A modification of the PALOMAT was necessary to be able to handle Australian pallets. This modification also caused some worries with the local PALOMAT Area Manager, Majbritt Svane.

“Starting up in a new market with a new dealer is always a gamble. For this venture, we also had to ship our newly modified PALOMAT a lot farther than just a few thousand kilometres away. At the time it required nerves of steel, but today we look back on this as an excellent decision.”

Extended cooperation

In October 2012, the Australian dealer received the coveted prize “Best New Exhibitor Stand” at the Materials Handling Exhibition in Australia – a prize the PALOMAT was part of. This cooperation that started out as a trial, has developed into a well-working dealer/supplier relationship.

“Receiving this prize at the same time PALOMAT was introduced in our market was an early indication of how well received the product would be here. The way the PALOMAT picks a pallet was previously unknown in Australia and New Zealand,“ explains Bob van der Wild, CEO at BBJ Materials Handling, and he continues; “PALOMAT has been a sounding success in this field. The fact that they opted to modify a PALOMAT for Australian pallets proves that PALOMAT is an innovative enterprise that solves existing needs by adopting an approach from a different angle than what has been customary for pallet handling in Australia. The PALOMAT is an optimum supplement to our existing product range, and I would recommend others to take a closer look at PALOMAT as a collaborator.”

Service 24,000 km away

If service is needed, a service engineer will not be dispatched from Denmark for the 24,000 km long trip to Australia. PALOMAT instead came up with a solution that allows remote updates and adjustments of machines. A solution Bob van der Wild was very impressed by:

“PALOMAT sent us a VPN box that works using a simple SIM card. Using the VPN box, the service department in Denmark communicates with the PALOMATs at local customer sites, allowing them to perform desired adjustments. It is perfect for new installations and troubleshooting, and it eliminates the need for the physical presence of a service engineer.”

Bright future outlook

The PALOMAT is still new in the Australian and New Zealand market, but Bob van der Wild is very optimistic about the coming years:

“Because PALOMAT is the market leader in pallet magazines, I also expect them to become the market leader in Australia and New Zealand. We are in contact with many dealers and potential clients that are interested in future cooperation. Considering the high flexibility of the PALOMAT to handle different pallet types and sizes, this gives the product an impressive market potential. Another big benefit is that PALOMAT also offers a pallet dispenser that is 100% electrically controlled without any need for a compressor. Without doubt we are looking forward to some exciting times.”

Sales have performed much better than expected, and enquiries for the PALOMAT are being continuously received from “down under”. At PALOMAT, everyone is following this development with great anticipation and looking forward to the near future.

“In the role of dealer, Bob van der Wild is tasked with building a network of dealers in Australia and New Zealand. He is also an importer of many other “end of the line” products and operates a network of 50 sub-dealers. We have definitely found the right dealer, and over the past year we have ascertained that there is a potential in the area and the market is ready. Together we have developed an activity plan which will help us develop the sales in Australia and New Zealand,” says Majbritt Svane, ending with a smile when she sums it up: “It is really a nice feeling when your dream and all your efforts are being rewarded and on top of this, we can now say that PALOMAT is a worldwide brand and not just limited to Europe.”