People news
from the world’s rental industry
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Werner Scheepers (pictured),
director of plant hire at MCC Group in
South Africa, was
elected president
of the country’s
Contractors Plant
Hire Association
(CPHA) in in May.
Mr Scheepers,
who has worked at
MCC for more than
15 years, will continue as director of
the rental business. He will serve a
two year term as president. CPHA
was founded in 1970 to represent the
interests of rental companies in South
Africa and neighbouring countries.
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Clive Dix,
the long time
director of SDMO’s
UK
business,
has moved to
Spanish generator
m a n u f a c t u r e r
Himoinsa
as
managing director of its UK company.
Mr Dix, who has 20 years experience
in the rental, portable power and
Industrial markets, will work alongside
Himoinsa’s sales manager Steve
Sutton to increase the company’s
exposure to the UK rental market.
Himoinsa UK will be located at
Crewe, Cheshire, and there are plans
to stock more than 100 generators and
lighting tower units ready for quick
delivery throughout the UK.
Mr Dix said, “My first task will be to
build upon the excellent work Steve
has accomplished in bringing the
Himoinsa brand to prominence in the
UK and, in particular, to the hire and
standby markets.
“This is an exciting challenge for
me and Steve to appoint distributors
that will help to make Himoinsa into
a market leader in the UK, our first
step will be to build the team, train
our distributors so we are ready to do
business before the year end.”
Himoinsa has reserved space at the
2014 Executive Hire Show in the UK
and has plans to exhibit a wide range
of generating sets and lighting towers.
■
Steve Brown
(left) has taken
up
the
post
of rental and
used equipment
division manager,
Asia Pacific, at
Caterpillar, based in Singapore.
Mr Brown has 20 years experience in
the construction and rental industry,
having worked with Prime Equipment,
Sunbelt Rentals, NES Rentals, and,
most recently, Ashtead Technology,
where he was managing director for
almost three years.
He worked with Caterpillar as
rental market development manager
between 2006 and 2010 before
rejoining Cat in July this year to take
up his new post.
■
Jonathan
Dawson has been
named
senior
director of sales
– EAME at JLG
Industries. His
remit will include
all key accounts
and he will continue to lead the
development of existing and new areas
of business in emerging markets, such
as Middle East, Russia, Turkey and
central Eastern Europe. He will report
to Karel Huijser, vice president and
general manager JLG EAME.
In other changes at the company
in Europe, Etienne Bourcier has
been appointed director of EAME
telehandlers, again reporting to Mr
Huijser. He will be responsible for
developing the strategic sales and
service plan for telehandlers and lead
telehandler sales under the Same
Deutz-Fahr brand throughout the
region.
One of JLG’s most experiences
salesmen in Europe, Laurent
Guillaux, has meanwhile accepted the
role of senior director of international
sales with the sister company Oshkosh
Fire and Emergency segment. He will
report to Salim Hawi, vice president
of international sales – Oshkosh
Corporation, but will continue to be
based in France.
Finally, Roberto Marangoni,
general manager JLG Italia, will lead
the French and Spanish SSO teams
on an interim basis. He will continue
to operate from the sales and service
facility based in Milan, Italy.
“We are committed to increase the
strength and cohesiveness of our local
EAME team and provide the highest
level of customer focus, efficiency and
satisfaction,” said Mr Huijser.
■
Mecalac CEO Georg Sick has
announced his departure from the
company after just over two years.
The split is described as amicable and
is said to be due to differences with
executive chairman Henri Marchetta.
Mr Sick said in a statement, “I am
leaving Groupe Mecalac S.A. as CEO
and shareholder. Different views
concerning the strategy of the
company between Henri Marchetta
and myself motivated my decision. We
are terminating our partnership in
friendship.”
Mr Sick joined Mecalac as CEO in April
2011, following his departure as CEO
of Wacker Neuson at the end of 2010.
The move also saw him acquire 25%
of privately-owned Mecalac’s share
capital. Mr Marchetta had previously
held the joint role of chairman and
CEO. The company said at the time the
change coincided with a new phase of
further international expansion and
accelerated growth.
Mecalac confirmed Mr Marchetta
would resume the role of CEO.
The company manufactures wheeled
and crawler excavators, wheeled
loaders and multi-function machines.
It acquired German wheeled loader
producer Ahlmann Baumaschinen
in 2002 and has two manufacturing
plants in France, one in Germany and
one in Turkey.
■
Milton Keynes based lighting tower
and dust suppression equipment
manufacturer Tower Light UK Limited
has appointed Iain Curran as national
61
FACES & PLACES
IRN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2013
sales manager. He
will work alongside
the current UK
marketing
and
sales team and
report directly to
the Tower Light UK
managing director,
Paul Hay.
Mr Curren previously spent 11
years with SMC, latterly as general
manager of Morris Site Machinery’s
SMC division, responsible for lighting
towers and diesel generators.
■
Dr Gerald Karch
has been named
CEO of German
concrete equipment
m a n u f a c t u r e r
Putzmeister. He will
also sit on the board
of parent company
Sany, which is based in China.
Dr Karch succeeds Norbert
Scheuch, who has left the company
by mutual agreement after four years
as CEO. Dr Karch joined Putzmeister
at the end of 2008 and was appointed
to the management board in early
2010. He previously held a series
of management positions during
a 14-year career at component
manufacturer ZF.
IRN
Palfinger renews managers’ contracts
The four members of Palfinger Group’s management board have had their
contracts renewed until the end of 2018. The resolution was passed by the
company’s supervisory board.
Herbert Ortner (second right above), chief executive officer, has been
on the management board since 2003 and was appointed CEO in 2008.
Christoph Kaml (second left) has acted as chief financial officer since 2009;
Wolfgang Pilz (far left) has been chief marketing officer since 2003; and
Martin Zehnder (far right) was appointed chief operating officer in 2008.
Alexander Doujak, chairman of the supervisory board, said the extended
contracts followed a highly satisfactory period for Palfinger. “The
management team is doing an excellent job and has successfully proved
itself in implementing the group’s long-term strategy as well as in making
the necessary adjustments in connection with the economic situation. At the
same time, we still have to reach the strategic corporate goals that we have
defined for 2017.”
The Palfinger Group aims to double its revenue to approximately €1.8 billion
by 2017. “This is a very ambitious target that also requires good cooperation
within the management board and with the supervisory board,” said Mr
Doujak. For this reason, the supervisory board has decided to renew the
contracts of the members of the management board as of now”.
