News of a deal that sees Briggs Equipment UK Ltd acquire the assets of Barloworld Handling UK marks the latest milestone in an ongoing success story that’s seen a loss-making business transformed into the country’s fastest growing forklift company.
Following the signing of an agreement at the end of September, Briggs now has responsibility for the sales and service of both the Hyster and Yale brands and it is looking forward to expanding its operations across the UK.
Expansion on such a large scale would have seemed unlikely in 2005 when Briggs’ Chief Executive Officer, Richard Close, first joined the company. In less than 10 years he’s seen an operating loss converted into profits of more than £3 million in 2011.
The success has been achieved against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and tough times in the materials handling industry, but Richard believes there are even greater days ahead for Briggs.
“Following the acquisition of Barloworld we have a 1,500-strong team with a shared vision of providing the very best customer service,” he explained.
Chris Meinecke, Chief Operating Officer, commented, “Our existing customers can rest assured that its business as usual following the deal and they’ll continue to benefit from the same levels of care and expertise that’s driven our recent growth.
“However they’ll also have the additional support of the UK’s largest national network of multi-skilled engineers and the biggest short term hire fleet in the country.
“In total we’ll have more than 600 mobile engineers and a strong network of 20 plus depots to help us provide wider coverage and a faster response.”
As well as giving Briggs the ability to deliver an enhanced service solution for both existing customers and former clients of Barloworld, the acquisition will help Briggs to build long-term security whilst demonstrating its aspirations for continued growth and expansion through investment.
Such investment is possible thanks to the support of Briggs’ parent company, Sammons Enterprises Inc., which is privately owned and has assets of over $51.8bn. As a result it can react quickly to the changing needs in the market rather than the demands of shareholders.
The company is further strengthened by its relationship with NMHG, the group behind the Yale and Hyster brands. It is now one of the group’s largest dealers in the world, giving it access to the very latest, class-leading products designed to meet the requirements of a wide range of applications and industry sectors.
“More importantly our core principles, built around our motto “Passionate people. Powerful solutions” remain the same following the deal. But now we have more passionate people, more powerful solutions,” Richard added.
Briggs Equipment UK Ltd
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