(HOUSTON) – Feb. 10, 2017 – Equipment Depot, America’s largest independent material handling and rental source, is proud to announce that three of its dealerships are Dealers of Excellence, awarded by Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA).
The winning dealerships— Equipment Depot Illinois, Equipment Depot Kentucky and Equipment Depot Ohio—were recognized for demonstrating a track record of excellence and delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction.
“Congratulations to MCFA’s 2017 Dealers of Excellence,” said Kent Eudy, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at MCFA. “We are honored to recognize these longstanding MCFA dealers for their hard work, industry knowledge and commitment to serving our customers. We appreciate their continued dedication to the material handling industry.”
“We are thrilled to receive this accolade from our partner, MCFA,” said Bob Schermer, Vice President of Equipment Depot Central Region. “It emphasizes that the quality of our people and our products continue to distinguish Equipment Depot in the marketplace, as we aim to become the best service company in the industry.”
“We are excited to receive the honor for the 12th consecutive year,” said John Ventre, Vice President of Equipment Depot Eastern Region. “It’s a testament to our long-running legacy of customer satisfaction, ongoing development of our people, and outstanding service. As a company, we are so passionate about our commitment to service that we back it up with a promise—the Equipment Depot Performance. Guaranteed.”
With 35 locations in 13 states sprawled across 1500 miles, Equipment Depot is a one-stop shop for all material handling and rental needs.
About Equipment Depot
Serving local communities since 1951, Equipment Depot is America’s # 1 independent material handling and rental source with 35 locations across 1500 miles. Its team of dependable, helpful, driven, and accountable people are backed by its one-of-a-kind Performance. Guaranteed. promise. For more about Equipment Depot, visit www.eqdepot.com.
About MCFA
MCFA is a leading manufacturer of high-quality forklifts and warehouse products in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Based in Houston, the company distributes three distinct brands – Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Cat® lift trucks and Jungheinrich® warehouse products – through its extensive dealer network. For more information about MCFA or any of its brands, visit Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America.
Media Contact:
Henry Adaso
346-228-9168
henry.adaso@eqdepot.com
June is National Safety Month, and June 14th is National Forklift Safety Day. This is a great opportunity for the industry as a whole to educate customers and remind its employees about forklift operating safety practices. National Forklift Safety Day is sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association and serves as a focal point for manufacturers and dealers to highlight the safe use of forklifts and importance of operator training.
According to data from OSHA, about 90% of all forklifts will be involved in an accident during their useful life. With this statistic, there is a likelihood that one or more of your operators will be involved in an accident. To help mitigate the risk of injuries, it is important to understand where and how these accidents occur. Here are few highlights:
At Equipment Depot, our employees live and breathe our core values, especially acting responsibly. As a company, we are committed to provide our employees with ongoing training and development to ensure that each of us fulfill our promise to deliver the very best service to our customers. With 35 locations, we are also the local service that you can trust. Our 750 highly trained service technicians undergo extensive training on various forklifts, aerial lifts and specialty equipment. Our unique Technical Support Operations Center is staffed with experts to guide our field techs through the most difficult repairs. This enables our technicians to provide quality and dependable service to our customers.
In support of National Forklift Safety Day, we are offering a sweepstake with a chance to win a free forklift safety training session. Participants will have a chance to win one free certification class for up to 10 employees at the same location. There will be 3 winners selected, one from each region. Our trainers will travel to the winner’s facility located within the Equipment Depot regions. Click here to find out more information.
David O. Turner, President and CEO of Pon North America, presenting a donation of 125 Royal Dutch Gazelle bicycles to David Entrekin, Chairman of CYCLE, at Heritage Society Park in Houston, TX
HOUSTON, March 24,2016: Pon North America, announced today a donation of 125 Gazelle bicycles to the children’s charity, CYCLE (Changing Young Children’s Lives through Education). These Gazelle bicycles will be used to fully support a summer reading initiative to promote literacy and classroom success amongst middle school and high school students, along with their parents and teachers, in the Greater Houston Area.
Through Pon North America’s donation to CYCLE and partnership with the Houston Public Library, the top 125 students who have read the most books will be awarded a new Gazelle bicycle and helmet at the end of summer. This donation enables CYCLE to help older kids that they were unable to support through their program previously. This initiative promotes students to maintain and progress their reading skills over the entire summer. Middle school and high school students can enroll in the program through their local library.
“At Pon North America, we are committed to being a good corporate partner and giving back to the communities we operate in is important to us,” said David O. Turner, President and CEO of Pon North America. “Pon Holdings is one of the largest family-owned businesses in the Netherlands, and philanthropy is an important element of the corporate culture of Pon. Our employees are given time during work hours, with full pay, to volunteer for community projects through our “Time2Help” initiative. We wanted to partner with CYCLE because of its mission to improve literacy so that students are on the path to success and they are empowered to reach their full potential. Additionally, we are proud to help promote a love for reading through this summer reading initiative.” 
David Entrekin, Chairman of CYCLE, said, “CYCLE is delighted to receive the generous donation of 125 bicycles from Pon North America. These bicycles will be awarded to deserving Houston Middle and High school students who successfully complete a Summer Reading program. CYCLE is completely funded by corporate and individual donations from the greater Houston area. With our bicycle programs, we encourage children to be active physically and mentally, empowering them to improve their literacy and possibly break the cycle of poverty.”
As part of each company’s long-term growth strategy, KION North America and Equipment Depot have mutually agreed to redefine their manufacturer/distributor partnership.
Effective July 26, Equipment Depot of Illinois and Equipment Depot of Pennsylvania will transition from full Linde Dealer to authorized Linde parts and service providers.
“Rather than cutting ties entirely, we decided it was in the best of both companies to instead focus our efforts on select key markets,” said Michael Gore, vice president of sales for KION North America.
In addition to remaining an authorized Linde dealership for the Greater Houston area, Equipment Depot of Texas will now also carry the Baoli brand, the group’s newest line of forklifts. An entirely new brand to the North American marketplace, Baoli products are designed to meet the needs of the economy segment of the U.S. market.
With an established history in Ohio, Equipment Depot of Ohio will remain an authorized Linde dealership. Distinguished for their innovative industrial technology, the Linde brand has been a fixture in the North American material handling equipment market for over 150 years.
“This arrangement allows us to keep the focus on our customers by maintaining our best-in-class sales and services solutions as we make this transition,” said David Turner, member of the executive board of Pon Holdings and president, CEO of Equipment Depot.
With newly defined parameters and clear objectives, KION North America and Equipment Depot look forward to a successful future as continued partners.
Media Contacts
Meg Long – Equipment Depot, meg.long@eqdepot.com
Rochelle Edwards – Kion North America, Rochelle.Edwards@kiongroup.com
Equipment Depot
Serving local communities since 1951, Equipment Depot is America’s # 1 independent material handling and rental source with 35 locations across 1500 miles. Its team of dependable, helpful, driven, and accountable people are backed by its one-of-a-kind Performance. Guaranteed. promise.
Kion North America Corporation
Kion North America Corporation is a member of the KION GROUP AG, the world’s second largest manufacturer of industrial trucks. Their brand companies, Linde, Baoli, STILL, and Egemin, serve the specific requirements of the U.S., Canadian and Mexican markets with a comprehensive and complementary product portfolio. Headquartered in Summerville, S.C., Kion North America’s production plant has an annual capacity of more than 10,000 truck. Their products are known for their innovative technologies, low energy and low operating costs.
Houston, Texas – Sept. 12, 2016: Equipment Depot, a material handling, aerial lifts, sales, service and rental provider, has completed an extensive rebranding initiative, as it enters the next exciting phase in its growth strategy. The rebrand signals a shift for the business as it capitalizes on its rich heritage and legacy of service, while meeting the evolving needs of its customers.
Equipment Depot, which has a trusted legacy of keeping businesses moving since 1951 and is America’s number one independent material handling and rental business, has unveiled its new brand through an integrated marketing campaign deployed across its 1500-mile footprint. The reinvention of such a well-established company modernizes the brand with strong visual impact and clear messaging, centered around industry-leading customer service along with a performance guarantee.
Communicating the powerful strengths of Equipment Depot as both a large, stable network with a national footprint of 35 branches and a local service provider with 750 highly skilled technicians on the road every day, positions the brand as a leader in a competitive marketplace.
The ‘large network’ but also ‘local service’ message is encompassed within the new company tagline, Equipped to Serve. The new creative captures the essence of the organization’s mission of being the best service provider, highlighting Equipment Depot’s role as the critical support partner to keep businesses running.
The rebrand is supported by an integrated communications campaign, comprising of digital advertising, utilizing platforms such as LinkedIn, combined with shared content on its social media channels. A new corporate brochure and video, which tell the story behind the brand, have also been produced, to further build brand awareness.
Commenting on the new brand strategy of Equipment Depot, David O. Turner, President and CEO, said: “The material handling and equipment rental industry has been around for decades, so it’s vital that our brand and our message stand out.
“Service has always been the heart and soul of the organization, delivered through our expertise in material handling, aerials, specialty equipment, parts, service and rental. We have the largest footprint with 35 locations, industry-leading brands, 750 certified technicians, huge OEM parts inventory and an experienced team to keep our customer’s operation moving. Our mission is simple. We want to be the best service organization.”
In addition, Equipment Depot has announced its commitment to customers through a new Performance. Guaranteed. pledge which will appear across all sales and marketing support materials. This pledge was developed following extensive customer, industry and competitor research, to address the operational challenges that customers face day-to-day in their own businesses and to create a powerful message that would resonate with them.
The Performance. Guaranteed. promise features five key elements:
- Resolution – Employees are empowered to solve customer concerns on the spot. If a customer isn’t satisfied, it’s elevated to the regional leader for immediate attention and resolution.
- Service – Ready to roll 24/7/365 days a year and backed by a 4-hour emergency response time, or the first hour of labor is on us. Plus, free loaners on forklift and aerial lift repairs if we fail to fix it right the first time or by the time promised.
- Parts – All parts purchased from us are guaranteed for 6 months.
- Rental – Rental equipment will be delivered on-time as promised or delivery is free.
- 30-Day Buyback – If the new equipment fails to perform as promised and the customer isn’t satisfied, we’ll buy it back.
David O. Turner concludes: “We want our customers to know that we stand by our service and our commitment to support them. You hear other companies making promises but we’re willing to guarantee ours, which we believe is a clear differentiator within the industry.”
To view the new Equipment Depot corporate video, visit EQDepot.com
ENDS
Notes to editors
About Equipment Depot
Serving local communities since 1951, Equipment Depot is America’s #1 independent material handling and rental source with 35 locations across 1500 miles. Its team of dependable, helpful, driven, and accountable people are dedicated to providing the best service possible. The Company’s commitment to service is backed by its one-of-a-kind Performance. Guaranteed. promise.
Equipment Depot is a proud part of Pon Holdings, one of the largest family-owned businesses in the Netherlands with 13,000 employees worldwide. Pon provides a strong infrastructure for sustaining long-term growth and stability.
HOUSTON (7/5/2015) – Power solutions provider, HAWKER, has selected Equipment Depot as a Dealer of Excellence Program Winner for the 2015 fiscal year. The program recognizes those HAWKER dealers who have achieved outstanding results in the areas of sales, service and financial stability.
This award highlights the commitment of the Equipment Depot team to deliver excellent sales and service support to customers across the U.S. Along with Equipment Depot’s focus on providing the best customer service, Hawker batteries are known for having one of the highest paste densities in the industry, delivering more longevity and performance. Together, Hawker’s product quality therefore fits naturally with other industry-leading brands that Equipment Depot represents across its 35-branch and 1500-mile footprint.
Commenting on winning this recognition, John Ventre, Vice President Eastern Region, at Equipment Depot, said: “We have a clear business strategy, driving for excellence and a great team behind our products. When everyone is focused in the same direction we achieve our objective in meeting our customers’ needs and delivering a fantastic service to customers, which translates in a robust business model and financial stability. We are thrilled to receive this award from such a well respected organization as HAWKER, which has the leading charger technology in the industry, and look forward to working with them more in 2016, continuing our 40-year relationship with the company and its products.”
HOUSTON (2/2/2015) -Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), a leading manufacturer of forklifts in North, Central and South America, has selected two Equipment Depot dealerships as winners of its 2015 Dealer of Excellence Awards.
Equipment Depot Ohio and Kentucky were awarded this honor for continuing to deliver the highest levels of sales performance and quality of service displayed as part of MCFA’s 2014 Quest for Excellence program.
“I am excited to honor this year’s Dealers of Excellence award recipients for their commitment to providing our customers with quality material handling solutions,” said Kent Eudy, executive vice president of sales and marketing at MCFA. “Each of these dealers consistently exceeds their business goals and offers high-quality products and world-class customer service and support to their customers.”
Commenting on receiving this recognition for Equipment Depot Ohio, John Ventre, Vice President of Eastern Region, at Equipment Depot, said: “We are so proud to win this award for the 10th consecutive year and see Equipment Depot Ohio recognized as a top MCFA dealer, nationally. We remain focused on providing the best service and support to our customers and this award is testimony to our commitment.”
Additionally for Equipment Depot of Kentucky, Bob Schermer, Vice President of Central Region stated, “We are thrilled to receive this award from MCFA, our most valued lift truck partner. This award exhibits excellence in delivering the highest level of service, which is so important to our customers. The trust that we build is a key component in our quest to be the ‘Best Service Organization’ in the industry.”
HOUSTON (7/7/2014) – CLARK Material Handling Company, an industry leader worldwide for I.C. and Electric trucks, has named 2 Equipment Depot Irving members as a 2014 Top Parts and Service Manager for their outstanding contributions in supporting CLARK customers.
Clint Chandler and Juan Richardson of Irving, TX exhibited excellence in delivering the highest level of equipment after-market service and parts performance.
Chuck Moratz, Chief Operating Officer, states that “Commitment to customer service by these outstanding CLARK professionals as well as our many dedicated CLARK dealers has enabled CLARK to add to its ever expanding list of satisfied customers.”
Commenting on receiving this recognition, Don Taake, General Manager of the Equipment Depot Irving Branch, states, “Juan and Clint are both a major reason for the success we’ve had in Dallas, not only in our Parts and Service departments but our entire branch. They are true team players and we are very lucky to have them on our team.”
Media contact:
Meg Long – Equipment Depot, meg.long@eqdepot.com
About Equipment Depot
Equipment Depot is the largest independent material handling and rental business in the U.S., representing an extensive portfolio of industry-leading brands. With 35 locations in 13 states across 1,500 miles, Equipment Depot provides a one-stop source for sales, service, rentals and parts for material handling, construction and specialty equipment. Equipment Depot is part of Pon North America, a division of Pon Holdings B.V., the largest family-owned business in the Netherlands, employing 13,000 people at more than 450 locations in 32 countries. With its large geographical footprint, local expertise, and stability of Pon, Equipment Depot offers a full-range of creative solutions to exceed customer needs.
About Clark Material Handling Company
CLARK Material Handling Company has been an industry leader since its production of the first gasoline powered material handling truck in 1917. CLARK is privately held by the Young And Company, and is present in 102 global markets, including the support of over 330 dealers in over 480 locations. A full range of I.C. and Electric trucks for diverse applications are available in the CLARK product line.
HOUSTON (2/25/2014) – CLARK Material Handling Company, a leading manufacturer of forklifts globally, has selected the Equipment Depot of Texas dealership as a winner of its 2014 Dealer of the Year Award.
Equipment Depot of Texas was selected as a winner, having exhibited excellence in delivering equipment sales, parts, customer satisfaction and overall dealer operations. CLARK selects its Dealer of the Year from a North American network of 85 dealers and 200 plus dealer locations.
Commenting on receiving this distinction for Equipment Depot of Texas, Bryan Monk, Vice President of the Southwest Region, states “We are proud to represent CLARK Forklifts in Texas and especially honored to be their ‘Dealer of the Year’. This recognition backs up our commitment to be the best of the best.”
Media contact:
Meg Long – Equipment Depot, meg.long@eqdepot.com
About Equipment Depot
Equipment Depot is the largest independent material handling and rental business in the U.S., representing an extensive portfolio of industry-leading brands. With 35 locations in 13 states across 1,500 miles, Equipment Depot provides a one-stop source for sales, service, rentals and parts for material handling, construction and specialty equipment. Equipment Depot is part of Pon North America, a division of Pon Holdings B.V., the largest family-owned business in the Netherlands, employing 13,000 people at more than 450 locations in 32 countries. With its large geographical footprint, local expertise, and stability of Pon, Equipment Depot offers a full-range of creative solutions to exceed customer needs.
About Clark Material Handling
CLARK Material Handling Company has been an industry leader since its production of the first gasoline powered material handling truck in 1917. CLARK is privately held by the Young And Company, and is present in 102 global markets, including the support of over 330 dealers in over 480 locations. A full range of I.C. and Electric trucks for diverse applications are available in the CLARK product line.
HOUSTON (2/10/2016) – Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), a leading manufacturer of forklifts in North, Central and South America, has selected three Equipment Depot dealerships as winners of its 2016 Dealer of Excellence Awards.
Equipment Depot Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio were selected winners. This award highlights the commitment of these dealerships to delivering superior sales and service performance. Each is an industry leader, providing the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction in sales and support operations.
“I am excited to honor this year’s Dealers of Excellence award recipients for their commitment to providing our customers with quality material handling solutions,” said Kent Eudy, executive vice president of sales and marketing at MCFA. “Each of these dealers consistently exceeds their business goals and offers high-quality products and world-class customer service and support to their customers.”
Commenting on receiving this recognition for Equipment Depot Ohio, John Ventre, Vice President of Eastern Region, said: “We are honored to receive, for the 11th consecutive year, the 2016 Dealer of Excellence award, recognizing Equipment Depot Ohio as a top MCFA dealer. It’s through the continued dedication of our people to outstanding service and support, combined with the solid trust our customers place in our organization, that we are able to achieve this milestone.”
Additionally, for Equipment Depot of Kentucky and Illinois, Bob Schermer, Vice President of Central Region stated, “We are thrilled to receive this award from MCFA, our most valued lift truck partner. This award exhibits excellence in delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction, which is a key component in our quest to be the ‘Best Service Organization’ in the industry. Our customers are critical to our success and we remain committed to providing solutions that genuinely help them operate more efficiently in their industries, with the added benefit of lowering their operational costs over time.”
Equipment Depot has rolled out its strategic sales and marketing plans across the organization, to ensure delivering superior service and exceeding customers’ expectations remains at the heart of all customer support activities.
Media contact:
Meg Long – Equipment Depot, meg.long@eqdepot.com
Mikala Teagle – MCFA, mikala.teagle@mcfa.com
Notes to editors:
About Equipment Depot
Equipment Depot is the largest independent material handling and rental business in the U.S., representing an extensive portfolio of industry-leading brands. With 35 locations in 13 states across 1,500 miles, Equipment Depot provides a one-stop source for sales, service, rentals and parts for material handling, construction and specialty equipment. Equipment Depot is part of Pon North America, a division of Pon Holdings B.V., the largest family-owned business in the Netherlands, employing 13,000 people at more than 450 locations in 32 countries. With its large geographical footprint, local expertise, and stability of Pon, Equipment Depot offers a full-range of creative solutions to exceed customer needs.
About Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA)
Manufacturer of High-Quality Material Handling Equipment
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA) is a leading manufacturer of high-quality forklifts and warehouse products in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Based in Houston, Texas, the company distributes three distinct brands – Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Cat® lift trucks and Jungheinrich® warehouse products – through its extensive dealer network. All products are backed by industry-leading customer service and superior product support. For more information about MCFA or any of its brands, visit Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, Cat Lift Trucks, Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks or Jungheinrich Forklifts.