The KION Group is hailing its new Baoli EMEA service hub in Rolo, Italy as a differentiator from other Asian imports.

“We are fundamentally different from our market competitors in that we have very stringently expanded our range of after-sales solutions over the past few years,” says Christian Bischof, managing director of Baoli EMEA. He cites the central product and spare parts warehouse which has space for around 700 to 800 forklifts ready for immediate delivery. The facility also houses a very large spare parts warehouse from which the company can deliver almost any spare part anywhere in Europe within 24 hours, he says.

He notes that one warehouse handles industrial trucks delivered from China which are put through their paces before being shipped to customers. "This is just one of very many ways in which we differ from other Chinese suppliers. Our market competitors usually deliver their trucks directly from China to their customers without any further checks. We, however, check each industrial truck very carefully before it leaves our premises for the customer. In addition, we prepare the documentation for the vehicles - such as the operating instructions - very carefully in the local language," says Francesco Pampuri, director, brand management at Baoli EMEA.

Baoli claims the centralised distribution channel, in which all vehicles sold in the region are processed in Rolo and also ordered there by the dealers, “saves the European dealers from a lot of import bureaucracy as well”.