ReachMaster changes name to Skako Lift

In an effort to align itself with a new global corporate identity, ReachMaster, Inc. has changed its name to Skako Lift, Inc. Skako's parent company WorldLift Industries in Denmark has been a part of the Skako Group since 2005. Skako is an industrial group of companies in the concrete, vibration and lift markets. Earlier in 2010, WorldLift changed its name to Skako, and now ReachMaster will follow suit.

ReachMaster is the exclusive North American distributor of Italian Hinowa products and the company's Falcon and Denka brands will continue under the new corporate identitiy.

"While the ReachMaster name indeed has served us very well in the US and became 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," said Ebbe Christensen, president and CEO of ReachMaster.

Christensen said no change in ownership or organization is taking place and all product lines will remain.

"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," Christensen said.

Christensen said with the new name and logo, the company has a clear global profile. Its Houston, Texas-based headquarters is responsible for all sales and service in the US, Canada, Caribbean and 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," he said.