ULMA Forklift Trucks, strengthened by quality and innovation of products and services
The economic crisis, which is particularly affecting the Mediterranean markets, has hit the forklift truck sector with a 70% drop in sales of new counterbalanced forklift trucks (especially thermal forklift trucks) and a 45.6% reduction for indoor units, over six long financial years (2007-2012).
This is a tough situation for the main Spanish forklift truck manufacturers, who are forced to drastically restructure their companies but an almost herculean effort is being made to stay afloat by sellers and importers such as ULMA Forklift Trucks, Mitsubishi’s exclusive importer.
The company has been working hard since 2008 to adapt to the new circumstances, leading to an increased presence in large fleets, a progressive gain in the market share for indoor forklift trucks and specialisation in ad-hoc financial products allowing us to provide distinctive added value for customers. The end result is a privileged position in the handling sector, in spite of the sacrifices made, placing ULMA among Spain’s top importers.
“ULMA Forklift Trucks’ professional commitment and its firm bid for a market it knows well and where it is acclaimed for its approach are behind the effort we have made to strengthen the areas we believe to have a better chance of future sustainability, such as after-sales services and sale of refurbished trucks with an ULMA guarantee,” states Sales and Service Manager Fran Fernández.
ULMA Forklift Trucks has launched the ULMA DIRECT scheme for its customers: one single telephone line for all technical queries, maintenance notifications and after-sales information, so that a team of professional specialists in customer service can help customers out around the clock wherever they may be, solving their problems more quickly, more flexibly and more efficiently.
The ULMA DIRECT team not only seeks to optimise the Technical Support Service to customers, solving their problems with a single call-out but also provides consultation whenever possible to prevent unnecessary call-outs, as sometimes all that is needed is real-time advice.
Another area Fran Fernández believes to be a suitable for development along with the After-Sales Service is the sale of refurbished forklift trucks with an ULMA guarantee, as this is an area less affected by the crisis.
“The market is forcing us to be flexible and more open to customer requirements, so ULMA has specialised in refurbishing selected forklift trucks, using the in-depth technical knowledge it has built up over almost 30 years and putting them through a demanding technical inspection to guarantee that ULMA Forklift Trucks can offer the fullest range of vehicles on the market, with the best reputation for quality and reliability, along with some great terms of finance,” says the Sales and Service Manager.
To round off the improvements, another major move forward is the full range of handling equipment being marketed. Mitsubishi indoor trucks have undergone notable development over the last 4 years, and improvements to the GRENDÍA ES series are expected this year, enhancing the models that have been considered the firm’s star product up to now: the 1.5 - 3.5 ton internal combustion counterbalanced forklift trucks.
ULMA Forklift Trucks is steadily progressing in its constant quest to improve our services to customers, seeking to offer them the best solution to cater to their specific needs, with the firm conviction that all the improvements made will strengthen the firm and help us out of the long-term crisis we are currently facing.
