Wacker Neuson Showing Significant Growth, Launching Several New Products
Despite what company regional president Johannes Schulze Vohren calls “the abyss” of the 2008 to 2009 recession, Wacker Neuson has posted surprising growth from 2004 through 2014, tripling in revenue. The growth is a direct result of the company’s expansion in products and emphasis on compact equipment, he noted at a recent press conference held at the company’s Menomonee Falls, WIs., facility where they introduced several new products.
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| Johannes Schulze Vohren |
Wacker Neuson “has become a major player, poised for growth,” explains 18-year company veteran, Chris Barnard, president/CEO and regional president of North and South America. Barnard, who is retiring at the end of this year, adds, “we’ve done a lot to succeed in the marketplace,” with a broad, deep product line, a practical and proven way of going to market, and a strong distribution base.
Schulze Vohren says the company has re-organized to operate on a global scale while focusing on local market and customers’ needs. Sales and marketing are customer-facing functions and require a local focus to understand what customers need to be more productive, he explains. These needs, in turn, will drive product development, engineering and production. Those three functions now fall under one global head, which lets Wacker Neuson “leverage our technical resources” and be “more agile and responsive.”
Becoming “all it takes”
Carrie Megal, regional (North American) marketing manager, understands that many customers view Wacker Neuson as ‘the rammer company’. “We believe in growth through innovation. We set our stake with compaction equipment and you can expect to see new additions to that line in the next year to further our position,” she explains.
But, she emphasizes, what isn’t as widely recognized is that, as a global player, the company offers more than 250 products in light equipment and 40 in compact equipment. The scope of Wacker Neuson’s business and the industry segments served has grown significantly, which helped trigger the company to launch a global brand study in 2014, designed to help the company define its brand values, harness its brand equity in light equipment, and better establish recognition as a compact equipment company. As a result, the company’s new brand claim is “all it takes.”
“So, Wacker Neuson has ‘all it takes’ to deliver a complete job, start to finish, for end users as well as for our dealer network,” Megal explains. In a nutshell, the company is saying it will deliver innovative new products that offer versatility and productivity. Thus, the new product introductions highlighted for the press conference – and a promise of more new products to come.
The newest additions include a compact telehandler, new wheeled excavator and tracked compact excavators, articulated wheel loaders, all-wheel-steer loader, dumpers, a new roller and more powerful rammers.
Mike Martin
PRO CONTRACTOR RENTALS MAGAZINE
Pro Contractor Rentals provides information of value to rental centers who focus time, resources and attention on meeting the demands of construction contractors and other equipment rental customers.
