11
machines coming out of Time’s headquarters
in Wheco, would lay the foundations for the
company’s success outside of North America
in the coming years.
“We had a better idea about what was
needed in Europe, so with small changes to
controls, etcetera, the Versalift became more
saleable in Europe.
“At that time machines were mainly sold
into Norway, Belgium and England. And we
became more like a sub-contractor for the
company producing different items for the
European market and supporting secondary
distributors.” At that time mounting was
carried out by the main distributor in each
country.
Spreading out
“In 1991, I was asked to work exclusively
for Versalift, and in 1992 I took it on full
time and started building up a strong net of
distributors across Europe. Also, at that time
we started to look at mounting in fewer places
D
uring the early 1980s Per Torp, who
is also Export manager for parent
company TIME Manufacturing
in Waco, Texas, USA, was involved in a
family business producing machinery for the
construction and developed a waste reducer
used in incinerators for crushing down bulky
waste.
After selling that business Mr Torp was
looking around for something new, although
vehicle mounted platforms could not have
been further from his mind.
“There was a company I was interested
in buying which included a Versalift
distributorship. I was not really interested
in that part of it, but the owner had passed
and his wife would not sell it to me unless I
took everything. I was experienced with truck
mounted cranes as my father was an HMF
dealer, so I thought it would be easy enough
to pick up.”
Mr Torp’s initial efforts to engineer
European ‘export options’ for the Versalift
and developing more items, like fly jibs.
Mr Torp is now responsible for Europe,
Africa, Middle and Far East and Oceania.
“The unique concept with Versalift has
been to mount on the van with the sub-frame
up under rather than on the top. Everyone
else came from the philosophy of putting a
subframe on top of the chassis. I came without
the old knowhow. I saw they had already had
done an up under in 1978 in Wheco and
redeveloped it for European vans.”
“We were not the first to put a lift on a
van; that was Ruthmann, but it was a reverse
articulated boom not a telescopic boom.
Combine that with a fly jib and the idea that
you could use a van mount with outriggers; it
was a huge selling point. We then developed
the walk in bucket; next was the walk through
system.”
Such innovations have led to the company’s
famed presence in Northern Europe, but there
has been a steady rise in sales in other parts of
the world, notably the Middle and Far East
as well as Australia and of course interest in
South America.
Versalift’s three new lines: the Heavy Duty,
Medium Duty and Light Duty ranges, which
have been developed over the last four years
and recently completed with new products
at Bauma, have been designed with the
international marketplace in mind and its
different requirements.The details of these
machines have already been covered in the
pages of
AI
, and cement Time’s reputation in
the van mount sector.
However, the company is also making
serious inroads into the truck mounted sector,
with a particular interest in the 3.5 tonne
truck category aimed at rental companies.
INTERVIEW
Making new plans
As CEO of TIME International and TIME Denmark, Per Torp has been largely
responsible for bringing the van mount to the attention of the world since his
unplanned entry into the sector back in the mid-1980s. He talks to
Euan Youdale
.
Per Torp, CEO of TIME International and TIME
Denmark and export manager for parent
company TIME Manufacturing
The first
24 m VTX 240
on Time’s test
ground.
The VO-455E80
double lift elevator.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014
access
INTERNATIONAL
