OPENING NEW MARKETS

(From left to right) Joel Paikin of SENNEBOGEN, Constantino Lannes, President of SENNEBOGEN, Benoit Trottier of Hydromec, Erich Sennebogen, Jean Trottier of Hydromec and Walter Sennebogen.

DOLBEAU-MISTASSINI – For 35 years, the Trottier family has operated Hydromec, building a reputation for quality work and rapid service. So, when the company decided to expand its product line, it sought out a manufacturer that would allow it to maintain this reputation. It quickly set its sights on SENNEBOGEN.

Constantino Lannes, President of SENNEBOGEN America, recently announced that Hydromec has been appointed as the newest addition to the company’s growing distributor network for SENNEBOGEN. Hydromec will represent the SENNEBOGEN green line in Northern Quebec from its two locations in Dolbeau-Mistassini and Chicoutimi.

Hydromec is a family owned company specializing in service and repair, primarily for hydraulic and mechanic components that go into forestry machines. “We were looking at developing new business with the goal of getting another product line,” says Jean Trottier President of Hydromec. He indicated that the company first considered construction machinery. However, he says they decided against it because there are several very good OEMs already servicing the area with well established dealerships. In addition, “that business is too far from what we are doing now,” he says.

Exploring possibilities
Hydromec became a Ponsse dealer a few years ago and Trottier says they started looking for a complementary product line in order to develop the company’s distribution across the territories it covers in Quebec. Trottier says he first became aware of SENNEBOGEN machines during a trip to Sweden and knew instantly that this company and its products would be a good fit. However, he didn’t wait for an opportunity to come knocking, he pursued it, all the way to Munich, Germany, to meet with SENNEBOGEN during Bauma in 2007.

“I went there just to get the chance to meet them. I wanted to get in touch and explore the possibility for us to partner with them in Quebec to take care of the logging and forestry industry,” say Trottier.

A year before, Trottier happened to see a SENNEBOGEN machine that was being delivered in his region for a demonstration. He staged a photo of himself shaking hands with a prospective buyer in front of the machine. “I was wearing a green coloured jacket that matched the color on the SENNEBOGEN machine and it looked like I had sold the machine to a customer,” says Trottier. “The people around me thought I was crazy but I knew that picture would be useful some day.” It turned out to be very useful, as Trottier included that photo as the last slide in his presentation to SENNEBOGEN last January.

Recently Trottier received the commitment he was looking for. He signed his dealership agreement March 12, 2010.

In order to get a first-hand look at his business partners, new distribution, office and training facility, he attended the SENNEBOGEN Open House event and celebration of their 10th Anniversary in North America in Stanley, North Carolina. “It was amazing. We’ve been to many distribution centers and this is one of the best we have ever seen. That whole facility is like a dedicated classroom,” he says, adding that he also met with the Sennebogen family. What he saw and what he heard reaffirmed to him that his family business was indeed working with another family business and that they shared the same business philosophy.

Trottier says Hydromec will start offering the SENNEBOGEN product line to its customers involved in forestry operations as well as those in sawmills, logging operations, waste management facilities, recycling operations and scrap metal yards. He will be covering most of Northern Quebec including the Gaspe region. “We are bringing in four material handlers, the 305 and the 821 for the recycling and waste industries and the larger 825 M and the new 830 M-T wagon puller machine for logging applications, so we will have at least one or two machines at all times at our location.”

Fast response time
Becoming a SENNEBOGEN dealer has also energized Hydromec employees who are geared up to work with the new line. “Having these four SENNEBOGEN machines in our yard will certainly boost the Hydromec team. We have 30 employees and all of them are dedicated to doing what we need to be successful,” he says. “One of the competitive strengths of our business is that we are a small company that can act very fast in responding to customers’ needs. We don’t have multiple layers of management to go through to get a decision. This, along with the competence and expertise of our service people is the key to our business.”

“The reaction has been good so far from the people who have seen the products. They like the simplicity of the machines, the way they are designed, their serviceability and easy access,” he says. “Bringing SENNEBOGEN to Hydromec will create a really good synergy between us and our customers because of our strong connection to forestry machine owners.”

Trottier says the shared business philosophies and management styles between SENNEBOGEN and Hydromec will be the cornerstone of their relationship. “We have a great relationship with them because they are also family oriented and they understand the need to support their own customers. This is something that makes SENNEBOGEN very attractive to us. We are operating under the same company spirit. After seeing the new facility, it is clear that SENNEBOGEN is really dedicated to the future success of their dealers. They make themselves available to us and to their customers world-wide,” says Trottier emphasizing the importance to having a direct line of communication with customers. “Like SENNEBOGEN, we are very close to our customers and we want to keep it like that.”

About SENNEBOGEN
SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for more than 58 years. Based in Stanley, North Carolina, SENNEBOGEN LLC offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any material handling 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.