said the decision to pullout of Bauma and save around €500000 made sense, with resources focused on maintaining Haulotte's sales and service network as well as investment in research and development. The company said it aimed to increase the frequency of new product launches.

"We want to keep a full commitment to our customers, therefore we have to make an adjustment in the strategy", he said.

Despite the recession, Haulotte has continued to invest in developing markets such as China and Brazil. It showed one of its first Chinese-produced scissors at the BICES exhibition in China in November, and Mr Saubot said Haulotte was also extending its sales and service network in Brazil. The company is soon to open a new sales and service office in Vitória, for example.

The company has several product launched planned for 2010, including an expansion of its telehandler range with two new models.