Capital Equipment News July 2019

INTERVIEW

Steve Ryder is the new MD of Manitou Southern Africa, effective July 1 2019.

Upping the stakes

Munesu Shoko [MS]: As you officially take the reins at Manitou Southern Africa, what are some of your immediate key focus areas? Steve Ryder [SR]: Manitou Southern Africa is in a very strong position in the market. Mining has particularly been our strong base over the years and currently constitutes about 30-40% of our business, with the rest spread across other sectors such as construction, agriculture, warehousing, timber, forestry, defence and other specialised industries. My immediate focus is to up our stakes into other market sectors – we are busy expanding into new product areas and that should give us a wider scope to do exactly that. We launched our Manitou- branded backhoe loader last year and we are starting to make significant progress with the product. We have also just launched our Manitou-branded skid steer, which I expect to be available in South Africa during the last quarter of this year. The two new products allow us to up our game in the construction sector, given that construction is a big opportunity in Africa. We will also focus on growing our

As Steve Ryder officially assumes his role as managing director at Manitou Southern Africa, one of his key focus areas is to get the Manitou subsidiary to step up its business into the construction market. A key enabler will be the new products recently introduced to the market – the Manitou branded backhoe loader, telehandlers and skid steers – which speak directly to the needs of the local construction market. Munesu Shoko recently caught up with Ryder during Manitou’s launch event in Phuket, Thailand.

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