Into the bullring
September 1st 2011 Regional forklift dealer Windsor Materials Handling has opened a Birmingham office to further extend its coverage of the UK
The opening of a Birmingham branch is the latest move in
Windsor Materials Handling's ambition to build a
nationwide forklift dealership from its North East and
East Midlands heartland, while retaining a close focus on local
customers. Birmingham was a logical point of expansion for
Windsor; a key territory offering strong business potential, and
positioned to the South of its St. Helens branch & west of its
Nottingham branch.
Windsor operates a dual brand policy, and offers primarily
Doosan and Komatsu lift trucks, alongside other more specialist
providers.Managing director Stephen Burton (pictured left) is
seeking to replicate the service and product offering provided by
its other branches.
"For me, the way to achieve successful expansion is to provide
local support through dedicated service managers and
engineers, to hold parts at branch, and to have a local hire fleet.
It's the same approach that has served us well across other
branches," explains Burton.
Burton also sees the significant number of trucks held in
stock by the firm as a major card up his sleeve. At the time of
writing,Windsor had 60 trucks in stock which means the
company is capable of delivering to customers on very short
lead times.
"People now have an urgent need, given the supply chain
issues in Japan, and the fact that most UK-based suppliers have
wound down their stocks," says Burton. "Customers don't want
to wait 16 weeks for a product when they've established there is
a need for it now."
Windsor has identified two distinct forklift buyers - those on
a contract hire that has typically been rolled over with the trucks
starting to become unreliable; and an owner who will not
replace until a truck gives up the ghost. Burton argues both
customers typically want quick delivery and he says Windsor
can deliver within one or two days.
It is this focus on rapid response to customer needs, that
Burton believes has also given Windsor an edge in their service
offering. "There is too much third party intervention with parts
being delivered to drop boxes; this can cause longer delays in
getting parts to site, and the truck up and running," he argues.
"We favour having dedicated engineers local to the branch. Each
truck has its quirks and if it isn't fixed first time, you're in
trouble.We like that our engineers will know if a problem
happened a year ago, without having to look it up on a PDA."
In addition to its staple brands Komatsu and Doosan,
Windsor boosted its warehouse portfolio from November last
year with the addition of Atlet.
"We are the biggest reseller for Atlet in the UK," says Burton.
"It has a very credible product range and their addition will help
us compete for high-demand warehouse business. To
complement this, Doosan also has a good range of warehouse
equipment for lower usage applications."
New recruit
Darron Hillier (pictured right) has been recruited as manager of
the Birmingham branch and has 12 years working knowledge of
the area, gained while representing firms such as Toyota and
Mitsubishi.
Hillier is determined to make his mark on the area and sees
ample opportunity. "BITA figures suggest there is a big forklift
population in Birmingham, so it makes sense to go where the
opportunities are," he says. "It's a very competitive market, but
we have a niche offering.We are larger and more capable than
the smaller independents and we have more of a human face
than the corporates with their reliance on call centres."
Hillier emphasises the face-to-face approach as key to
Windsor, in both sales and service. He favours a consultative
approach to the sales process with close engagement with the
customer and a realistic appraisal of their needs.
"You need to understand someone's business and ask the right
questions. For example, if a customer needs to save money, there
are a myriad of ways to cut costs but only some will suit an
individual business," he explains.
"It's about having that empathy with the customer. You also
have to remember that cost cutting carries an element of risk. If
you take someone down from two trucks to one, and for
example, if it breaks down while the lorry is there, it won't get
unloaded until the truck is repaired. So, it's risk versus costs, it`s
about giving the customer the options."
Hillier also advises customers to tread carefully in the used
truck market, which he believes has been artificially inflated by
people having the perception they can't afford a new truck.
"We produce quality, refurbished machines which is key, as is
getting the right machine for the application. Some are going
online to buy trucks and getting
stung." More articles from Windsor Materials Handling Ltd: | 
