Midwest Equipment

SENNEBOGEN touches “all four bases” for products and service in distributor’s search for new lines of specialized equipment.

KANSAS CITY, KS - Phil McCoy knew what he wanted, and he knew how he would recognize it when he found it.

With more than 20 years experience in the equipment business, McCoy recently established MidWest Equipment to focus on strong growth markets requiring specialized machinery. After surveying the industry and checking off his list of 4 key criteria for new lines, McCoy decided he wanted SENNEBOGEN green line equipment to be the newest product focus for MidWest.

Midwest made the grade with the manufacturer, too. Constantino Lannes, President of SENNEBOGEN America, recently announced that Midwest Equipment will be the authorized distributor for SENNEBOGEN in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Midwest is a “sister” company to RoadBuilders Machinery & Supply Co. Inc., based in Kansas City, KS, a leading Komatsu dealership operated by Phil McCoy since 1985. “This company is well established and highly respected throughout the equipment industry in this region,” Lannes said. “We are very proud to take our place as a key product line in this unique venture, backed by a strong, proven service organization.”

Midwest is a new name with solid background in the industry. As the President of RoadBuilders Machinery, Phil McCoy saw opportunities to focus on key market sectors he could serve with specialized equipment and people. He and Jay Young, a regional sales manager for McCoy, saw great potential in purpose-built material handling machines, and set out to find the right equipment to meet customer needs in that area.

McCoy established four main points to compare product lines: service and parts availability, product development, parts pricing and product depth to meet different customer needs. According to Jay Young, the company “hit a home run” with SENNEBOGEN achieving top scores for all four counts.

Young, a specialist in material handling machines and applications, says he is very excited by his prospects with Midwest and with SENNEBOGEN. “Our sales territory is enjoying a strong economy and there is a great demand for this type of equipment,” he says. “And SENNEBOGEN is absolutely the right product to bring to these customers.”

Reviewing McCoy’s key points, Young says that SENNEBOGEN has proven itself to be an industry leader in service and parts availability, well supported by its large parts warehouse in Charlotte, NC. Committed to “leading through innovation”, SENNEBOGEN machines continue to evolve, with design updates and new features every year. “SENNEBOGEN is the ‘happening’ product line,” Young claims. “Recently they have been moving forward with Cat engines, their range of hydraulic-lift cabs, the idea of “computer-free” design, and now electrically powered models. You can see how, as a family owned company, they are able to listen to customers and able to act on what they hear.”

Young and McCoy also feel that the pricing on SENNEBOGEN parts will be a benefit to customers. “SENNEBOGEN prices its spare and replacement parts fairly to begin with,” reports Young. “But they also make good use of industry-standard parts that are readily available, with prices that reflect their high production volume compared to proprietary parts.”

The final point on Phil McCoy’s check list is the ability to offer a full model line-up that will allow Midwest to match the right machine to customer needs. Again, Jay Young feels that the green line delivers. “SENNEBOGEN has excellent depth in its material handling line-up: a wide range of sizes and boom configurations; wheeled, tracked or special mounts; diesel and electric drives. And the factory is set up to make it easy for us to meet special requests for customers.” He says the fit between the machines and customer applications is reflected in SENNEBOGEN’s ability to attract repeat sales. “New customers are immediately impressed by their strength,” he reports. “They just need to look at the swing bearing. It’s perfect for the job both in terms of size and design.”

Phil McCoy’s expectations have been born out. Midwest has delivered several machines in the area and Jay Young is already following up customers’ interest in repeat orders. McCoy says that this success will lead Midwest into additional product categories, based on the same philosophy of purpose-built equipment supported by knowledgeable people. It’s a philosophy, he believes that’s also sure to hit a home run with customers!

SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for more than 50 years. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, SENNEBOGEN America offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any heavy lift or "pick & carry" application. A growing network of distributors supports SENNEBOGEN sales and service across the Americas, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability.