Manitou and HD Construction Equipment sign compact equipment agreement

Manitou Group and HD Construction Equipment have announced a global cross-distribution agreement for compact construction equipment.

Manitou will expand its range of compact equipment by adding products from HD Construction Equipment, to be sold under the Manitou and Gehl brands through its dealer network.

From the left: Sylvain Blaise, president & CEO, Manitou Group and Jaeyoung Moon, president & CEO HD Construction Equipment. (Image: Manitou).

HD Construction Equipment, which operates both the Hyundai and Develon equipment brands, will sell some Manitou compact equipment products to enhance its own product range globally.

The press releases do not specify details of what products are involved, but it is likely that Manitou will benefit from HD’s wide range of mini excavators, while HD could strengthen its skid steer and compact track loader ranges, as well as possibly adding Manitou’s rough terrain forklifts.

KHL has contacted both HD and Manitou and neither was in a position to provide details of the product ranges involved.

One question is which of Manitou’s rough terrain forklifts and compact telehandlers would interest HD Construction. Hyundai Construction Equipment in Europe includes Hyundai Material Handling, which produces masted forklifts, although not all terrain models.

Hyundai also makes skid steers and compact track loaders in the US, which it started to try to sell in Europe last year.

Significant impact on sales

Manitou said the deal is forecasted to contribute around 5% to its total sales by 2030. HD Construction said it had targeted sales of all compact equipment of KRW1.3 trillion (€840 million) by the same year.

Sylvain Blaise, president and CEO of Manitou said, “This agreement fully aligns with our strategic roadmap aimed at accelerating our growth in compact equipment ranges.

“By combining the industrial excellence and innovative capabilities of two major industry leaders. This alliance allows us not only to reach a new milestone in product line expansion, but also to deliver enhanced value to our dealer network and customers worldwide.”

Jaeyoung Moon, president & CEO of HD Construction Equipment, added, “This partnership is more than just enhancing our product lines; it opens up important new growth opportunities through significant market expansion.

“By bringing together our strengths, we will boost the competitiveness of our compact products and enhance our global presence.”