Dear reader,
WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM,
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE.
This is issue #75 - 18 September 2002
of the weekly newsletter for industry
professionals.
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The growth of the Forkliftaction.com community
continues to exceed expectations, with more materials handling
professionals involving themselves in this unique initiative.
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support. Forkliftaction.com is preparing for more sweeping
changes to the amount and variety of content available on the
website, with a global business directory, stolen equipment
register and a used equipment classifieds section to be added
in coming months.
Welcome to members who have registered in
the past week, including those from the following companies:
Liftruck.com in Canada, Baltic Control in Denmark, BT Rolatruc
in the United Kingdom, Cascade Corporation in Australia,
Barloworld Handling in the USA, Bridgestone Firestone Europe
in Belgium and Alphaquip in Brazil.
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1.
KONE ACQUIRES PARTEK 
HYVINKAA, Finland
Kone Corporation
has bought 98 percent of Parteks shares to form a super
company with EUR5.6 billion (USD5.47 billion) in annual
sales and a workforce of more than 35,000.
The
purchase price has not been released.
Under the
deal, announced on September 9, Kone acquires Partek's
Kalmar (container handling), Hiab (load handling),
Valmet (forest machines) and Valtra (tractors)
businesses. Kone is now the parent company of Partek,
and aims to de-list its newest subsidiary from the
Helsinki Stock Exchange by the end of the
year.
Kone, in a statement, said Parteks minimal
debt and strong cash flow made the acquisition possible.
While the deal increased Kones debt, the planned sale
of Partek's non-core operations and the strong cash flow
of both companies would decrease
indebtedness.
Kone plans to substantially improve
the profitability of Parteks individual businesses.
Savings would be achieved through consolidation of Kone
and Partek. Divestment of non-core assets would create
cash flow.
Production would be streamlined, with
a focus on core businesses and markets to increase
flexibility. Kone would focus on boosting Parteks
after-sales business, which currently commands 15
percent of Partek's net sales. Kones corresponding
figure is about 60 percent.
- Kone website -
2.
RUSSIAN INTEREST IN BALKANCAR?
SOFIA, Bulgaria
A Russian
delegation of more than 80 businessmen and government
officials will attend the Plovdiv International Fair in
October to discuss investment opportunities in ailing
forklift manufacturer Balkancar.
Russian
industrial minister Ilya Khlebnikov told the Pari Daily
the delegation would attend the show with the intention
of investing in Balkancar, which had been seeking
private backers in recent months.
Pari Daily said
there were two options for privatisation: selling
Balkancar in pieces to various independent buyers, or
selling it as a complete entity.
- Balkancar
website -
3.
B&B RETAINS KAUP PARTNERSHIP
INKPEN, United Kingdom
Mast and
forklift attachments supplier B&B Attachments has
renewed its dealership contract with Kaup GmbH, Europes
largest attachments producer, extending a 22-year
relationship with the German company.
Since
beginning the partnership in 1980, Kaup had expanded
production to more than 30,000 attachments a year, and
B&B had become a major materials handling force in
the United Kingdom and Ireland, said B&B managing
director Mike Barton.
We are very pleased that
the relationship with Kaup is being maintained. By
continuing to work with Kaup, we will further enhance
our position and standing in the attachments market, and
maintain our reputation for providing innovative,
quality products and services at the right
price.
Kaup managing director Holger Kaup said
both companies were committed to further growth in the
United Kingdom and Ireland.
An excellent
relationship has been forged between Kaup and B&B
over many years, and we are delighted that it is
continuing.
Kaup this year celebrates 40 years
in the attachments market. Renowned for design
creativity, the companys Aschaffenburg, Germany,
production facility manufactures multiple pallet
handlers, sideshifters, rotating heads, carton clamps,
bale clamps and carpet booms.
B&B is a major
player in the paper handling industry, currently
supplying more than 70 percent of paper handling
attachments at United Kingdom ports. The company was
founded in 1980, originally as an attachment importer.
It is now the acknowledged market leader in the
distribution and development of a wide range of masts
and attachments.
- B&B
Attachments website -
4.
HYSTER ENTERS HUNGARY THROUGH ZEPPELIN-KOROS-SPEDIT
DEAL
BUDAPEST, Hungary
Zeppelin-Koros-Spedit Kft is the newest addition to
the Hyster forklift distributor network, opening in
Hungary last week.
Zeppelin-Koros-Spedit chief
executive Istvan Kovacs said the company was aiming at a
10 percent share of the Hungarian forklift market within
three years, and 13 percent within five years, an
MTI-Econews report said.
Zeppelin-Koros-Spedit, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Koros-Spedit Rt, became the
official vendor of Hyster in Hungary under an agreement
between Hyster Europe and Zeppelin Osterreich GmbH, a
distributor of Caterpillar equipment.
Mr Kovacs
said the company hoped to reap HUF1.5 billion (USD6
million) in revenue from the forklift market in Hungary
a year.
He said 2600 materials handling machines,
worth HUF9 billion (USD36 million), were sold in Hungary
in 2001, including 1600 forklifts, worth HUF7 billion
(USD28 million), and another 1000 related machines,
worth HUF2 billion (USD8 million).
5.
RONCARI, VAN GENT JOIN FORCES
NIJMEGEN, Netherlands
Attachments
importer Roncari Benelux BV has expanded its network
through an exclusive distributor arrangement with Van
Gent forklift parts.
Through the agreement, Van
Gent will access the Roncari attachments range for its
dealers in the Netherlands, adding Roncaris side-shifts
and fork positioners to its parts on
offer.
Roncari director Jules Walta said Van Gent
was an ideal partner to increase the companys
profile.
- Van
Gent website
6.
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT SUED OVER FORKLIFT
INJURY
YOKOSUKA, Japan
A worker at the USA
Navy base in Yokosuka has filed a damages lawsuit
against the Japanese Government over a forklift injury
he suffered at work in 1999.
Mikio Ishikawa, 45,
is seeking JPY43 million (USD353,880) in damages after
cutting three fingers on his left hand and fracturing
four fingers on his right hand after using wire to
replace parts on a forklift in April 1999.
A
Japan Times report said Mr Ishikawa, who has worked at
the base since 1978, claimed the US military did not pay
sufficient attention to safety, and that the government
should compensate him for the accident.
The
government is defending the allegations, arguing that Mr
Ishikawas own carelessness caused the injury.
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10.
LICENCE OF TECHNOLOGY - EXTENDABLE
WHEELBASE
Milton, Australia
Closing: 26
September 2002 TBA - Contract: Invent 1
11.
MONTHLY LEASE OF 2 EACH 50K
FORKLIFTS
Incirlik AB, Turkey
Closing: 30
September 2002 TBA - Contract: F61358-FORKLIFT
12.
QTY 1 DREXEL MODEL SLT-30 FORKLIFT
Kansas
City, MO, United States
Closing: 22 September 2002
TBA - Contract: NAAJ8500200011JAS
13.
ELECTRIC LIFT TRUCK, 38 V, CATERPILLAR, MODEL EC25KS,
OR
Quebec, Canada
Closing: 02 October
2002 2:00pm - Contract: F3072-020023/A
14.
2727 KG (6000 LBS.) SELF PROPELLED, PROPRANE POWERED
FORK-LIFT
Edmonton, Canada
Closing: 20
September 2002 4:00pm - Contract: 885522
15.
ACQUISITION D'UN CHARIOT ELEVATEUR
ELECTRIQUE
Sillery, Canada
Closing: 24
September 2002 11:00am - Contract: QC-RAMQ-20020627
16.
10,000 KG DIESEL FORKLIFT AND SLIP ON
TYNES
Melbourne, Australia
Closing: 23
September 2002 5:00pm - Contract: Q0001/DVH
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