Bringing Power Together:
A New Business Relationship Between
Kossen Equipment and Taylor Power Systems
Kossen Equipment, Inc., one of the leading emergency power suppliers in the United States and one of the Southeast's largest distributors of emergency generators, has recently signed an agreement with Taylor Power Systems, Inc., to represent Taylor products in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, the Florida Panhandle and East Texas.
Taylor Power Systems, Inc., part of the Taylor Group of Companies, based in Louisville, MS, was established in 1986 to manufacture and distribute precision industrial engines and generators. These systems of standby and prime power generators, available in both stationary and mobile configurations, are manufactured in Richland, MS, and include a comprehensive line of products designed and built to address the specific needs of the Southern geographic region.
“Power generators used in the Deep South are operating in one of the most hostile environments on this earth,” noted John Scarborough, General Manager of Sales for Taylor Power Systems.
“Customers in this area need equipment housing that can handle 175+ mile-an-hour hurricane winds, as well as equipment that’s designed to withstand the region’s triple-digit heat, high humidity, and, even wildlife,” added Tom Kossen, President of Kossen Equipment. “And we believe Taylor Power Systems is the absolute expert at developing equipment specifically for the southern United States.”
After 35 years as a generator distributor for Kohler Power Systems, Kossen Equipment is changing product lines.
“We believe that by aligning ourselves with Taylor Power Systems, a Mississippi (Southern) manufacturer, we will be able to provide more input into the products and services that we deliver to our customers,” said Kossen. “Very frankly, over the past several years, we had seen that Kohler’s business plan and priorities were evolving in a direction that differed significantly from ours
– and we needed to focus on the needs of our regional customers.”
“This relationship with Taylor Power will allow us to get away from a ‘big box’ type of supplier – where we were able to offer only what they already built and provided,” said Hershell Morgan, Vice President and General Manager of Kossen Equipment, “and now we’ll be working with a company that wants our input as they design and assemble exactly what our customers need.”
“At this point, when a customer requests a particular style or design concept, or asks us to meet a very specific need that they have, we will be able to do so,” said Tom Kossen. “This partnership with Taylor Power will allow us to assemble non-standard custom-design packages to meet our customers’ needs.”
Tom Kossen believes that this design flexibility will be of considerable benefit to his Kossen Equipment customers. He also thinks that his company’s emergency power customers will appreciate the fact that their equipment will now be built within a few hours drive of their own facilities.
“If a customer wants to see a particular piece of equipment being made, I can take them over in an afternoon to the Taylor Power Systems plant,” explained Kossen. “Being nearby, we can bring our customers in to see exactly how the operations and engineering teams at Taylor are designing and building their equipment.”
“Our customer feedback to this change has already been positive,” said Hershell Morgan. “Our customers like the idea of local (regional), accessible equipment, branded by Taylor Power Systems, which is a company already well recognized for quality.
Beyond the ease of geographic proximity to their business partner’s plant, Tom Kossen also touts the economic aspects of working with a regional partner.
“Our customers see a lot of value in buying from a local (regional) company because they understand the economic impact of supporting a manufacturing business in our area,” explained Kossen. “They have told us that they like the idea of spending their dollars locally (regionally). This is where they live and work, and they want to help build the economic base of their home state (region).
This partnership is good for Kossen, it’s good for Taylor, and – bottom-line
– it’s going to be good for Mississippi. Money that was being sent out of state to purchase equipment will now stay right here in our local communities.”
Leland R. Speed, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority agreed, “It doesn’t get much better than this from the point of view of Mississippi’s economy – a Mississippi producer partnering with a Mississippi distributor.”
Both companies see this partnership as a development opportunity for their businesses and believe that it will have considerable economic advantages.
“This is a tremendous growth opportunity in terms of sales and employment for Taylor Power,” noted Robert Taylor, President of Taylor Power Systems. “We believe that growth from this venture will lead to more opportunities and the continued expansion of Taylor Power.” Added Tom Kossen, “The bottom line is that this makes for a strong partnership that will allow us both to grow.”
Backing up those assertions, both Kossen and Taylor are in the process of building larger plant facilities. Kossen Equipment is currently building a new 84,000 sq. ft. plant in Richland, MS, scheduled for completion in late 2011. Taylor Power Systems is doubling the square footage of their Richland, MS, plant, with completion scheduled in the near future.
“Last year Taylor Power Systems moved into a new facility utilizing five acres, and already we’re bursting at the seams. We’ve leased another warehouse and are now doubling our size and developing another five acres,” explained John Scarborough, General Manager of Sales for Taylor. “Additionally, we anticipate adding 30% - 40% to our work force as the impact of this venture is fully implemented.”
Kossen Equipment has twice been named one of Mississippi’s ‘40 Fastest Growing Companies’ by the Mississippi Business Journal and has an employee base of 100. The company services more than 10,000 accounts, including health care facilities, telecommunications sites, manufacturing plants, computer installations, grocery stores, food service distributors, retail stores, lumber yards, office buildings, casinos, malls, wastewater treatment plants, emergency operations facilities, municipalities, agriculture sites, as well as residences. Kossen’s customer base is spread throughout Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee and Georgia.
Kossen Equipment, family-owned and operated since its founding in 1976, is headquartered in Jackson, MS, and maintains additional offices in Birmingham, Mobile, Bossier City and Baton Rouge.
Taylor Power Systems is part of the Taylor Group of Companies, founded by W. A. Taylor, Sr., in 1927, and based in Louisville, MS. The Taylor Group of Companies also includes Taylor Machine Works, a premier manufacturer of lift equipment used around the world.
