Alimak Hek to phase-out Champion brand

Alimak Hek is discontinuing its Champion brand of industrial and construction hoists and will phase it out over the next 12-18 months, ALH has learned.

Production will no longer take place at the former Champion facility in Houston, Texas, and, with immediate effect, all markets and segments previously served by Champion will be replaced by the Alimak brand of products produced in Sweden.

The company - which acquired Champion Elevators in January 2006 - said it was taking a strategic decision to standardize on a single brand for products offered in industrial and temporary hoist segments. Manufacturing operations based in Texas will transition into sales and service for the company's North American base.

Existing Champion customers will not be affected by this change, Dale Stoddard, president of Alimak Hek, Inc., told ALH. "Alimak Hek, Inc. will maintain a complete staffing and expertise to provide the full range of service, product and engineering support for all Champion brand products throughout the life cycle of the Champion brand installed base.

"Headquarters for Alimak Hek, Inc. will remain in Houston with the majority of the existing staff unaffected by this decision; however, this action will result in the loss of several full time positions in the manufacturing division and the reassignment of other positions to insure continuity during and after the transition."

Alimak Hek has 1,000 employees worldwide. It has its own sales and service companies in 16 countries and production facilities in Sweden and the Netherlands.

For more on this story, see the July/August issue of American Lift & Handlers.