Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/443279
Cover Story www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT JANUARY 2015 17 AL KeLLer (Left) reGIoNAL SALeS MANAGer, WeSt & tHoMAS KIM (right) reGIoNAL SALeS MANAGer, eASt SteNS CorPorAtIoN (JASPer, IND.) 1. What should oPe dealers know about your company's plans for 2015? Stens will continue to find better ways to serve our customers. Always a leader in new products, as well as in keeping up with industry trends, we will look to diversify our product offering to include complementary products as they pertain to the ever-changing market in the outdoor power equipment industry. We will also constantly improve our website stens.com to provide the best tools and information for our dealers. 2. What were the oPe industry's top stories in 2014, and what do you predict they will be in 2015? One of the top stories of 2014 was the slow economic recovery, which has hindered consumer confidence. While the overall OPE market has had a strong year, this was partially the outcome of favorable weather conditions, particularly in the Midwest and other regions. Another popular topic was ethanol. With that said, we predict more engine manufacturers will trend toward EFI technology, and carburetion may be a thing of the past. 2015 looks to be an interesting year given the recent changes in Washington, D.C. Reduced, or at least slowed, government regulations should prove to be a benefit to the OPE industry. 3. What will be the oPe industry's hottest trends in 2015? Electric push mowers and handheld equipment will be the hottest trend in 2015. The electric-powered equipment trend will continue to rise with the advancement in battery technology. And as more companies invest in them, this will drive the prices down, allowing the manufacturers to implement them at an affordable cost to the consumer. New technology, such as 3D printing, is also gaining popularity and becoming more affordable. We anticipate the use of this technology and others to continue to grow as prices for necessary hardware and software continue to come down. Some whole goods manufacturers are heeding the feedback of their dealers to provide additional features to certain product lines which are currently only available through mass merchants. Specific details are being added to differentiate models that were previously identical. This should help dealers show the additional value in doing business with them over the 'big box' stores in terms of product quality and benefits. 4. What advice do you have for oPe dealers in 2015? We would advise our dealers to keep up with all the new trends in our industry. Whether it's new software to help control their inventory or new parts lookup software to cut down on time spent on the computer, being able to adapt to changes not only will make your business run better by increasing productivity, but also by increasing your bottom line. If dealers have not yet leveraged the value of the Internet, they should seriously consider making this a priority. In order to have a strong market presence, the traditional dealer needs to be both industry and technology savvy. A traditional OPE dealer that harnesses the power of the web and provides high-quality customer service has a better value proposition for customers than those who are primarily only operating on the web. 5. What is your overall outlook for the oPe industry in 2015? The overall outlook for 2015 is very positive! We feel the market will continue to rise with consumer and commercial goods trending up. The housing market has been growing the past two years and will continue to grow, which will drive up equipment sales. We are fortunate to be in an industry that is still vital and growing. For dealers, providing value and service will be more important than ever before. These qualities are necessary to hedge against the growing trend of disposable products. DeNNIS BrAZIer oWNer & Ceo ALtoZ, INC. (GreeNBUSH, MINN.) 1. What should oPe dealers know about your company's plans for 2015? Dennis Brazier: Altoz has a lot of exciting things coming in 2015. We recently launched new models — XE and XCSi — at the GIE+EXPO. The XE model is specifically designed for one of the largest segments of the market — discerning, multi-acre homeowners and smaller commercial operations — and the XCSi models build off our award-winning XC chassis and will be powered by the innovative Briggs & Stratton's Vanguard 810-cc electronic fuel injection (EFI) engines. In addition to these new model launches, we're focused on the continued expansion of our nationwide dealer network. Dealers are the backbone of our industry, so providing them with everything from quality products and unmatched customer service to competitive financing options and promotional support are key initiatives for our brand. 2. What were the oPe industry's top stories in 2014, and what do you predict they will be in 2015? Dennis Brazier: In 2014, we believe one of the top stories was the rise of the Altoz brand. Granted, we're a bit biased, but it has been a while since the market has seen a brand and a product that pushes both the performance and design elements, and the complete lineup of Altoz ZTRs does just that. For 2015, electronic fuel injection engines will likely be a focal point given the number of benefits they provide, specifically in terms of efficiency. 3. What will be the oPe industry's hottest trends in 2015? Dennis Brazier: Following the launch of the new Briggs & Stratton Vanguard 810- cc EFI engine, we believe the industry will start seeing more models equipped with EFI engines. The level of performance and efficiency found with EFI engines is substantial — up to 25-percent more In order to have a strong market presence, the traditional dealer needs to be both industry and technology savvy.