IN your additional role as head of the CNH Construction Equipment business in the newly created Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, what are the major strategies that you intend to adopt to further the group’s ambitions in the region?

We aim to build a stronger future for our customers, our dealers and our businesses by increasing our local focus. This means working more closely with our dealers and being with our customers, to get a better understanding of their needs and bring our products and services closer to them.

We offer products that are well suited for the local conditions. For example, we provide models with engines that can deal with the high sulphur content of the fuel available in the region. We also offer on certain models cooling systems with a bigger radiator surface for higher cooling efficiency in the face of the high temperatures these machines may need to work in.

We know how important it is to offer customers all-round support, not only with a full range of quality products but also the services they need to be successful in their businesses; tailored financing programmes as well as parts availability, technical support and planned maintenance programmes to maximise their equipment’s uptime.

Gasparri ... regional focus.

In order to give our customers this all-round support, we count on our established dealer networks, and we are strengthening our successful partnerships to keep building our sales, technical, parts and training services. For example in Saudi Arabia, the Roots Group, which distributes our Case construction equipment, has recently created a showroom in Jeddah as part of the expansion of local operations to offer a wider portfolio of locally available after-sales services.

We rely on the resources and logistics organisation of our parent company Fiat Industrial to support our dealers in efficiently delivering our equipment and parts to customers. We are working with our dealers to ensure we have the right machine inventory and parts to further improve our response time.

The combination of our product offerings and service support is very well appreciated in the Middle East markets as evident from the ever-improving results of the customer satisfaction evaluations our dealers are conducting in their markets.

• How important is the Middle East for your business? Has CNH seen a growth in business in the region, and to what do you attribute it? Please comment on the potential for growth in the Arabian Gulf.

In a challenging global market, the Middle East has been showing a particularly strong performance. It has long represented an important part of our overall business; and our construction brands, Case and New Holland Construction, have been doing very well, growing in line with the market and in some cases outperforming it.

New Holland skid steer loaders ... more power.

With the backing of the resources and organisation of Fiat Industrial, and the support of our dealers, we have the ability to bid successfully for big tenders and deliver to our customers’ full satisfaction. This is particularly important in the Middle East, and one reason for our success in these markets.

In this context, our construction brands are well poised to realise the great potential we see in these markets. The Arab oil and gas industry and infrastructure projects are the main construction drivers and we expect demand for both heavy and light equipment to continue to grow in line with investments in these sectors.

And we are ready to grasp all the opportunities these markets offer by building on the success of our light equipment product lines, growing our heavy equipment business and strengthening our offering of services. Our company’s new regional organisation places great emphasis on localisation and gives us greater flexibility, so that we are able to anticipate changes in our customers’ requirements and respond quickly, as they evolve fast in the very dynamic Middle Eastern economies.

• Please comment on the support CNH offers its distributors in the region.

Our commercial leaders in the region, Franco Invernizzi, Dragan Krznaric and Murat Derinbay and their teams work very closely with our dealers to help them give the best support to our customers.

Case wheel loaders ... top performers.

We provide regular sales training, to give them the knowledge they need to explain the full benefits of our brands’ equipment for their businesses. We also hold regular training events on our products for their parts and service technicians; and help them organise open days and customer days at their premises – for instance, 12 of such events were held within the first quarter of this year.

We also organise Case Eagle Days and New Holland Construction Yellow Days throughout the region, offering customers the opportunity to try out our latest models and speak with our specialists and their dealers about the products and services they can purchase for their businesses.

These are all measures taken to ensure our dealers are in the best position to support customers and that we always offer the products and services that match their specific needs.

• Is CNH currently looking at further expanding its network in the region?

We have a good coverage of the region, where we have established strong partnerships with our dealers to serve our customers. There are a few small pockets where we are evaluating whether there is a need to strengthen our network further. But overall, we believe we have the coverage we need to give our customers the support they require from our brands.

• Which are your most popular machines in the region?

Our construction equipment brands have traditionally done very well with their skid-steer, backhoe and wheel loaders. However, in recent years, our excavator, dozer and grader ranges have also been doing very well, establishing our brands’ reputations as full liners. We want to build on this foundation to further develop our heavy equipment range in the Middle East, so that our customers can get the full benefits of our complete range.

• What are the latest machines launched at bauma that are particularly suited to the Middle East?

The New Holland Construction brand showcased the new E230C SR, E260C SR and E160C Blade Runner, which complete its crawler excavator range. Featuring New Holland’s unique iNDr system, these quiet short radius models combine productivity with the ability to work in the tightest spaces, making them ideal for urban job sites and road construction work.

Also introduced at the show were the mid-size crawler excavators E75C SR and E85C MSR, which raise the bar on excellence in performance and fuel economy that the brand’s midi excavators are known for.

A New Holland backhoe loader that was recently introduced in the region.

The company’s C Series dozers has been extended with a new model at the low end of the line that now comprises three models ranging from 13 to 20 tonnes. Redesigned from the ground up, the new C Series makes a complete break from the previous generation to offer new features that will allow operators to work faster and save fuel.

Other innovation include the new L230 skid-steer loader and C238 compact track loader that maintain the compact dimensions of their predecessors while delivering more rated operating capacity, more horse power, more torque and more hydraulic power.

In addition, New Holland has built on the success of its W170C wheel loader in the recycling industry – due to its exceptionally low fuel consumption (10 litres per hour) and best-in-class bucket payload – by launching a new version specially designed for the very tough, aggressive and dusty working conditions typical of waste handling and recycling facilities. The new version features a new heavy-duty cooling box, a full package of protective systems, and heavy-duty axles with open differentials and 100 per cent differential lock.

Meanwhile, Case introduced a new three-model range of M Series dozers. This expanded line-up includes models with operating weights of 13 to 20 tonnes, each delivering best-in-class drawbar pull, reduced exhaust and noise emissions and advanced automated control systems for increased productivity.

The 12.2-tonne 621F wheel loader made its first appearance at a European show. Driving through a proven ZF auto Powershift transmission and heavy-duty axles, the 621F is equipped with a 100 per cent locking front differential for maximum traction and reduced tyre wear.

Case launched two midi excavators, the short radius CX75 SR and the conventional CX80C. They develop nine per cent more hydraulic power, thanks to high flow hydraulic pumps. Cycle times are reduced and digging forces increased by up to three per cent.

Bauma offered many visitors the first chance to see two of our latest wheeled excavators: the WX148 and the WX168 – 8 Series, which benefit from a three-pump hydraulic system, delivering increased performance and control.

• How was the response to the CNH stands at bauma? Has CNH seen interest from Middle East visitors at the show?

bauma was a very successful event for both our Case and New Holland Construction brands. The majority of our dealers from the Middle East visited our stands, bringing with them some of their customers. They were very impressed with the sheer size of our presence at the show, the extent of our brands’ product ranges and the importance of the global group we belong to.

* CNH Global is a world leader in the agricultural and construction equipment businesses. Supported by approximately 11,300 dealers in approximately 170 countries, CNH brings together the knowledge and heritage of its Case and New Holland brand families with the strength and resources of its worldwide commercial, industrial, product support and finance organisations. CNH Global, whose stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat Industrial (FIMI).

Dealers for Case in the Middle East include Abdulla Ahmed Nass and Sons in Bahrain; Kharafi National (Instant Access) in Kuwait; International Heavy Equipment in Oman; Nasser Bin Khaled and Sons in Qatar; Roots Group Arabia CISC in Saudi Arabia; Al Shirawi Enterprises in the UAE; Commercial and Industrial Company (CIC) in Jordan; Someco in Lebanon; Abdullah H Al Sonidar and Sons in Yemen; and Unimar in Egypt. New Holland Construction is represented by Ahmed Mansoor Al A’Ali Company in Bahrain; ICTCO in Kuwait; International Equipment and Contracting Company in Oman; Arabian Auto Agency Company (AAA) and Backeet Company for Machinery in Saudi Arabia;   United Al Saqer in the UAE; Omatra in Egypt; Medveco in Lebanon; and The Central Trading Company in Sudan.