Ammann targets North American light equipment market

Switzerland-based Ammann Group is aiming to appoint dealers in North America for its light compaction equipment as part of a wider push into North America with its asphalt plants and heavy compaction machines.

The company has manufacturing agreements in North America with Case and Multiquip, but will be pushing the light equipment products that are not covered  by these existing arrangement. That means all products that are not ride-on models, such as plates and rammers.

Steve McCown, Regional Commercial Manager for the Americas at Ammann America, told IRN at ConExpo that the light equipment initiative would not impact on its existing OEM agreements, which he described as important to the company.

”In the past we have tried with distribution, but we need to be here, we can’t manage it from Europe,” he said. The company has expanded its facilities in Florida and is now looking for dealers throughout North America, including rental companies.

“Our level of ambition is high”, he said, ”It’s the largest light compaction market in the world. We are now aggressively going after that. We think we have the quality of product. We see a huge opprtunity, but we want to do it carefully - grow organically.”

McCown, who was speaking on day three of the show, said Ammann’s three shaft reversing plates would be a key product in the initiative. ”These plates are unique in the market - better than two shaft models. That’s a differentiator. Contractors that are using our machines see the value. Once they use one, that’s what they want.”

Although ConExpo has been impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak, he said Ammann was “very comfortable” with the visitor levels to the show; “Overall we are feeling pretty good about what we have seen.”