Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/65232
TRENDS AND TIDBITS continued from page 41 Liugong and Cummins Partner for Better Customer Service LiuGong Construction Machinery and Cummins recently announced a new alli- ance that will enable LiuGong dealers to become certifi ed, authorized Cummins Service Providers. Cummins deal- ers will certify and annually recertify LiuGong dealers in an eff ort to streamline repairs, according to LiuGong's deputy general manager for global aſt er-sales support, Dan Col- lins. "Th is partnership was put into place to ensure that both LiuGong and Cummins have the aſt er-the-sale structure in place to provide outstanding customer service and deliver maximum uptime to our cus- tomers," he said. Traditionally, a LiuGong equipment owner would need to take their equipment to their local LiuGong dealer for any warranty-related service issue, except those related to the engine. When an engine repair was required during the warranty period, the customer or their LiuGong dealer would have to contact their closest Cummins distributor to per- form the service. By becoming certifi ed, LiuGong dealers will be able to work directly with a Cummins distributor to secure genuine Cummins parts to per- form their customer's required engine maintenance or repair. Not only does this provide a level of convenience to the customer, but it also provides LiuGong dealers with an addi- tional revenue stream. "In the equipment busi- ness you need to live and breathe service, " said Fred Rideneur, general manager of Cat Sells Part of Bucyrus Mining Equipment Firm Caterpillar Inc. has sold a portion of the Bucyrus mining equipment fi rm it acquired last year. Caterpillar announced that it has reached an agree- ment with WesTrac, a Cater- pillar dealership in Australia, to acquire the distribution and support business formerly operated by Bucyrus in western Australia for $400 million. Caterpillar fi nalized the purchase of Milwaukee-based Bucyrus last year for $8.8 bil- lion, rebranding the company and its equipment under the Caterpillar banner. "We are pleased to announce this agreement with WesTrac as we continue to make excellent progress in the transition of the product distri- business opera- tions for LiuGong North America. To date, three LiuGong deal- ers have received their Cummins Certifi ed Service Provider desig- nation through this program: Equipment East in Massachusetts, Anderson Machin- ery in Texas, and Midwest Loader Sales in South Dakota. www.cummins.com bution and support of former Bucyrus machinery to Cat dealers around the world, " said Steve Wunning, Caterpillar group president with responsi- bility for resource industries. Following completion of the transaction, expected to close by June 30, about 430 former Bucyrus employees and contractors are expected to transition to WesTrac. "Th e Bucyrus product line and large installed base are a logical addition to our cur- rent range of Cat products and will provide us with signifi - cant opportunities for future growth with our mining cus- tomers," said Jim Walker, chief executive of WesTrac Group. www.cat.com IDA UNIVERSAL May-June 2012 47