More than 60 representatives from Manitowoc Crane Care dealers around EMEA met for a conference on the latest service initiatives available for Grove mobile cranes. The discussions took place during a three-day event in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where Manitowoc also has its Grove all-terrain crane factory. In addition to the 60 dealer representatives, the event was attended by more than 40 Manitowoc employees, all working directly for Manitowoc Crane Care.
Chairing the event was Eric Pommier, vice president of Manitowoc Crane Care in EMEA, who said that constant communication between the company and dealers was essential to the success of the service organization.
“We offer customer support directly through Manitowoc Crane Care and through our accredited and audited Manitowoc Crane Care dealers, who represent us in parts, service and maintenance,” he said. “To ensure we provide the highest levels of support to Manitowoc crane users, it is vital that our staff and dealers communicate often. That way, dealers can keep up to date with all the services and resources we have available to them.”
Although the dealers came from across EMEA, the attendees from Manitowoc Crane Care arrived from the organization’s offices around the globe, giving the event a truly international perspective.
Among those attending was Bob Hund, executive vice president of Manitowoc Crane Care, who gave attendees a global overview of the organization, highlighting the vital part every member plays.
“Manitowoc Crane Care is the fastest-growing operation inside Manitowoc Cranes,” he said. “That growth comes in two ways. First is geographical growth, as we develop our services in an increasing number of countries and strengthen them in well-established markets. The second area of growth is in services, as we introduce new and better ways of supporting our customers.”
Many of the new services were discussed during the Wilhelmshaven event. Gilberto Ferreira, who was appointed to a new position as global head of EnCORE late last year, made a presentation highlighting the company’s plans to roll out an expansion of its repair and refurbishment division. Last year, the division appointed and audited 10 dealer representatives in the U.S., creating the only comprehensive, nationwide rebuild service network in that country. Following its success, there are plans to create a similar network for EMEA.
Delegates also heard from Jean-Jacques Habib, project manager on Manitowoc’s CraneSTAR asset-monitoring system. The remote monitoring system offers customers the ability to review vital information on their cranes’ performance from any internet-connected device. The technology is included in many new Manitowoc cranes and is up and running, providing valuable feedback to crane users across EMEA and on job sites around the world.
Other presentations covered areas such as parts ordering, logistics, training and updates to control systems.