Yanmar Construction Equipment announced its partnership with VF Venieri for the rebadging and distribution of the latter’s wheeled loaders across most of the European market at Intermat in Paris.
The range will include four models the V7 and V8 will be launched in late 2015, with a capacity of 0.7 and 0.8 m³ , and will be equipped with a 50hp Yanmar 4TNV88 engine. In 2016, the range will add products aimed at the rental market, with a capacity of more than 1m³ and powered by larger, Tier 4 Final, engines.
Georg Hoyer, area sales manager, Yanmar Construction Equipment Europe, told iVT that the two companies had cooperated on the project for the last year, making modifications to suit specific demands, including changes to the layout of controls.
“We need to strengthen our offering to enter new markets,” he said. “We have been missing out on sales to this sector as our dealers have been purchasing wheeled loaders from other manufacturers.” Expanding the range with new complementary products for its hydraulic compact excavators should therefore strengthen its presence in the compact equipment market.
Yanmar already manufactures its own wheeled loaders in Japan but sales are restricted to its domestic market. The rebadged products represent a sales volume of 10,000 units per year in Europe, with France, Germany and Scandinavia as main markets. Under the terms of the agreement, sales of the Yanmar-badged product will not take place in Italy and the UK.
Yanmar also announced that Kobelco Europe is to market seven additional models of Yanmar mini excavators, expanding on a partnership in compact machines that began in Japan in 2004. This year it will expand to the global market for mini excavators under 3-tonnes, with the addition of three zero-tail swing and four conventional machines. These machines will be marketed in Europe, Japan, North America, South Korea and Oceania during the second half of this year.
Kobelco will provide Yanmar with ultra-short swing machines for the Japanese market. Commenting on this agreement, Jean-Marc Reynaud, vice president of Yanmar Construction Equipment, said, “This agreement is good for Kobelco and Yanmar, both recognized for robustness and fuel saving. It also secures the activity of our Saint-Dizier site in a volatile environment.”
April 24, 2015
