PMV: What is your role at Terex Middle East?
Sharbel Korhadi: I am the general manager for Terex Aerial Work Platforms in the Middle East. This involves both Genie aerial work platforms (AWPs) and Terex’s light tower range.
PMV: How’s business?
SK: Business is going very well at present. We are on track to achieve a full recovery from the economic downturn. This year, we anticipate that sales will return to the levels experienced in 2008 and 2009. Obviously, this is very good news. The only other market close to a complete recovery is that of North America.
PMV: Which AWPs sell best in this region?
SK: The Middle East is predominantly a big boom market. Booms in general are popular, but those towards the upper end of the spectrum are in highest demand. That’s not to say that there is no demand for scissor lifts. However, if you compare the ratios of scissors to booms sold in Europe to scissors to booms sold in the Middle East, you’d definitely see a pronounced inclination towards booms in this market.
PMV: Why do Middle East users prefer big booms?
SK: It’s quite simple. The construction, and oil and gas sectors are larger focuses in the Middle East than they are in other territories. In turn, the applications common in these fields tend to necessitate booms. There’s not much call for electric scissor lifts; users tend to opt for booms of the larger scissor models. With this in mind, we’ll soon introduce the Genie SX-180 telescopic boom to the Middle East.
PMV: In what ways is this unit suited to working conditions in this region?
SK: There are a lot of applications for which this machine will be ideal. We think that it’s going to become our flagship model in the Middle East market. We’ve taken a number of measures to ensure that the SX-180 is equipped to operate effectively in this territory. We are confident that it’s going to be a huge success.
PMV: Does Terex AWP take an interest in operator training?
SK: Yes, this represents a key focus of ours. For example, whenever an SX-180 is delivered to a customer, we will dispatch our technical team as well. The owner will receive fully documented technical training and product-familiarisation training for his or her operators. We also emphasise the importance of using operators who are certified either by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), or a comparable international body.
PMV: What are your main priorities for the coming 12 months?
SK: We’ll grow our activities in countries where our business is not yet established. We’ll continue to work closely with our dealer network and rental partners to accommodate and improve their businesses. Finance is becoming more common in this region, so we’ll also continue to build relationships in this field.
