Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by PALFINGER
PALFINGER MARINE is proud to have established a highly successful presence in Asia-Pacific (APAC). The region is very diverse, stretching from the northern to the southern part of the continent – and beyond to Australia. In this edition of our Around the Globe series, we provide an in-depth look into our latest efforts to expand our footprint in Australia by opening a local office. We caught up with Ansley Miranda, the new PALFINGER MARINE Country Manager Australia, to talk about upcoming moves and his long-term influence on our business development in APAC markets.
PALFINGER MARINE’s success story in the APAC region is built on the foundation of dedicated individuals committed to promoting our business and values across new markets. Ansley Miranda, who joined us as a Senior Sales Engineer in 2015, is up there among the best of them. After assuming the role of Sales Manager in 2017, he delivered outstanding work in many countries across the APAC territory. Those particularly included untapped markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2019, PALFINGER MARINE was presented with opportunities to expand in Australia and New Zealand – and Ansley was up for the challenge.
from left to right: Neo Kian Meng, Lead Engineer in Australia, and Ansley Miranda, Country Manager Australia
Ansley has a solid background in engineering, not least thanks to the 7.5 years he spent in the air force. In the spirit of our values, PALFINGER MARINE was looking to build a team of inspiring employees to promote our push into the APAC region. Coupled with his profound theoretical and practical knowledge, Ansley is perfectly equipped with the necessary skills to spearhead our latest, ambitious project.
Conquering Australia: new market, new team, new office
When Ansley relocated to Australia to accept the new challenge of expanding in this market, he had to accept the fact that he was the only PALFINGER MARINE employee in the country during the COVID pandemic. “It was tough, but I firmly believe that these challenging times made me stronger as a person,” Ansley muses. “Today, I have an ever-growing team of dedicated service engineers and coordinators by my side,” he smiles. Ansley and his team have delivered an excellent performance, too.
Having overcome some initial hiccups due to COVID, they have turned PALFINGER MARINE’s drive into the Australian market into an unmitigated success story over the last three years.
We managed to increase our revenue in Australia tenfold since we started this project. While we focus on service, we also offer new equipment to the oil & gas, wind, and cruise segments.
Ansley Miranda, Country Manager Australia at PALFINGER MARINE
Ansley adds: “We had to learn on the job. I initially brought in service engineers from Singapore to gauge customer response. I believe that knowledge exchange between markets is incredibly important, but it soon became clear that a local PALFINGER MARINE presence would be more beneficial for customer relations and service excellence.”
Accordingly, Ansley is currently in the process setting up a physical office in Perth, Western Australia, for himself and his new colleagues, as well as hiring further service engineers.
The fascinating diversity of the APAC region
“APAC entails 62 unique countries, making it one of the most diverse regions worldwide. It goes without saying that China and Australia are, for example, completely different in terms of business culture,” Ansley explains. “The region is equally diverse in segments. Japan has a strong cruise segment, while Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia are markets focused on oil & gas. This is what makes working in this region so exciting,” he added.
Sharing the future as a unit
Given his extensive experience, we couldn’t let Ansley leave without asking about his unique perspective on the future challenges and tasks to strengthen PALFINGER MARINE’s presence across the APAC region. “As indicated earlier, I am a firm believer in perceiving all APAC offices as a unit, despite all their differences. Sharing resources and expertise is essential. We are one team that works together to achieve success as a region, not as a subsidiary,” he stresses. This is exactly the mindset that makes Ansley such a valuable asset to PALFINGER MARINE and we cannot wait to see how his story progresses Down Under.
PALFINGER MARINE is a strong brand with an equally strong presence in the APAC region. As our network moves closer together as part of our focus on complete solutions, we are confident that we can continue to grow in line with the market. As the market matures, we mature with it. Join us on this journey.