Service is the new business

Brazil’s difficult economic situation is presenting a whole new set of challenges. Sales curves are becoming unpredictable, favourable external financing – from sources such as the Brazilian development bank BNDES – is disappearing. KION’s new financing service for Brazil is plugging this gap. “Customers now negotiate loans with our partner banks as if they were negotiating directly with KION,” explains Kareen Ratton, business development manager at KION Latin America. “The deal is done directly in the factory and under very attractive terms.”

Leroy Merlin didn’t need any loans, but José Manuel da Costa, who’d been operating STILL forklift and warehouse trucks for years in the São Bernardo dos Campos warehouse, needed to cut costs. During the crisis, the company decided to offer the Linde brand exclusively in all 39 businesses alongside STILL. “This simplifies our administration, as we are negotiating uniform rental prices, can make use of the same after-sales services, and can move our engineers around between the individual businesses with no problems and no need for training,” explained da Costa. Joelson Costa Rodrigues pricks up his ears at this. This would be his ultimate dream: to continue looking after his ‘children’ at Leroy Merlin - but in his home town of Bahia instead of in São Paulo.