20.04.2007

Genie extends CTE distribution

CTE has been the sole distributor for Genie products in Italy and more recently the countries that made up Yugoslavia for over 20 years.

At Bauma this year the two will announce that the partnership has not only been renewed, but that it has also been extended to include the Genie range of telescopic handlers.

Vertikal Comment

The Genie CTE relationship has proved to be one of, if not the most enduring of all Genies distribution agreements. When Genie was going full speed down the company store route in the mid 1990’s Italy and CTE was always treated as a special case and excluded from the general strategy.

CTE founder, and major shareholder Lorenzo Cippriani effectively built the highly successful CTE group on the strong foundation created by his Genie sales
business.

His relationship is far deeper than the typical Manufacturer – dealer one. When Genie wanted out of the scaffold tower business it was Cippriani that came to the rescue, creating what is now Genex.

The design and philosophy behind the CTE truck mounted aerial lift range is clearly Genie influenced, from the Z type linkages that most models incorporate to the customer support ethos.

With this background in mind the extension of the partnership into telehandlers is interesting. Terex/Genie telehandlers are designed and built in Italy, the product has a reasonable name and market presence in Italy most recently under the Terex brand, to such a degree that the range continues to be marketed as Terex in Italy when the rest of Europe has been moving over to Genie branding.

CTE is closely related to Venpa 3, Venpa has a major agreement with JCB for the supply of telescopic handlers as well as other equipment.

Is this likely to change?
Cippriani is a pragmatist and is unlikely to force his will on his senior managers and partners, however he will though be very keen to outsell the Terex Italy team. Cippriani likes and expects to win.

The Venpa 3 rental outlets and fleet have to be on the agenda, either now or in the not too distant future.

Whatever happens Terex stands to benefit from the additional distribution efforts and the competition that is likely to ensue.