Manulift has opened a new location in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
The 3,066 square metre facility officially opened on September 19, with Manulift welcoming more than 300 people to the celebration, which feature acrobatic performances alongside the latest telehandlers from Merlo.
The new location, located at 1230 South Service Road, is intended to solidify Manulift’s presence in Ontario.
“We’re here to stay, and we’re here to win,” said Manulift President Martin Drolet. “Now we’re here and that’s our major next step. This is our vision.”
The Stoney Creek facility joins Manulift’s three other locations in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, Montreal and Calgary as well as the company’s 26 dealers nationwide.
“With Manulift, when we start something, we don’t let it go. If we start it, we finish it,” Drolet said.
Manulift was created in Quebec in 1977. The following year the company introduced the first telescopic lift in Canada. In 2004, they introduced the first rotating lift in Canada.
Today, with a focus solely on telehandlers, Manulift has the 17th largest fleet in North America, about 300 employees and $100 million in sales annually.
To help celebrate Manulift on its new presence in Ontario, Merlo CEO Paulo Merlo travelled from the telehandler company’s headquarters in Italy to cut the ceremonial ribbon alongside Drolet.
“I’m very happy to be here today. We have worked together for many years and sold more than 2,000 machines. We have a really good history together,” Merlo said.
During the celebration, Manulift was able to showcase the latest machines from Merlo, including the Panoramic 50.17 telehandler, which features a maximum load of 5,000 kg and a lift height of 16.7 metres.
The machine, which is exclusive to Canada, also features a hydrostatic transmission for improved precision, and a side shift system for the boom that allows lateral movement of up to 50 cm without moving the machine.
As well, Manulift introduced the Roto 50.35 S Plus, which features a 5,000 kg capacity and a lift height of 35 metres.
The Roto 50.35 S Plus also features a modular cab with 20-degree tilt, an interactive electronic capacitive joystick and permanent four-wheel drive. The 50.35 on display at the grand opening was sold before the end of the evening.
“The 50.35 is really the top of the range and we invested a lot in the technology, which is the difference between us and the competition,” Merlo said. “We want to be always the first one in technology.”