Coventry manufacturer set for a lift from global elevator market

A COVENTRY manufacturer is eyeing new growth in China after opting to increase the sizer of its sales force.

Oleo International produces critical components for the global elevator market including safety buffer technology.

The firm said the market was projected to grow by up to 15% by 2019 and it wanted to take full advantage of the
opportunities.

It already has a manufacturing base in China to support its UK division, while it plans to open another factory in India next year.

The firm has appointed two regional sales managers to operate from its manufacturing facilities in the UK and China; the move being part of its ambitious growth strategy.

The UK arm of the business has appointed Paul Clinton as European Sales Manager to consolidate and grow the sales of the company’s extensive range of products into key European markets. These are currently served by Oleo’s manufacturing locations in Coventry and Shanghai, and from its distribution facility in Germany.

In addition, it has also appointed Johnny Cheng as Sales Manager for the Asia Pacific region. This move sees the company looking beyond China into the opportunities in the wider region. These are expected to account for 70% of new elevator installations across the globe during the period 2015-2019.

The new appointments follow the retirement of Robert Kemp, who was Oleo International’s Global Sales Manager and whose career with the business spanned 40 years.

Oleo is no stranger to the Asia Pacific region and has been trading there for some time. Mr Cheng’s role will be to manage the sales team and ensure opportunities are capitalised on.

The new Indian facility is focused primarily on the manufacture of buffer safety systems for the elevator market, with some small scale operations for other sectors.

Jamie Pratt, managing director of the Elevator Division at Oleo International, said: “We are experiencing a rise in demand for elevators and safety systems all over the world, as the construction market in developed and developing countries continues to grow.

“We have identified rich opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, in India, and throughout Europe, as skyscrapers become more and more important facilitators of urban and economic growth plans.

“By cementing the roles of dedicated sales managers for emerging regions, we are well placed to identify and take advantage of new opportunities globally for our internationally recognised range of products.”

Close