T H WHITE acquire Outreach Truck Ltd and become ‘Palfinger UK

May 1, 2018

T H WHITE are delighted to announce the acquisition of Falkirk-based Outreach Truck Ltd, the Palfinger distributor for Scotland. From May 2018 the newly merged business will come together and trade as Palfinger UK.

A true UK national business specific to lorry loaders and fully supported by global market leader Palfinger, Palfinger UK further enhances T H WHITE as the largest lorry cranes provider in the United Kingdom, providing the total package of sales, servicing and parts for the life of your equipment.

Palfinger UK will be the only ‘independent’ European distributor with full national coverage and will be one of the largest distributors in Europe selling products directly to end users.

T H WHITE’s involvement with lorry cranes began in 1974 and the business grew dramatically in the 1990s when world-leading Austrian hydraulic crane manufacturer Palfinger made T H WHITE its official distributor for England and Wales. Outreach Truck Ltd has also worked closely with Palfinger since 1976, accumulating parallel experience and expertise north of the border. Outreach staff will now join the T H WHITE Lorry Cranes team in the new Palfinger UK operation.

Mark Rigby, director of T H WHITE’s Lorry Cranes Business, believes the acquisition of Outreach is the perfect fit with T H WHITE: “For more than 40 years Outreach has offered hydraulic handling, lifting and access equipment, supplying and fitting the complete range of Palfinger cranes. As regards the Palfinger Epsilon range, T H WHITE has traditionally focused on construction and recycling cranes, while Outreach has a strong business base in forestry cranes. That’s a great example of how this ‘coming together’ will broaden the portfolio of the whole operation.

“Likewise, Outreach has worked closely with many Scottish local authorities to develop expertise in bespoke body-building. That is complemented by T H WHITE’s state-of-the-art body-building workshops in Devizes and Bradford where a vast variety of body styles and sizes are built and fitted to chassis, often in conjunction with cranes, pile drivers and other equipment.”

The creation of Palfinger UK means that the business now has operational bases in Devizes (Wiltshire), Bradford (Yorkshire) and Falkirk (Stirlingshire), together with partner Transloader Services in Luton (Bedfordshire). Although trading as Palfinger UK, the business will firmly remain part of the T H WHITE Group.

“Now that we have a spread of business locations right across the British mainland we can work on further enhancing the high levels of customer service we are already known for,” adds Mark. “Added to that, we are always looking for ways to assist various sectors of the market with new, specialist products, as we did last year with the introduction of specific models designed for the needs of builders merchants. Expect to see more of that as we go forward.

“All in all, Palfinger UK looks like being quite a force!”

Gary Potts, outgoing Managing Director of Outreach Truck Ltd, commented on the acquisition, “we are delighted to be passing our well established and respected company to T H WHITE in the full knowledge that our staff and customers will be well looked after in the future. A smooth integration for both Outreach team members and customers is our key priority, made simpler because of the strong partnership we have had as companies for many years.”

The acquisition and rebrand come with full endorsement from Palfinger, with Senior Director of Sales and Marketing Thomas Schwaiger giving his full support, “the acquisition of Outreach Truck Ltd by T H WHITE is a highly welcome initiative to strengthen the market presence and brand positioning in England, Wales and Scotland. The successful management led by Director Mark Rigby will enable further growth and development to continue to provide the full package of sales and servicing to customers across the UK, an important market for Palfinger.”

For more on Palfinger UK, what it means for you as a crane user, as well as details of a host of exciting new products, visit www.palfinger.co.uk.

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