Reflecting the growing importance of Mexican ports and the development of the country’s intermodal market, Kalmar Industries has established a new sales company in Mexico.

This sales and service centre will enable Kalmar to provide better support to its dealer network as well as aid in the development of key markets for its industrial and container handling products. Kalmar will assist its dealers with the expansion of their service offering, in addition to providing local product and spare parts assistance.

“In recent years, Mexico has been subject to a variety of foreign investment projects, particularly in the ports sector. With this development and the consistently positive outlook on the economy, Kalmar remains steadfast in its strategy of shifting its sales and service support closer to its customers’ operating environments,” comments Kalmar President, Pekka Vauramo. 

Mr Gaston Chipy, previously a Kalmar Sales Director in South America, will be the Managing Director of the Guadalajara-based sales company. Initially, the location will be home to a few service technicians and parts specialists, but resources will grow as Mexico’s port and heavy industry business develops.

Guadalajara – Mexico’s second-largest city – was selected by Kalmar as the location for its first operational centre in Mexico both for its vibrant economy and its central position to main ports on the east and west coasts.

Kalmar is a global provider of container and heavy duty materials handling equipment, automation applications and related services. It is the world’s leading supplier of cargo handling equipment to ports, terminals and intermodal facilities.

Every fourth container or trailer transfer at terminals around the world is handled by a Kalmar machine. The company also supplies a wide range of machines to demanding industrial customers for applications as diverse as handling steel and paper to shunting road trailers at distribution hubs.

Kalmar is also leading the way in port automation applications with its application of unmanned container handling technology, on-board smart features and remote maintenance products developed in co-operation with customers and partners.

Kalmar’s product range is complemented by a large range of value added services such as maintenance contracts and fleet management. Production plants are situated in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, China and the USA. Kalmar’s net sales were EUR 1.343 billion in 2007.

Kalmar is part of Cargotec Corporation, the world's leading provider of cargo handling solutions, which are used in local transportation, terminals, ports, distribution centres, and ships. In 2007, Cargotec’s net sales were EUR 3.018 billion. Cargotec’s class B shares are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.