Potain dealers from across Europe and Africa convene in Spain to strategize over customer solutions and support

• More than 200 dealer representatives from across Europe, over to Russia and down to Africa, attended a dealer convention in Barcelona, Spain.

• The event’s main themes reflected The Manitowoc Way of putting customers at the center of Potain’s business and included strategic discussions on how best to match the company’s new cranes to customer applications and the improvement of the aftermarket services that support them.

Manitowoc Cranes hosted more than 200 representatives from the Potain tower crane dealer network for a special convention in Barcelona, Spain, on October 12th and 13th. The dealers came from all across Europe, up to Russia and down to Africa, for the summit that had a heavy focus on Potain tower cranes and customer support.

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The convention in Spain was one of the largest dealer summits in Potain’s history and it addressed a wide array of topics for dealers that relate to customers, particularly those related to Potain tower crane products and services.

With so many new Potain cranes and technologies being introduced over the last year — owing much to the increases in innovation and velocity the company has aimed for — the dealer group strategized over how best to present them to customers in ways that would increase their versatility and their return on investments. The improvement and expansion of aftermarket services that support Potain’s customers was also a significant topic. And zooming back, the group analyzed trends related to the regional lifting market and how best Potain could position itself to reflect them.

One highlight from the conference was the introduction of Aaron Ravenscroft to the dealer network as the new executive vice president of tower cranes at Manitowoc.

“It was a very productive dealer convention, and it provided a great opportunity to hear directly from our dealers about the needs for their regions,” Ravenscroft explained. “We are committed to doing business The Manitowoc Way, which means that we put our dealers and customers at the center of our business. Our goal is to help them make the most of their own companies using our industry-leading products and services.”

Manitowoc also launched its concept for a Europe-Africa tower crane dealer council during the meeting. The council is expected to increase communication among Manitowoc and its dealers, improving partnerships and providing new business solutions. In fact, before the conference began, Manitowoc surveyed its dealers to garner valuable feedback on their operations and addressed their needs directly during the meeting.

The goal of the council is to identify how Potain dealers could best utilize the company’s wide array of products and services to help crane owners boost their own capabilities and revenues. For example, in what could make for a preview for the dealer council to come, leaders from Madrid-based Ibergruas shared their testimony during the meeting about expanding rental operations during tough economic times to give customers lifting options that were useful and affordable, and just at the time they needed them.

“This convention demonstrated a tight bond among what we like to call the ‘Potain Family,’” said Orlando Mota, VP of sales for Europe and Africa at Manitowoc. “Communication is vital among Potain dealers, and the conference gave us a great chance to share best practices in how we can provide customers the best tower cranes on the market and the best package of aftermarket solutions to support them throughout their lifecycles.”