Jekko opens German subsidiary
Italian minicranes manufacturer, Jekko, has established a new subsidiary in Germany: the company will be named Jekko Deutschland and will allow a more widespread presence in the German speaking areas.
It has been 15 years since the first Jekko minicrane landed in Germany. From then on, the German market has become increasingly important not least because of the work of NordKran, Jekko’s official dealer for Germany and Austria in the past five years.
The strategic importance gained of the market and the wish of having more direct supervision of the German speaking areas has led Jekko to the decision to establish a subsidiary in Germany. Jekko Deutschland will be headquartered in Witten.
Besides Jekko, the new company has two other shareholders: Carsten Bielefeld, formerly sales agent at NordKran, and Andreas Krome of Lift Service Krome, which manages Jekko aftersales services in Germany.
NordKran will keep on supporting Jekko as a dealer in Northern Germany. Jekko’s CEO, Diego Tomasella, said, “With the establishment of Jekko Deutschland we want to make a step forward in the German market, which has always been attractive and challenging for Jekko due to its high quality demand. We have done a very good job in the last five years with our partner NordKran, that will remain not only our local dealer for a wide region in the Northern Germany but will extend and improve its range of products and services for its customers. Our goal with the local company Jekko Deutschland is to be more reactive and present both in sales and after sales for all kinds of customers, from a single end user to a big rental company.
“Jekko’s range is growing with the introduction of a wide range of products and we believe that the German market will react in a positive way to our proposals.”
Alberto Franceschini, Jekko’s export manager, adds, “This decision is not exclusively a matter of sales. The German customer has always shown appreciation for the technology, the refinement and the stylistic choices of a ‘made in Italy,’ product such as Jekkos. The German market requires high levels of reliability, responsiveness and customer support. We wanted to raise the bar on the quality of our service for our valued German customers and the only way was to have a direct presence and to rely on industry professionals such as Carsten Bielefeld, Andreas Krome and Maik Buchtmann. We believe that end users will benefit from this choice and Jekko brand reputation will be improved as well. On the other hand, when Italian fantasy and creativity meet German pragmatism and organisation only great things can happen.”
Bielefeld said, “Thanks to the activities carried out by NordKran in the last five years, Jekko has earned an important place in the German market. Our goal from the beginning was to become market leader in a short time, now the goal is in sight and Jekko has to do the next step forward. I am happy to be part of this new team. Together with NordKran and new Jekko Deutschland we will send the strong and clear message that our goal is a much stronger presence in Germany and Austria. With NordKran as our dealer in the North we have a great partner at our side.”
Talking about future projects, he adds, “The plan is to find some more dealers in the other parts of Germany and Austria, to give the best support to all customers and to bridge the distance.”
After sales service plays an important role in the project too and in this regard Andreas Krome said, “I’m very happy to be a part of the restructuring of sales and support for Jekko products in Germany and I will be deeply committed to the successful implementation of the team’s goals. Our task, into which we have already grown in recent years, will be the technical support of Jekko cranes in connection with the spare parts supply. Supporting our customers with all the necessary information to ensure a long, efficient and safe use of Jekko minicranes will be our main focus of activity. We are convinced that a good exchange and trustful communication between the after-sales department in Italy, our customers and us is indispensable for this.”
On his part, Maik Buchtmann underlines the full commitment of NordKran, “We look forward to the cooperation and the opportunities that arise with the establishment of Jekko Deutschland. The new role as a dealer in Northern Germany and in the area reaching up to Berlin has great potential for us. With locations in Delmenhorst, Hamburg and Papenburg, we see ourselves well equipped for the new situation. The possibility of further expanding the end customer business and finding special solutions with customers is becoming increasingly important. The motto is ‘quality instead of quantity’. We look forward to a close, respectful and cooperative partnership between Jekko Deutschland and NordKran as well as to the contact with Jekko in Italy that has existed for over five years. Due to the current Covid 19 pandemic, the forecast for the machine trade is still being worked out. A fleet of storage machines is of course available for immediate delivery. The NordKran and Buchtmann group currently has more than 30 minicranes for rent and in stock.”