Member Article

Snorkel launches UK direct sales and service operation

Snorkel officially launched its direct sales and service operation for the UK and Ireland at Vertikal Days 2013.

Snorkel UK will deal direct with plant hire and equipment rental companies, as well as Snorkel resellers. Snorkel has created a dedicated team, which will be supported by its factory and global headquarters in Washington, Tyne & Wear.

Mark Yarnold, General Manager for Snorkel UK, said: “British and Irish rental companies prefer to deal direct with the manufacturer. We have the considerable resource of the Vigo Centre factory right on their doorstep and will augment that resource with a dedicated UK team.”

Mark recently recruited Trevor Williamson as After Sales Support Engineer, providing nationwide technical support to Snorkel UK’s customer base, including warranty work. He is also establishing a dedicated PDI area at Snorkel’s Vigo Centre factory in Washington, providing a “ready to rent” service to plant hire customers, so they can transport Snorkel lifts direct from the factory to the end user.

Trevor has a fully equipped service van, providing a rapid response to customer requirements and reducing their machine down time.

Mark added: “Trevor has a wealth of experience and a proven track record in our industry. His expertise, work ethic and proactive attitude will be a real asset as we grow and develop Snorkel UK as a direct sales operation.”

Trevor has worked in the powered access industry since 1985, starting as a service engineer for various rental companies before joining JLG UK as a senior engineer in 1994. He transferred to JLG New Zealand in 2005, leaving the company in 2010 to join EWP Technical, an independent service company. Through his time at EWP, Trevor became familiar with the Snorkel product range, conducting warranty, service and repair work on Snorkel machines.

Trevor said: “I am delighted to be joining Snorkel at such an exciting time for the UK division. Snorkel UK offers me the unique opportunity to build a service and support operation from the ground up. I am confident we can create a first class operation that will provide the very best level of customer support.”

The new-look Snorkel UK will continue to offer a range of flexible finance options for customers.

With the factory based in North-East England, Snorkel can offer a wide range of benefits to UK customers:

• PDI and ship machines straight to the end user
• Factory fit customer-specific livery, decals and options
• Accurate lead times and fast shipping
• Dedicated UK technical support and account management.

Snorkel already has successful, wholly-owned sales and service operations in the USA, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Elsewhere, the company sells through a global network of independent full service distributors.

Enrique Garcia Delgado, Snorkel Regional Sales Manager for Europe, said: “We remain committed to the distributor model as the best way to serve and support our customers worldwide. But with our factory and head office situated in the UK, it makes perfect sense to support our current re-sellers and major rental companies across the UK and Ireland.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Snorkel .