SPRINGFIELD, OH--(Marketwired - January 05, 2017) - Konecranes Machine Tool Service, the nation's leader in maintenance, rebuilding, retrofitting and repair for all brands of machine tools, has hired Jeff Earley, formerly Region Americas service director of the Fives Group, as its new business development manager. The global Fives Group now owns several pillars of the U.S. machine tool business, including the former Cincinnati Milacron and Giddings & Lewis.

"Jeff Earley has 38 years experience in the machine tool industry with his former company. His is a respected name in the U.S. manufacturing sector, and we are fortunate to have him join our team," says Harold Schoch, vice president, technology & sales at Konecranes Machine Tool Service.

Earley oversaw approximately USD 11 million in revenues for the service business at Fives, USD 4.6 million of which was in service contracts. He was the architect of a nationwide network of independent service providers who, while not exclusive to Fives, formed the backbone of the company's service response group. When Fives decided to combine their aftermarket business with their new machine business, Earley's expertise became available.

"Konecranes Machine Tool Service was always a top competitor, and when they made a very attractive offer to join their team to do a job that I love doing, the challenge was nearly irresistible," said Earley. "With Konecranes support I hope to duplicate and improve on what I was doing at Fives, and I look forward to continuing a relationship with the numerous contacts developed over the years," he related.

Earley noted that Konecranes Machine Tool Service is willing to invest in its service group to gain market share, with a strong emphasis on training to service both new and older machines.

"Independent service providers have the ability to pick and choose the jobs that they do, and we respect that," he said. "There are many older machines out there, and we don't want to lose touch with the people who have the experience to work on them. We plan to nurture these strategic alliances to maintain service engineers ready to work on machines of every vintage."

According to Earley, the trend in machine tool service is outsourcing.

"Many customers today do not want to invest in their own maintenance groups. They see the benefits of outsourcing-variable expenses instead of direct expenses, more capability for fewer dollars and the ability to adjust maintenance levels as needed. I see a great opportunity for Konecranes Machine Tool Service to take that business in 2017," he said.

Konecranes Machine Tool Service has built its success on a multi-generational management structure, beginning with former owner and founder Harold Schoch and progressing to Buddy Schoch, vice president and director. Buddy Schoch is enthusiastic about the strategic move that brought Jeff Earley on board.

"Jeff's wealth of aftermarket service experience and industry knowledge make him a key addition to the Konecranes Machine Tool Service family," says Schoch. "His addition is a sign of our commitment to being the leading service company in our industry. Our widening geographic focus to meet growing customer demand created a need for a business development manager, and it is very fortunate that we were able to find someone of Jeff's caliber to fill this role."

About Konecranes, Inc.
Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity-enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment and machine tools of all makes.

In 2015, Group sales totaled EUR 2,026 million. The Group has 11,900 employees at 600 locations in 48 countries. Konecranes is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (HEX: KCR1V).