E-mail from another dealer:

"WSI closed the German office. They don't know if they will close the online shop. Inside the company WSI is many trouble. They dismiss many workers in Netherland.
One of the owner Joep Hansen has left the company and build the new one TONKIN in Europe!
Furthermore the first man from the Sarens shop Sjoerd Köster left WSI also and go to Tonkin.
WSI had money problems. I've heard that the Supreme Court will have to deal with licensing issues. So we don't know which model is the next one!
It is very difficult and nebulous."

I can't state the source, but I hope he's wrong.

Guys,
I did wonder when this information would be finally leaked out. I know some of the facts but not all. Some I can also not share at this time.

1. Yes, WSI GmbH will close and all staff will be lost. This of course means Christian as well, whom is a good friend of mine so it was quite a shock for me also. He has put an enormous amount of effort into WSI heavy haulage models and cranes over the years and I am quite certain this will be detrimental to WSI longer term. I know that when the time is right he will also comment so I do not want to speak for him.

2. There have also been workers dismissed in NL - all design etc... will move, or has moved to China. As far as I know WSI NL will continue as a warehouse/distribution centre.

3. Joep Hansen and Sjord Koster did leave WSI but this is old news and happened many months ago. Joep started IMC Merchandising who then became the partners for Tonkin in Europe. I think some things may have changed in this arrangement that I am not aware of, but this was the case in the beginning. Joep and Sjord were not the only ones to leave WSI and move to IMC either!

4. Sarens Shop, IMC and WSI are in dispute over the last Sarens models, hence the reason why the LTM 1350-6.1 and C500 are not shipping.

That is all I can comment on for now but I am sure in a few weeks time, if not sooner more info will leak out. There is a lot more to this story, that much I can say.



People leaving WSI happened long before the Wan Ho 'merger'. Closing of offices and staff dismissal happened after the Wan Ho merger.

Paul R

So it wasn't just their models that fell apart?

Sad news to hear of people being let go from work,I hope they can use their knowledge and experience to get work in the industry

I felt as good as a release of the ltm1500 was it missed the boat,look at NZG's LTM11200 sales,WSI would have had a huge chunk of these sales based on the popularity of the model

---

Why is "phonetically" spelt with a "ph"?

... It's better to be silent and thought a fool, then to speak up and remove all doubt

The complex of Newgrange was originally built between c. 3100 and 2900 BC,[2] meaning that it's aproximately 5,000 years old. According to Carbon-14 dates,[3] it is more than 500 years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and predates Stonehenge by about 1,000 years.

To clear the air,

WSI is alive and well thanks to some new ownership announced at the Toyfair. Wan Ho, the factory where WSI models were being made, has taken a large interest in the company and is now a majority owner. This means that WSI will continue to produce models as they have before. They did close their German office as well as consolidated some work in Holland so the company is much leaner now.

So many rumors were flying around the show... I met personally with the owner of Wan Ho (where the Sword Models have been made for many years) and he assured me that WSI has a new life now and is working toward a good future.

Chuck

Hi Graham,

No samples for me - except Steven Downes won me a free model at NZG's booth! I couldn't win one myself....

Chuck