ReachMaster changes name to Skako Lift

Having operating in the US and Canada for the past 15 years under the ReachMaster name, the company is changing its name to Skako Lift, Inc. in an effort to align it with a new global corporate identity.

ReachMaster, Inc. and its parent company WorldLift Industries in Denmark have been a part of the Skako Group of companies since 2005. Also located in Denmark, Skako AS is an industrial group of companies with interests in the concrete, vibration and lift industries. Earlier this year Wordlift Industries changed its name to Skako Lift as well, and now ReachMaster, Inc. will formally join the family of Skako companies.

Ebbe Christensen, president and chief executive officer of ReachMaster, Inc. said, "While the ReachMaster name indeed has served us very well in the US and become synonymous with compact aerial lifts, it makes a lot of sense to clarify the overall corporate identity, considering the fact we're a global player"

Mr Christensen emphasises that it is strictly a name change, there's no change in ownership or in the organisation. The product line up also remains the same and the Falcon and Denka brands will continue under the new corporate identity, alongside the Hinowa brand, sold exclusively in North America through the company.

"Looking back, it has always been confusing that the ReachMaster brand was sold only in the US and Canada, while elsewhere in the world the very same equipment was sold under a different name. After the merger with Denka in 2005 [another Danish compact lift brand] we became a part of the Skako group of companies with even more names and logos, at which point it simply became almost impossible to create effective marketing synergies and strategies," explains Mr Christensen.

"With the new name and logo we now have a very clear, uniform and global profile, which will allow us to strengthen our position globally, and in particular in the Americas" says Christensen. The Houston-based company is responsible for all sales and service in the US, Canada, the Caribbean as well as Central- and South America.

"We first and foremost see ourselves as an American company, with no change in our daily focus on serving our customers from a local perspective. With the new identity, however, we can more easily communicate our corporate values, and we can now take full advantage of the strengths and experiences also from our US operation and apply them on a global scale, which indeed represents new exciting opportunities," said Mr Christensen.