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Dealers met with MCG staff at a meeting in Dubai in November to discuss the Middle East market. |
January 9, 2006 • Staging its first Middle East regional distributors' conference in November 2005 at the Oasis Beach Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Manitowoc Crane Group took the opportunity to meet with its local Grove dealers and discuss the fast-growing Middle East market.
The conference included representatives from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Oman, Qatar, and Iraq with companies such as Kanoo Machinery, Equipment Company, Orascom Trading, ETCO, Tolitech, Arabian Crane Services, Mannai Trading, and Boranex all sending delegates.
Among the items discussed at the conference were Manitowoc Crane Group's long-term plans for the Middle East. The company is opening a Middle East office in the Jebel Ali Free Zone of Dubai, UAE, which will be fully operational in 2006. The new facility will handle sales and support of Manitowoc crawler cranes in the region, while Potain and Grove products will continue to be distributed through the existing dealer network.
The conference was also used to train dealers on the latest range of Grove products. A “virtual tour” of the company's manufacturing plant in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, was given as well as a number of presentations on the all-terrain and rough-terrain product lines. There were also open forum discussions to review specific issues relating to the various markets of the Middle East.
David Semple, sales director and general manager of Manitowoc Crane Group Middle East, chaired the conference. There were also presentations from Andreas Cremer and Michael Preikschas from Grove's Wilhelmshaven facility; Mike Bage, manager of Manitowoc Crane CARE in the Middle East; and Hamid Summers, Grove's sales manager in the region.
“One of our main intentions of this conference was to strengthen relationships between Middle East dealers and MCG staff,” added Semple, who said he hoped to follow the success of this meeting by making the conference an annual event. “Most Middle East markets are growing at a fast rate and we are adding significant resources to serve them better. Our dealer network remains a key factor in our success with Grove in the Middle East and it is essential that we stand with our dealers and make sure they have all they need to support the Grove brand in their markets. This conference was a great starting point for us and we hope it will be the first of many.”
