REGIONAL REPORT
sustainability, connectivity, and operational efficiency are all helping to drive greater adoption of these technologies,” adds Hirani. Hyster is also seeing growth in Brazil’s paper and pulp sector, where producers continue to invest in productivity improvements and, increasingly, in electrification. “As sustainability goals become more important, some customers are evaluating zero-emission equipment as part of their long-term operational strategies,” says Hirani.
Dealer model Kalmar serves the Latin America region through its extensive distributor network. “Our dealers are the backbone of Kalmar’s local strategy in Latin America,” says Goncalves. “They give us a strong footprint across all the key markets in the region and, most importantly, allow us to stay close to our customers.” In Brazil, for example, its local dealer network
has more than 40 branches, ensuring rapid and reliable access to technical service and parts right across the country. Kalmar has a similar strong presence in markets such as Mexico and Chile, as well as in smaller countries like Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Combined with Kalmar’s own facilities and teams, Goncalves believes this is a strong competitive advantage. “It means our customers can have confidence that, wherever they operate, they will have the technical support, parts availability and service they need to keep their equipment running and their operations moving,” he adds.
Parc life
As with many developing markets, for years Latin America has had a culture of extending the working life of equipment, resulting in a large parc of older machinery. However, that is starting to change. “Extending the working life of equipment is still an important factor in Latin America, and there is a significant installed base of older equipment in the region,” says Goncalves. He still sees some customers looking for ways to maximise the return on their existing assets, particularly when economic conditions make new investments more selective. “Keeping older equipment reliable and
productive requires strong service capabilities, parts availability and technical expertise,” he adds. “This is where our local organisation and dealer network are particularly important.” At the same time, the large installed
base represents a significant opportunity for Kalmar. As customers evaluate the total cost of ownership of older equipment, it can support them not only with parts and services, but
xx | October 2026 |
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With investment being more selective, extending equipment working life is crucial.
also with modernisation, replacement and new, more efficient technologies. “We see this as a gradual transition rather than a sudden change, with customers increasingly looking at productivity, availability, energy efficiency and total cost of ownership when deciding when to replace their equipment,” says Goncalves. Hyster says that the need to extend equipment life remains common across parts of Latin America. Factors such as capital investment cycles, import costs and the proven durability of existing equipment often encourages operators to keep lift trucks in service for longer than may be typical in some other regions.
However, as equipment ages, the operating
environment changes. While the truck may still be capable of performing the job, maintaining reliability and productivity can become increasingly challenging. Older equipment may also be less able to support newer technologies, such as telematics, enhanced operator-assistance systems or alternative power solutions designed to help improve efficiency and reduce emissions. For many operators, this creates an opportunity to take a more strategic approach to fleet management. “Rather than focusing solely on the purchase price of a replacement truck, customers are increasingly evaluating the total cost of ownership of retaining older equipment versus investing in newer models,” says Hirani. “When factors such as fuel consumption, maintenance expenses,
uptime, productivity and service support are considered together, the economics can often look very different.” Hyster also sees opportunities for phased
fleet renewal rather than complete fleet replacement. “Customers do not necessarily need to replace an entire fleet at once,” he adds. “Instead, they can replace the trucks with the highest maintenance costs, greatest uptime challenges or lowest productivity levels, while developing a longer-term replacement and energy-transition plan for the remainder of the fleet. “This approach is particularly relevant in Latin America because it allows customers to modernise the operation without losing the flexibility required by local operating conditions.” For Liebherr, extending the equipment’s working life remains an important consideration in many Latin America markets. Through Liebherr Transform, Liebherr Container Cranes supports customers in upgrading, modernising and extending the working life of existing equipment where appropriate. Under the slogan ‘Unleash the full potential’, the focus is on helping terminals improve the performance, reliability and efficiency of their cranes, while also supporting longer-term sustainability goals. “Liebherr Transform has also been active in Latin America, with recent work on STS and RTG equipment in Peru, as well as RTG projects in Mexico,” it says. “In short, the aim is to make existing equipment smarter, stronger, faster and greener.”
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