Swedish manufacturer opens Scottish sales depot following local acquisition

● Equipment firm with global presence calls Scottish base a ‘key part’ of strategy

Global load handling equipment company Hiab has opened a Scottish sales and service depot in Cumbernauld after acquiring a local firm.

Swedish firm Hiab acquired fellow load handling dealer Logan Inglis for an undisclosed sum and secured the Glasgow firm’s current site on a longterm lease, with plans to undertake “significant investment and improvement” to the facility over the coming 12 months.

All current Logan Inglis staff have been transferred across to Hiab following the acquisition, with a separate agreement in place to retain the services of owner Robert Morrison during the transition period.

The Scottish depot will offer the full range of Hiab loader cranes and demountable products, and the company’s full suite of service offerings. Hiab, part of the Cargotech Corporation, said the opening of its own depot in Scotland is a key part of its strategic plan to get closer to its customers and provide services “in a partnership approach”.

Ian Mitchell, Hiab directordealer manager UK and Ireland, said: “Our customers in Scotland will benefit from the Cumbernauld site being part of a larger Hiab-owned national network of both installation and service facilities that can meet their needs both in Scotland and further afield in the UK.

“This purchase has, from Day One, been very much part of our ‘route to market strategy’ which we embarked on in 2017.”

Matt Ritchie, Hiab dealer manager for Scotland, will be in charge of the new site. He added: “I’ve been really encouraged by the energy and enthusiasm of the staff at Cumbernauld and am really looking forward to building on the existing relationships with customers and establishing new ones.”

Rogier van der Linde, managing director of Hiab UK and Ireland, said: “The opening of Hiab Scotland is the next logical step in our strategy to be closer to our customers, putting more focus on our services and to become a solutions provider.

“We have a fantastic opportunity now to grow our market share in Scotland for demountables and put more focus on loader cranes, but moreover, it’s about adding fantastic customer service to the region by having our own workshop and giving customers access to our large fleet of field service engineers.”

Hiab, which has more than 3,300 employees worldwide, said it expected to be in a position to announce a further dealer acquisition before the autumn.