By Matthew Elvin, CEO, Snorkel
In 1989, a small manufacturing facility in Levin, New Zealand put Snorkel onto the world stage. The acquisition of this facility from Talon was the first of its kind for the U.S.-based manufacturer, and came with two Australian sales and service branches located in Sydney and Melbourne.
This was the first step into the region for Snorkel, and one that we now celebrate as we reach 30 years in Australia this year. What makes this even more special, is that Snorkel is also celebrating a milestone this year – 60 years since it was founded by Art Moore.
I am truly proud to have been part of Snorkel’s journey in Australia, having joined the company in September 2010. By then, Snorkel Australia had already expanded its reach to four locations, adding branches in Perth and Brisbane, and had built a solid reputation for the brand, which was known for aerial lifts that stood the test of time and could handle the challenging Australian terrain and climate.
In 2014, after Snorkel was acquired by Don Ahern’s Xtreme Manufacturing LLC, we took the decision to rebrand Snorkel Australia to Ahern Australia, enabling the business to become a true dealership model. Under the new branding, Ahern Australia has continued to sell, support and service Snorkel lifts whilst also growing its product portfolio with complementary products, such as Xtreme telehandlers and RUTHMANN BLUELIFT tracked spider lifts. The company plans to add additional brands in future, in line with customer demand.
The success of the Australian business is largely thanks to its long-standing, dedicated team, some of whom are current employees who recently celebrated their 25-year anniversaries with the company. An incredible achievement. In 2015, I bid farewell to Ahern Australia and Sydney when I accepted my current role to lead Snorkel globally, relocating to the U.S. Today, Ahern Australia is led by Glenn Martin who continues to grow and develop the business, ensuring the original Snorkel ethos of delivering great products backed by excellent customer support continues, and evolves to meet customer needs.
With 30 years in the business, and as one of the pioneers in the market, it is not surprising that many key people in the Australian mobile elevating work platform industry have crossed paths with Snorkel – whether as employees, dealers, or customers. I always cherish the opportunity to visit the region and relive some of their fond memories of the company, products and team throughout the years.
Naturally, the Australian business will always be special to myself, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone – employees, customers, dealers and suppliers – who have played a role in building and supporting the Snorkel brand in Australia in the past 30 years.
Cheers to 30 years and here’s to many more!