Earlier this year, Stellar was honored with the President’s “E” Award for exports — the highest recognition a U.S. entity can receive for making significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports. This prestigious award highlights Stellar's dedication to international growth and their remarkable success in broadening their market beyond domestic borders.
Based in a small town in Iowa, Stellar’s commitment to global expansion has been evident over the past several years, utilizing trade shows and government-sponsored missions to enter new markets. Thanks to these efforts, Stellar has made substantial strides internationally, exemplified by successful partnerships like the one they have with Maxilift Australia, a leading vehicle loading equipment specialist.
This partnership not only underscores Stellar's global reach, but also illustrates how their innovative products have made a significant impact across continents. The collaborative relationship between Maxilift Australia and Stellar has been instrumental in driving mutual success while demonstrating Stellar’s dedication to providing exceptional support and solutions on a global scale.
Maxilift Australia
Maxilift Australia imports and distributes some of the world’s leading vehicle loading equipment brands throughout Australia and New Zealand. They offer lifting solutions throughout eastern Australia to help mining, construction, agriculture, and seaport customers get the job done.
For Maxilift Australia customers, keeping downtime to a minimum is essential. Fortunately, getting equipment that’s been sidelined with a flat tire or a repair up and operating is a primary function of Stellar tire trucks and manipulators.
“The safe and fast handling of tires has always been a challenge for our customers,” says Damien Garvey, Maxilift Australia’s national sales manager. “The Stellar tire manipulators can get to a site fast with the replacement tires loaded on the tray. A well-trained operator can have the replacement tires on the equipment safely and quickly.”
Building a Relationship with Stellar
Just like many business ventures, a partnership between Maxilift Australia and Stellar stemmed from word-of-mouth recommendations. The initial conversations the Australian company had with the Iowa manufacturer included talks with Stellar’s leadership team. The relationship was sealed through those conversations, each one showing Maxilift Australia that Stellar truly saw them as a valuable partner.
Maxilift Australia added the Stellar Tire Manipulators to its product line in 2017. The partnership with the U.S.-based manufacturer helped to pave the road for sales success.
“When we started importing Stellar products we had to educate and develop the market for this new line. Stellar helped us to understand the market and the customers that would be interested in this new range, and how to promote the benefits of the product to them. Without their knowledge and experience we may not have been as successful in the early stages,” says Garvey.
Customer Service that Goes Beyond Expectations
With many international business partnerships, a dramatic time difference can be detrimental. Stellar and Maxilift Australia have been able to work through those challenges by planning ahead when possible and having quick, reliable responses when needed. Simply knowing that your sales and customer service contact is going to be available, even if they are located on the other side of the world, is crucial when it comes to trust building and longevity.
“To be successful with any product in sales there must be excellent support behind the product. We are lucky to have a wonderful support team behind the Stellar products. Whether it’s product advice, engineering, and service support, or spare parts, the Stellar team is always available and willing to assist us with any requests we make,” says Garvey.
When working across continents with a specialized market, like the ones that Maxilift supports, it’s essential to have responsive after-sales support. According to Garvey, Stellar’s technical support team goes above and beyond with quick resolution and the entire company is committed to helping distributors achieve success.
“Use their knowledge and experience to help get you started. They are generous with their time,” he says. “Your success is their success.”
Stellar Products, Stellar People, Stellar Business
Creating and supplying a product that satisfies the needs of customers all over the world continues to be a focus for Stellar now and into the future. Understanding different regulations, geographies, industries, and customer desires helps the employee-owners at Stellar develop versatile and efficient products that foster relationships with international distributors and customers.
“Export sales have been, and will continue to be, an essential part of our business at Stellar,” says Dave Zrostlik, president at Stellar. “We will continue to produce high quality products that perform above and beyond expectations wherever they work. The dependability of design and fabrication is critical in the export market.”
For more information on Stellar’s international footprint, visit stellarindustries.com.
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