Melbourne Tractors, with branches located in Somerton and Dandenong in Victoria, has provided the construction and agriculture industries with the finest world-class machines, quality parts and attachments for over 40 years. The company is the authorised dealer for several large and well-respected brands of earthmoving and construction equipment, including Merlo telehandlers.
Peter Keley is the General Manager at Melbourne Tractors, and he’s a busy man. Along with the two branches mentioned already, the Melbourne Tractors Group also oversees Ballarat Tractors and Meltrac Machinery in Terang, both in Victoria.
But even with all that going on, and a big stable of high-profile equipment brands to represent, Peter’s been very enthusiastic about Merlo equipment since he started with Melbourne Tractors three years ago.
“In my assessment of the franchises we had, Merlo looked to be the one with a significant opportunity for future growth,” the very affable General Manager told The Australian Arbor Age. “I could see the product had a quality about it, and a certain style, which had strong appeal in the marketplace.
“We reviewed our activities and made a significant commitment in terms of stocking, training and parts support to really get behind the Merlo product, and that’s seen us achieve significant growth in sales over the past three years.”
Customer satisfaction
Melbourne Tractors recently took delivery of a Merlo Roto 50.26S Plus to fill the requirements of a specific customer, and Keley was hoping for the sale of a second unit when we spoke. He also felt that was part of a growing trend in the market for Merlo equipment. “We see enormous upside in the Merlo product,” he affirmed. “As a company we have a number of machines and attachments for the whole arbor industry, so we see Merlo being a key part of offering a complete solution to customers in that space. “And the feedback from the customers,” he said, “They really enjoy the product. They find it easy to use, they find it does exactly what they expect it to do, and it’s proving to be very reliable.” Coming from a man and company who stake their reputations on the performance and reliability of the equipment they supply, that’s about as strong a recommendation as there can be.
For more information on the Merlo range, log on to merlo.com.
