Task Forklifts chief executive Ben Rainsford.

Business at South Australian manufacturer Task Forklifts is going "gangbusters", according to chief executive Ben Rainsford.

He tells Forkliftaction.com News that, despite the slowdown in the economy, the company has successfully targeted businesses that are booming in difficult times and is quick to adapt its business to emerging trends.

"We’ve [just] secured a domestic contract to supply a customer in the alternative energy business and are currently delivering 36 forklifts," he says.

The Cobra, a heavy-duty counterbalanced pedestrian forklift with power steering, is Task’s newest product (Forkliftaction.com News #416).

Also finding a niche is the company’s new pallet truck, the Sumi Mamba 2, which is now being supplied to clothing retailers across Australia.

Rainsford is critical of last week’s interest rate hike, arguing that it hurts asset sales. "Every time the rate goes up, the market’s confidence gets clipped a little."  

However, he says the company is benefitting from the tendency by some to hang onto materials handling equipment for longer. "We’ve had a strong focus on service and, as a result, our service and spare parts divisions have seen a huge spike in business." Also improving dramatically is the company’s hire fleet business.

Looking ahead, Rainsford says Task has been approached by Austrade about exporting its products to an eastern Europe country, a project it will investigate over the next six to eight months.