Camso launches forklift servicing division

MAGOG, Quebec (May 20, 2016) — Off-road tire and track specialist Camso Ltd. is launching “Solideal On-Site Service,” a network of more than 50 service centers in the U.S. and Canada designed to provide customers with full-service mobile forklift tire solutions.

“Drawing upon decades of industry experience, Solideal On-Site Service is best positioned to ensure the optimum service and tire solution to meet the diverse needs of material-handling customers,” said Bob Bulger, vice president, Solideal-On-Site Service, noting that the service's staff will work with any tire brand, not just Camso's.

“The right product at the right time is what's important here,” he said. “This evolution is about optimizing forklift uptime and simplifying our customers' on-site reality.”

Each site will be equipped to provide “tailor-made, convenient, full-service forklift tire solutions” at the best price per hour delivered by experienced technicians, Mr. Bulger said.

Among the services offered through the network are on-site tire fitting, wheel exchange, in-depth fleet analyses and foam filling. The sites average three employees and are strategically located close to Camso's customer concentrations.

The business opens with 48 U.S. locations and three in Canada, most of which existed under Solideal Group prior to its being acquired by Canadian rubber track maker Camoplast Inc. in 2010.

The resultant entity, Camoplast Solideal Inc., changed its name to Camso Ltd. last year.

Long-term Camso sees the potential to quadruple the volume of business going through this network, Mr. Bulger said. Expansion could be in the form of new units and/or targeted acquisitions, he added.

The new unit is 100-percent focused on service, Mr. Bulger said, and as such Camso is working to develop software tools designed to help customers track and monitor their spending, which in turn should help them find ways to improve productivity.

“We'll continue to provide unparalleled tire service maintenance solutions while remaining committed to the partnerships we have developed over time with our clients,” Mr. Bulger said.  

The business operates more than 100 mobile service trucks, with at least one at each physical location.

Customers can pay for the services either through national accounts or on a call-by-call basis, Mr. Bulger said. Camso also is looking at a business model for the future that would be based on a tire/wheel leasing basis.