Kawasaki Names Wilner Vice President of Engines Division
The Engines Division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has promoted Nelson Wilner to the position of vice president. Wilner joined Kawasaki last year as the division’s executive director and his expanded responsibilities will include oversight for all operations of the division with the exception of the research and development group.
Fumihiro (Clint) Ohno, senior vice president and general manager, said “Nelson’s contributions over the past year are apparent. His ability to grasp complex OEM business functions, dealer infrastructure demands, and the technological platforms Kawasaki is involved with have warranted this promotion.”
Prior to joining Kawasaki, Wilner had gathered extensive experience in the marine and recreational vehicle industries, serving with manufacturers of hydraulic, diesel-powered generators and harsh-environment electrical products. He has a broad work history in both consumer and business-to-business activities.
Wilner will have comprehensive responsibilities for OEM and dealer sales, marketing, technical services, quality, logistics, product development and pricing, finance, and customer service.
The division has been increasing interactive communications among most of its working units over the past year. The recent dedication of its renovated Grand Rapids, Mich., headquarters featured a completely remodeled structure incorporating a new R&D facility, recently transplanted from its former location at the engine manufacturing plant in Maryville, Mo.
“Our continued efforts to bring our team closer together and enhance communications have benefitted all of our customers and our staff operations,” said Wilner. “The ease of accessibility to all team members promotes unplanned discussions which often lead to new ideas and ultimately to solutions—small and large—that support our long-term growth objectives.”
Kawasaki Engines, a division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., distributes gasoline engines for landscape, industrial, and consumer markets. It sells to and services customers through a network of more than 40 OEMs, 15 distributors, and more than 7,500 independent dealers throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, select countries in Central and South America, and the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific, including Guam.
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Michael Roth
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Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.