The acquisition means that the new organisation will be the Austrian crane manufacturer’s only independent European distributor with full national coverage, and will be one of the largest distributors in Europe selling products directly to end users.
T H White’s involvement with lorry cranes began in 1974 and the business grew dramatically in the 1990s when it became an official distributor. Outreach Truck has worked closely with Palfinger since 1976, though it has also offered hydraulic handling, lifting and access equipment.
Mark Rigby, director of T H White’s lorry cranes business, argues that the acquisition is complementary. He said: “As regards the Palfinger Epsilon range, T H White has traditionally focused on construction and recycling cranes, while Outreach has a strong business base in forestry cranes. That’s a great example of how this ‘coming together’ will broaden the portfolio of the whole operation.”
He added that Outreach has worked with Scottish local authorities to develop expertise in bespoke body-building; T H White operates two body-building workshops in Devizes and Bradford.
The creation of Palfinger UK means that the business now has operational bases in Devizes (Wiltshire), Bradford (Yorkshire) and Falkirk (Stirlingshire), together with partner Transloader Services in Luton (Bedfordshire). Although trading as Palfinger UK, the business will firmly remain part of the T H White group.