20 years as a PALOMAT® dealer

On a spring day in 2003, Wolfgang Iffländer was discussing a palletising solution with a customer. During the meeting, the customer asked if they could provide pallet magazines for EUR-pallets. That question was the beginning of a 20-year partnership with PALOMAT®, the Danish manufacturer of pallet magazines.

The first PALOMAT®

When a customer asked Wolfgang Iffländer 20 years ago if they could provide a pallet magazine for handling Euro pallets, he initially had to admit defeat. The company he worked for could develop an individual solution for the customer, but the price would quickly become high. One of his colleagues recommended that he inquire with PALOMAT® from Denmark – the company had a good reputation and was known for quality and good products. And it turned out to be good advice. Within a few weeks, contact had been established, a PALOMAT® had been sent for testing to the customer, and 14 days later, he had sold his first PALOMAT®.

What started as an inquiry became the starting point for a 20-year collaboration with PALOMAT®. Today, Wolfgang is not only a dealer of pallet magazines but also the head of his own company, Industrietechnologien in Nürnberg.

More than just a collaboration

Area Manager Majbritt Svane, who manages PALOMAT® on a daily basis, was involved in starting the collaboration with Wolfgang Iffländer 20 years ago. And she does not hide the fact that long-term partnerships are valuable to the company:

"Such partnerships with our dealers create a very special relationship, where we can benefit from each other's market knowledge at a higher level. Wolfgang has, among other things, provided input for various marketing activities and ongoing product development, and his impressive sales efforts have also earned him the title of "PALOMAT® Dealer of the Year".

With the goal of developing partnerships and building strong relationships, each dealer has a dedicated point of contact in the sales department at PALOMAT®, who provides weekly support to dealers focusing on sales activities and lead generation.

"My collaboration with Wolfgang is built on trust, honesty, and openness. We say things straight up - even if we disagree or there are challenges that need to be solved. The result of our collaboration affects both of our businesses and, not least, our shared sales goals. I am really happy with the collaboration with Wolfgang, and there is no doubt that we have not only a collaboration but a close partnership."

• Christin Hübner, Wolfgang's dedicated point of contact.

A simple, solid product

The first pallet magazine from PALOMAT® was developed in 1992 when one of the company's owners suffered from back problems. This created the need for a machine that could handle pallets at floor level. Employees could thus avoid heavy lifting and manual pallet handling. Since then, a range of basic models has been developed to streamline pallet handling and improve working environment.

Today, 30 years later, there are more than 15,000 units in stock, in production, and in inbound and outbound logistics around the world - 450 of which Wolfgang Iffländer has sold over the past 20 years.

"PALOMAT® is a good product. It's simple and easy to handle, installation is fast, and the price is reasonable. All companies with daily pallet handling can benefit from their machines."

• Wolfgang Iffländer.

Since 1992, several new models have also been introduced. According to Wolfgang, this is one of the reasons why PALOMAT® is now the preferred supplier of pallet magazines worldwide.

"The product is constantly being developed. 20 years ago, there was only one model, but today they have a product portfolio with many different pallet magazines, each optimized for the specific function they are intended for." 

• Wolfgang Iffländer

A look into the crystal ball

It's always difficult to predict the future. But if you ask Wolfgang to take a look into the crystal ball, he has a good idea of what the future holds:

"The challenges of the past few years with Corona, inflation, and high energy prices have hit many companies hard, especially in Germany. And that's caused some companies to hold back on investments. But I still see a big market for PALOMATs. Automation and a good working environment are not things that go out of fashion easily."

And much suggests that he is right. The demand in PALOMAT's primary markets is still steadily increasing, while new markets are emerging - no matter what happens in the world, we still need food, medicine, and other basic goods.

"But one thing is certain: I'll continue to be a PALOMAT® dealer. It's a really competent team, and we have a really good collaboration."

Published March 2023