New sales operation for Snorkel in Germany and Austria

Snorkel aerial work platforms and Xtreme telehandlers will now be sold and serviced by Ahern Deutschland, the new direct sales and service operation in Germany and Austria. 

Ahern Deutschland GmbH, is part of the Ahern International division, which also includes Ahern Australia, Ahern Japan and Ahern Canada.  The Ahern International operations are solely focused on regional equipment distribution, supporting customers in the rental industry and end user sectors, and do not offer any equipment rental services.  Ahern Deutschland will provide nationwide sales and service for Snorkel aerial work platforms and Xtreme Manufacturing telehandlers.

Ahern Deutschland will be based between Cologne and Frankfurt within the Westerwald-Rhein/Sieg area of Germany, where the company plans to open an 18,000sqm (190,000sqft) facility later this year.  The facility will incorporate a showroom, office and training space, a fully-equipped workshop, a spare parts warehouse, and a yard for stock machines.

Ahern Deutschland will be led by Bernhard Kahn who joins as general manager.  Kahn has over 20 years of experience in the aerial lift industry, starting his career as an independent service technician in the 1990s.  Following training to become an electrical engineering technician and his achievement of a Master Craftsman’s Diploma, he moved into the distribution of aerial work platforms in 1997 and joined Genie in 2000, where he later successfully led the company’s sales operations in German-speaking countries.

Kahn is responsible for developing sales of Snorkel and Xtreme equipment into the German and Austrian markets, through the Ahern Deutschland entity, which will initially employ eight staff. 

To effectively support the customer base, Ahern Deutschland will hold a large stock of machines and spare parts at its facility, which will be available to customers in the German mainland and surrounding regions, ensuring fast delivery. This will be backed by a network of mobile service engineers providing nationwide coverage for technical support, troubleshooting, and product training.

Ahern Deutschland will be officially launched at Platformers’ Days, which takes place in Hohenroda, Germany on 11 – 12 September 2015.

Don Ahern, owner of Ahern Deutschland GmbH said, “The German equipment market is significant both in terms of units and value, but also in terms of geography.  To effectively support a market of this size requires investment in a direct operation.  Ahern Deutschland was the natural next step for us as we grow our business, and we are looking forward to developing relationships with customers across Germany.  Our new facility is also well placed to better support our existing distributors and customers across Southern and Eastern Europe with the supply of equipment and spare parts.”

Kahn said, “I have rarely experienced such a motivated team, but under Don Ahern’s lead and ownership, it feels like Snorkel and Xtreme are experiencing a veritable second spring. I am grateful and excited to be appointed as general manager of Ahern Deutschland.  My goal is to provide our customers with high quality products, backed with the best customer service and fast after-sales support.”

Ahern Deutschland will handle all Snorkel sales in Germany and Austria, supported by existing Snorkel distribution partners and resellers in the region as appropriate.