The Right Machine for Every Challenge
Interview with Peter Wildemann, Managing Director of Manitou Deutschland GmbH
From the beginnings in France to innovative product developments and pioneering technologies, Manitou is synonymous with industry-leading performance and continuous development. In an interview with Wirtschaftsforum, the Managing Director of Manitou Deutschland GmbH, Peter Wildemann, talks about the critical turning points and success factors that define the Manitou brand.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Wildemann, Manitou is not only a well-known brand in Germany, but globally. What have been the key milestones in the company's history that have led to this success?
Peter Wildemann: Manitou was founded in 1958 in France from a construction company. Initially, they built classic concrete mixers. Then, the company's founder had the brilliant idea to mount a forklift mast on a tractor. This was how the first all-terrain forklift was invented. From this idea, over the years, a complete product portfolio of forklifts, compact loaders, crawler loaders, wheel loaders, and articulated loaders to a complete range of mobile elevated work platforms, rotating telehandlers, heavy-duty telehandlers, and telehandlers for various industries has been developed. Thus, the Manitou Group is successfully active in over 140 different countries.
Wirtschaftsforum: Since when has Manitou been present in Germany?
Peter Wildemann: Manitou Deutschland GmbH was founded in 1996 to build and support the dealer network in German-speaking areas. I have been with the company since 2007 and have been the managing director since 2016. A very important milestone was the move to our new location in Friedrichsdorf in 2022. A major advantage was that we built on a greenfield site, which allowed us to consider the many different needs right from the planning stage. Since we sell exclusively through dealers, a very important aspect was the creation of suitable premises for training our dealers. We deal with a very technical product. Accordingly, there is a high training requirement for the mechanics of our dealers.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is the main business area of the German branch?
Peter Wildemann: One of our main product fields are the telehandlers. In the German market, we are still serving a niche, which offers us the possibility to continue to grow each year. Our task as a sales company is to elevate this product from its niche status. It's partially a completely different mindset that we have to work against. Telehandlers are a much more familiar product in France than, for example, in Germany. Here, usually, the first thing set up on a construction site is a crane, while in France the first thing delivered are three telehandlers.
Wirtschaftsforum: How does Manitou stand out from the market and what distinguishes your products?
Peter Wildemann: Of course, the market has changed massively since the origins of the company. In the early days, we were truly pioneers in the field of telehandlers and there were only two other companies that also dealt with telehandlers. Nowadays, all renowned manufacturers of construction machinery or agricultural machinery offer telehandlers. However, our product development has also not stood still. We now offer an incomparably wide portfolio. This is particularly how we stand out. From pallet trucks with a load capacity of 1.5 tons, articulated loaders and work platforms, to telehandlers that reach a lifting height of up to 32 meters, we offer a comprehensive product range including services such as financing and maintenance contracts from a single source.
Wirtschaftsforum: What role does innovation play for you in the company?
Peter Wildemann: Innovation is very important to us. We try to take a leading role in product development in this industry and to be technology leaders. Lately, it's about digital possibilities. Now, all our products are connected on request. It is possible to read out error codes online, reduce fuel consumption, and decrease CO2 emissions.
Wirtschaftsforum: What are the future topics regarding product development?
Peter Wildemann: We are continuously launching new models that offer additional benefits to customers. We are currently focusing heavily on electrification and will launch the first fully electric rotating telehandler this year. This is a major advancement over our electrical aerial work platforms, which are relatively static in operation. Therefore, we are very proud of the work we have done to overcome the challenges of a fully flexible electric machine.
Wirtschaftsforum: Are there any other new products in the pipeline?
Peter Wildemann: We are currently working on a hydrogen drive. We are in the testing phase. We believe that the hydrogen engine is a more practical solution, especially in agriculture, to ensure availability beyond the current battery life of an electric vehicle. This is definitely a topic of the future for us, which we will continue to focus on.
Wirtschaftsforum: How do these developments affect your business model?
Peter Wildemann: Electric machines are more expensive for the customer to purchase, but they require significantly less maintenance. This means that we need to completely reconsider our whole service concept. The requirements of an electric machine for technicians are different. We need to adapt to this with additional training and other measures. This also has an impact on our sales strategy. In the future, we will no longer just sell a machine, but a complete solution. Service is an elemental part of this. This will also help us to continue to compete against the very strong non-European competition in the future.
Wirtschaftsforum: What other topics are important to you in the future?
Peter Wildemann: At the group level, the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is on the agenda. We have set very ambitious goals both in terms of machine consumption and production. We want to actively participate in environmental protection and in protecting the next generation.