Manitou opens centre in Malaysia

Manufacturer Manitou Group said it had opened a Manitou Centre in Malaysia to better serve its local customers, and develop its activities in the area.

The company said it wanted to double the capacity of its operations in the country within three years, and triple the number of telescopic handlers, reaching a 50% market share in this segment.

Manitou has been present in Malaysia for around twenty years through an importer, and has a large fleet of telescopic handlers. It said the country represented an important existing and potential market because of its sectors which require materials handling equipment.

The new opening represented the manufacturer’s first Manitou Centre in Asia – it said the new outlet would both sell and rent its products, including machines under the Manitou, Gehl and Mustang brands, but also services such as spare parts, guarantee extensions, financing and full service contracts.

The new centre also makes a fleet of telescopic trucks available for rental, according to the company. It said Malaysia represented the second-largest fleet of Manitou telescopic trucks in Asia. This fleet requires a commercial presence and increased provision of services on site.

The company said the Manitou Centre Malaysia was initially targeting the construction, rental and oil markets, with possible developments in other sectors. Malaysia is also a large exporter of palm oil - a sector which requires materials handling equipment.

Operations manager Julien Poupart said, "The opening of this Manitou Centre is very important for the development of Services and Solutions offers to our customers.

"We want to provide them with a service adapted to their requirements. In particular, we have a rental fleet of new telescopic trucks to enable our customers to develop their activities with latest-generation equipment.”

The 900m² site is located in Sungai Buloh.