Customers on the US West Coast served even better than before
Ponsse’s services on the West Coast of the United States will be stronger than before after Ponsse and PacWest Machinery signed a dealer agreement from the beginning of September. Cooperation has started well, and services have been strengthened in the region.
As a result of the dealer agreement, PacWest is now the exclusive dealer for the sale and services of PONSSE forest machines and harvester heads in the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho on the West Coast of the United States. Through the partnership, Ponsse’s service centre in Coburg, Oregon, and its operations, property, machine and spare parts stocks, as well as training range, have been transferred to PacWest.
“We are excited to become a partner with Ponsse across the greater Pacific Northwest,” says Andy Wold, CEO of PacWest Machinery. “Ponsse has the industry-leading CTL platform, a commitment to excellent customer support, and a ”One Ponsse” way of approaching the market that we have admired for some time. We are looking forward to partnering with Ponsse and the forest industry.”
We are excited to become a partner with Ponsse across the greater Pacific Northwest.
– Andy Wold, CEO of PacWest Machinery
“PacWest helps us grow and expand on the West Coast. They have a strong will to develop further and are very committed to the forest industry – just like us. An established and well-functioning network in the West will bring Ponsse’s services even closer to our customers in the region,” says Pekka Ruuskanen, Managing Director of Ponsse North America, Inc.
PacWest Machinery is a US company, part of the family-owned Joshua Green Corporation, specialising mainly in sale and aftermarket support of general production equipment, road machinery and aggregate processing systems. The company has sales and service centres in Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Mount Vernon, Pasco and Eugene. In recent years, PacWest has expanded significantly on the US West Coast, and it is also an official Volvo and Metso dealer in Oregon, Washington and North Idaho.
SERVICE NETWORK STRENGTHENED EVEN FURTHER
In the West, Ponsse now provides services for its customers in six locations in place of the previous one. For customers, this means shorter distances to maintenance locations.
“While we want to expand and grow our operations in the US, the country is massive, and we cannot invest everywhere. As a result of this cooperation, our service network expanded significantly on the West Coast. This was particularly good news for our customers in Washington and Idaho, as they were previously a long way from the Coburg service centre. With PacWest, we now have four new locations in Washington and more field service technicians, meaning shorter distances and even quicker services,” says Samuel Vidgrén, Area Manager for the Ponsse dealer network in the US.
Ponsse provides its customers in the US with services through a growing dealer network. Currently, three Ponsse dealers operate in the region: PacWest, Chadwick-BaRoss Inc., and Kleis Equipment LLC. Ponsse’s subsidiary Ponsse North America Inc. provides services in the Great Lakes region and southern parts of the country. PacWest covers the Northwest and Chadwick BaRoss the Northeast, while Kleis Equipment provides services for customers in the New York region. In total, Ponsse has 28 maintenance outlets in the United States.
– Samuel Vidgren, Area Manager for the Ponsse dealer network in the US
– Pekka Ruuskanen, Managing Director, Ponsse North America Inc.
“The development of our network never stops. For example, we’re planning to expand our service facility in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and the spare parts warehouse and shipping area in the Rhinelander, Wisconsin location. These improvements will benefit Ponsse’s outlets and dealers, as well as official maintenance partners in the north. We’re also investing in training. With PacWest, we will have more people to provide training and better facilities and training equipment,” says Samuel Vidgrén.
“The partnership with PacWest offered us a unique opportunity to grow. Ponsse wants to provide its customers with the best customer experience, and this partnership helps us keep this promise even better than before,” Ruuskanen says.
While being a part of Ponsse North America was a great experience, I am also excited to see how we can now accelerate our customer services throughout the larger territory.
– Steve Baker, PacWest Machinery Service Supervisor
“CUSTOMERS WILL BE SERVED JUST LIKE BEFORE”
For PacWest, which is part of a family owned company, the wellbeing of employees is a priority, just as it is for Ponsse. Even though the Coburg, Oregon operation has a new owner, the focus on ensuring a good work environment has not changed.
“The former Ponsse employees in the Oregon territory have been welcomed into the PacWest team,” Wold says.
“We have spent the early weeks getting to know each other, and already providing the training needed to maintain and expand services in the Pacific Northwest.”
Steve Baker, Service Supervisor, was one of the Ponsse employees working at the Coburg service centre who transferred to PacWest.
“While being a part of Ponsse North America was a great experience, I am also excited to see how we can now accelerate our customer services throughout the larger territory,” commented Baker.
ETELÄ-YHDYSVALTOJEN HOUKUTTELEVA MARKKINA
The US markets have a lot of potential for cut-to-length harvesting technology. The country’s corporate-friendly atmosphere offers a lucrative environment in the forest machine markets, and Ponsse’s machine fleet is growing steadily in the area.
The southern parts of the country, in which the environmentally friendly CTL method is not yet as popular as the tree-length method, offer attractive potential for growth. At the end of last year, Ponsse North America, Inc. opened a new service centre near Tallahassee, Florida. The expansion was Ponsse’s response to growing demand for sawn goods and the increase in machine sales in the region.
Overall demand for sawn goods in the US has decreased slightly as a result of global inflation and rising interest rates. In addition, the pulp and paper markets have slowed. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel in the housing markets. The future of apartment builders is looking particularly bright. It seems that there is demand especially for affordable new houses. This trend was shown earlier in 2023, when the number of new houses increased.
PACWEST MACHINERY
- PacWest Machinery mainly specialises in sale and customer support for general production equipment, road machinery and aggregate processing systems.
- Its head office is in Kent, Washington.
- PacWest also operates as a sales and service dealer for Volvo and Metso equipment in Oregon, Washington and North Idaho.
- The company has sales and service centres in Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Mount Vernon, Pasco and Eugene.
- PacWest is part of the Joshua Green Corporation, a private family-owned company established in the 1890s.
PONSSE IN THE UNITED STATES
- Ponsse North America, Inc, established in 1995, is Ponsse’s subsidiary in the United States.
- Ponsse North America Inc. has 84 employees and is headquartered in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It has maintenance outlets in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.
- Ponsse has three dealers in the US: PacWest, Chadwick-BaRoss Inc. and Kleis Equipment LLC.
- Ponsse has 28 maintenance outlets serving customers in the US.
- Ponsse is the market leader in rubber-wheeled harvesters and forwarders in the US.
WELCOME TO THE PONSSE NETWORK, KYLE REPAIR!
This spring, Ponsse North America Inc. signed a dealer agreement on spare parts and maintenance services with Kyle Repair LLC. There was a demand for a new spare parts and maintenance outlet, especially in Northwest Wisconsin. Kyle Repair operates in Park Falls, Wisconsin, and is an excellent addition to Ponsse’s maintenance network in the northern parts of the US.
Kyle Repair employs eight full-time professionals, two of whom work in spare parts, and four in maintenance operations. It also has one trainee working in daily activities. Customer services are provided by two crane-equipped maintenance vehicles.
Mark Kyle, the owner of Kyle Repair, started his career working as a mechanic. Later, he also worked as a service manager, and he had dealers in Whitehall and Durand, Wisconsin. However, for the last seven years, Mark has worked in the Park Falls region. Mark believes that high-quality customer and aftersales services pay dividends. After all, his motto is: “Quality service sells!”
