Viking West meets Mississauga, Ontario! We’re looking forward to providing enhanced service to Wajax Branches in Eastern Canada, with our second location set to bring our signature after-sales support across the country for the products we sell.
Join in on our conversation with Mike Schlender, President of Viking West, as he shares all the details.
Viking West
So why and how did you decide to open up a new location?
Mike Schlender
Well, we decided to open up the new location to get closer to our customers in Eastern Canada. Looking back on the success and consistent growth we have enjoyed in Western Canada; we believe that a big piece of that has been the ability to communicate, interact and develop relationships with our customer base in Western Canada. We also know that, due to distance and time zones, it becomes increasingly challenging to build and maintain relationships as we try to reach further east from our roots on the West Coast.
Opening up a facility in Mississauga gives us a better chance to develop relationships with every Wajax branch in the East to improve communication, improve response time, and improve our availability to those branches.
Viking West
OK, and so was there anything besides the obvious, like what you just explained? Was there any other catalyst or, did you have to kind of get things in order before you actually made a big decision like that?
Mike Schlender
From a financial perspective, we looked at our sales history across the country, and found that they dropped almost like a linear curve, from West Coast to East Coast.
Our sales in Western Canada were more than six times higher than our sales in Eastern Canada, so that opportunity was what we called the case for action.
Mike Schlender
The belief was that this is because we were not in the market. We looked at our product line to make sure we had the right products for Eastern Canada; that we weren’t going to go into the marketplace with some gaping holes around what we’re offering. We identified a few gaps and have spent more than a year developing products to be ready for the East Coast market.
Viking West
OK yeah, cool. That’s a great answer to that. What discussions or collaborations were involved internally, or even externally?
Mike Schlender
There were a lot of discussions with Wajax executives, branch managers, regional sales managers and aftermarket parts territory managers to make sure we had a good plan.
Wajax has a Product Support Rep for Eastern Canada who we spent a lot of time talking to. You know, introducing the idea that we were going to be moving out there, and getting his input on what we needed to do to be successful.
Thankfully, we had a lot of support from individuals throughout the Wajax organization who supported us in this move.
Viking West
What products will be housed at the new location? Are you able to provide specifics?
Mike Schlender
We will start with aftermarket parts, followed shortly by attachments and guarding, all of which are purpose built for Hitachi excavators.
Viking West
OK. For the new location what are the hours of operation?
Mike Schlender
8am till 4:30pm Eastern time.
Viking West
And are there any other services that will complement the new location?
Mike Schlender
The most important other service we will provide is service. Our team is there to serve our customers, from product specifications and applications to after sales trouble shooting, parts replacements and warranty. All of which will be provided from our team on the ground in Mississauga.
Viking West
Which Viking West staff are going to be at the new location?
Mike Schlender
Borys, who has been a sales operations specialist for us in Western Canada, has decided to move. In fact, he has already moved to Mississauga so he will provide that continuity in how we do business. We hired a local Operation Specialist, Mark Hollingshead, and he has already started as well. So, we are starting with those two employees and will grow from there.
Viking West
Is there anything else that you would like to mention about the new location?
Mike Schlender
Yes, the location is there to service the Wajax Eastern Canada branches exclusively. The products that we hold there, and how much we stock is going to be 100% in response to Wajax Branch requirements. We’ll develop a forecast and stocking plans for that new location.
We have aspirations to grow the business as much as we can; but, it’s strictly going to be in response to the pain points that the branches have, what products they need, and new opportunities they see.
Viking West
How do people get in in contact with Borys? Or if they need something? What is the best way to get a hold of people at Viking West?
Mike Schlender:
The sales@viking-west.com e-mail is monitored by Boris and backed up by the sales team here in the West, and our direct telephone line in Mississauga is 1-855-500-6607.
Viking West:
Thanks, Mike!
Mike Schlender:
We don’t just supply high-performance attachments and equipment for the toughest jobs, we also stand behind their quality, ready to assist at every point. Our new location in Mississauga will allow us to build closer relationships and provide swift service to our eastern customers.
Want to get in touch to learn more about our new location? Reach out to sales@viking-west.com or call our toll free number 1-855-500-6607.
