BAHRAH PUTS BOBCAT ON TOP

15 Aug 2019

THE COMPACT EQUIPMENT BRAND'S KUWAIT DEALER TELLS CMME HOW ITS PHILOSOPHY AND INITIATIVES HAVE PUT THE BOBCAT BRAND AT THE TOP OF ITS MARKET SEGMENT

The big brands in the construction machinery industry know all too well how important the right dealer is for success in any particular market. However high the quality of its products, for a manufacturer the dealer is its face in the market, the first and often the only point of contact for customers with its brand and usually the decisive factor in its market performance.

For compact equipment specialist Bobcat, this decisive factor in the Kuwait market is its dealer Bahrah Trading Company. A subsidiary of Kuwait's Al Sayer Holding. Bahrah has represented Bobcat in the western GCC country for 23 years now - and to great success.

Bahrah Trading, part of Al Sayer Holding, is the Bobcat dealer for Kuwait and one of the largest dealers of the compact equipment specialist's products in the entire GCC region.

Speaking with CMME, Hamza Melakandy, GM, Bahrah Trading Company (BTC), says: “BTC is representing Bobcat in Kuwait since 1996 and in these two decades and a bit we have notched up many success stories with Bobcat machines. We are a member of one of the leading conglomerates in Kuwait - ALSAYER Holding - which counts among its business the exclusive dealership for Toyota and Lexus cars in Kuwait. Apart from this the diversified business includes heavy equipment, transportation, industrial equipment, special vehicle and tools, finance and investments, real estate, contracting, healthcare and others.”

Being part of such an established and reputed business house will naturally have its benefits and Bahrah has been able to leverage the synergies within its parent group to consistently return great results with Bobcat, even when the gong has not been easy - as now. Speaking about Bahrah's market performance. Melakandy says: “Though the market has been shrinking in the last 2-3 years, we are able to maintain our No.1 spot for the compact equipment segment in Kuwait with leading positions in the skid-steer loader, mini excavator and compact tracked loader segments. This success is due to the strong brand acceptance, market coverage and prompt and reliable aftersales support provided by our team.”

And, indeed, aftersales support is at the heart of Bahrah’s success, as well as the mantra that is the cornerstone of Bobcat's business too. Hamza Melakandy says that at Bahrah taking care of the customer is a habit that extends into every brand that the company deals in - and that list is both extensive and prestigious.

"BTC's portfolio includes Bobcat, Doosan Heavy and Doosan Portable Power, Hino Trucks, Ashok Leyland buses and Toyota forklifts, among others. For Bobcat we stock and sell the full range of products - skid-steer loaders, tracked loaders, mini excavators, telehandlers, backhoe Loaders and attachments. In terms of volume the skid-steer loaders are our main selling product, though now we are focusing also on the backhoe loaders where we see a potential market.”

Bahrah's journey with Bobcat started with a single 3S (sales, service and spare parts) facility in Kuwait's Al Rai area, Hamza Melakandy recounts, and now the dealer has expanded into two more facilities in the country, a 2S one in the Ardiya area and another 3S one in Ahmadi.

The underlying reason this expansion is premised upon is Bahrah's policy of being close to the customer and to take care of customers' needs, says Hamza Melakandy. "We now have parts and service facilities at our Ardiya and Ahmadi centers apart from the Al Rai head office, where we've always operated a spare parts counter.

All our technicians are trained by Bobcat and there are three service vehicles attending to breakdowns at job-sites and carrying out service at customer locations.

“As a matter of policy consistent with our desire to provide total support to customers, Bahrah ensures uninterrupted parts supply through our parts outlets in Al Rai, Ardiya and Ahmadi. Our dedicated parts personnel ensure timely delivery of the parts to customer locations to reduce equipment downtime. In cases of important fleet customers, we also provide consignment facility for spare parts, if required."

Not only this, a separate Bahrah team within its services department takes care of maintenance contracts using telematics and machine data services, with the result that more than 250 Bobcat machines are under preventive maintenance contracts with the dealer at this time, where the machines are remotely monitored through data logging and potential faults are identified and fixed before any major downtime occurs. Evidently, Bahrah takes customer downtime very seriously.

Hamza Melakandy informs that the company also has other ways, too, of benefiting machinery users. “We offer trade-in of machines against new equipment purchases, buyback schemes after 3-5 years of usage and such other sales initiatives. Bahrah also has a rental division with a fleet of skid-steer loaders, telehandlers and backhoe loaders. We also sell used machines in specific cases, the key being providing extended warranty and service packages.”

Bahrah's efforts have brought it recognition over the years from not only Bobcat but also the market in the form of sales, and Hamza Melakandy says: "Last year we won an award from Bobcat for excellent performance in the backhoe loader segment where we were able to improve Bobcat's market shares through aggressive sales campaigns which included promotions such as a three-year warranty inclusive of service packages.

“This year we were selected in a tender for a major order of 58 units of Bobcat skid-steer loaders from the Kuwait municipality. This is only a continuation of the joint success story of the Bobcat-Bahrah association in Kuwait, which has seen us achieve more than a thousand units as retail sales. With our initiatives and constant support from Bobcat, the brand has maintained its No.1 position in Kuwait's compact equipment segment for the last 10 years - and looks to continue doing so.

The Bahrah management team prides itself on its services, which include extensive maintenance and parts facilities with certified and trained technicians maximizing uptime for customers.

FINDING SUCCESS

BACKHOE TO THE FRONT

Bobcats backhoe loader has found success in Kuwait with its partner Bahrah, who were given a special award by the company for their sales effort with the line-up.

In the four-model line-up, the entry level B700 is driven through a synchro shuttle transmission; it has 'Cab and Canopy' and '2WD or 4WD' options; and it has a single loader bucket cylinder with a full cylinder diameter to increase breakout force and reduce maintenance cost with fewer hoses and fittings.

Powered by a 100hp turbocharged engine, driven through a standard powershift transmission, and controlled by mechanical levers, the B730 model is equipped with 18" front tires and 2-wheel steer. Double loader bucket cylinders provide superior breakout force and reduce maintenance cost with bolt type cylinder head design. Apart from all the features of the B730 and B700, the B750 adds 20-inch front tires and a hydraulic joystick control system.

The top-of-the-range B780, meanwhile, is driven through a standard auto powershift transmission, this highly maneuverable 4-wheel equal size backhoe loader is steered by three steering modes: 2-wheel steer, 4-wheel steer, and crab steer. The standard 4.4 liter, four-cylinder, 100hp turbocharged diesel engine delivers more power for the most demanding applications, while reducing operating costs. It features a high-quality filtration system for longer life and its single-side service components make maintenance and daily checks easy.