Dear reader,
WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM,
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE.
This is issue #87 - 12 December
2002 of the weekly newsletter for industry
professionals.
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Whew! After a busy year bringing you the latest
and greatest news from the world materials handling industry,
Forkliftaction.com News will publish the last bulletin for
2002 next week. The first bulletin for 2003 will be emailed on
January 16. If any readers have news they would like published
before the year ends, please email our news desk at news@forkliftaction.com. If
your company would like to conduct some marketing during the
break, contact Forkliftaction.com's marketing department at pm-marketing@forkliftaction.com.
Welcome
to all new members, including those from the following
companies: Barloworld, South Africa; Locators Ltd, United
Kingdom; Skidweigh Inc, Canada; Moffett Engineering, Ireland;
BT Svenska, Sweden; Luc Xuong Company, Vietnam; Maybury
Material Handling, USA; Svetruck Caribbean, Cuba; Sidasa,
Guatemala; AB Equipment, New Zealand; Red Equipment Australia,
Australia; Jungheinrich AG, Germany; Kilwoo Corporation, South
Korea; Rocla Oyj, Finland; Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift
Europe BV, The Netherlands; Alfamaq Venturi, Argentina;
Interinstruments, Bulgaria; and Motransa, Ecuador.
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1.
NMHG TO CLOSE ONE PLANT AND DOWNSIZE
ANOTHER 
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, United
States
Nacco Materials Handling Group (NMHG) will
close its Lenoir, North Carolina, forklift component
facility and restructure its Irvine, Scotland, forklift
assembly and component facility under new plans revealed
last week.
The Lenoir component facility, which
employs 310 people, will be phased out over 12 to 15
months. The Lenoir plant's forklift component
operations, including mast and cylinder manufacturing,
will be consolidated into NMHG plants in Sulligent,
Alabama; Berea, Kentucky; and Greenville, North
Carolina.
The Irvine assembly and component
facility, which employs 450 people, would be
restructured to an appropriately sized operation in
the next three years to manufacture three and four-wheel
electric rider forklifts and mast components for the
European market. Other components currently manufactured
there would be outsourced to independent suppliers,
Nacco said.
NMHG said it would record a USD8.3
million restructuring charge in the fourth quarter of
2002, but the move would provide about USD6.8 million in
extra net profit by 2006.
- Nacco website -
2.
BITA: UK MARKET SHOWS SIGNS OF RECOVERY
BERKSHIRE, United Kingdom
The
British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) says a
strong third quarter, which saw 7000 forklifts ordered
in the United Kingdom, shows signs of a market recovery.
It anticipates 27,000 forklifts will have been ordered
in 2002.
The BITA report, released last week,
said the United Kingdom market saw more than 15,000
counterbalance forklifts ordered this
year.
United Kingdom fuel costs saw the
proportion of diesel forklifts sold fall steadily since
1995, from almost 45 percent to 34.2 percent this year.
LPG forklifts have taken a growing share of the market,
now accounting for 31.5 percent of all counterbalance
forklifts sold.
The reach truck market was at a
record level, the report said, predicting 2002 would be
a record year for reach truck sales, with more than 3000
orders taken.
-
BITA website -
3.
AUSTRIAN DEAL BEARS FRUIT FOR KALMAR
VIENNA, Austria
Osterreichische
Bundesbahnen (OB) has ordered the first of up to 10
Contchamp reachstackers from Kalmar Industries, under an
agreement signed in 2001.
The first of the
Generation F Kalmar ContChamp DRF 450-70C5XS machines
will be delivered next April to OBs Vienna Northwest
Terminal, replacing an existing Kalmar
reachstacker.
OB chose the seven-metre wheelbase
DRF 450-70C5XS for its compact size and performance when
working two rail tracks. Fitted with front jacks and
counter weights, it is able to lift 27-tonne containers
at an outreach of 6.3 metres. The machine will be fitted
with a 6.4 metre to 12.19 metre spreader for handling
top lift containers and bottom lift swapbodies and
trailers.
The 2001 agreement saw OB commit to buy
between five and 10 Contchamp reachstackers over five
years. The specifications of each new reachstacker would
be decided case by case, Kalmar said in a
statement.
-
Kalmar website -
4.
ROLF SLOBOTZKY: SOUTH OF THE BORDER
MEXICO CITY, Mexico
Raymond
distributor Distribuiciones Molina SA has closed the
largest battery electric-only deal in Mexican history
through a 136-unit deal with Comercial Mexicana SA, a
major Mexican supermarket chain.
The class two
and three forklifts were ordered following a tender
process, which at least Yale participated
in.
Many deals in past years have surpassed this
one, in terms of the number of forklifts, but never
before have so many electric forklifts been bought in a
single order by one customer.
I wish a happy
holiday season to all readers, and a healthy and
prosperous 2003.
5.
NEW MD FOR BOLZONI AURAMO AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY, Australia
Peter Beaumont has
been appointed managing director of Bolzoni Auramo
Australia Pty Ltd, replacing Gary Jackison, who has
resigned.
Bolzoni Auramo Australia distributes
Bolzoni Auramo forklift attachments, Lift-Tek Elecar
masts and Elme spreaders in the states of New South
Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
Mr Beaumont has
more than 25 years experience in manufacturing and
distributing forklift attachments. He is also managing
director of Adelaide-based Eurolift Pty Ltd, which
distributes Bolzoni Auramo, Lift-Tek Elecar and Elme
products in South Australia, Western Australia,
Queensland and the Northern Territory, which means he
now manages distribution of those products throughout
Australia.
"Bolzoni is a shareholder in both
Bolzoni Auramo Australia and Eurolift. Therefore the
synergy created by the dual appointment will be
beneficial to the company and our customers," Mr
Beaumont said.
6.
BULGARIAN PARTNER FOR TOYOTA
SOFIA, Bulgaria
Toyota Industrial
Equipment has enlisted Danubia 97 Ltd, an independent
forklift distributor in Sofia, to market and sell its
forklifts in the Bulgarian market.
Danubia 97,
founded in 1991, would ensure extensive after-sales
service, and its existing customer base, which included
Nestle, Kraft Jacobs Suchard, American Standard and
Union Miniere, would present sales opportunities for
Toyota, Danubia 97 manager Ivo Stefanov
said.
Toyota Industrial Equipment now has a
direct presence in more than 20 European countries.
Bulgaria was a strategic geographical market, with great
growth potential, Toyota said in a
statement.
"The market shows good potential for
counterbalanced, IC forklifts and hand pallet
equipment," Mr Stefanov said.
7.
FORKLIFT USED IN SHARK HAUL
CORNWALL, United Kingdom
Fishermen
enlisted the help of a forklift to haul a 520-pound
(235.9 kilogram) shark from the water.
The
forklift, a Toyota Generation 6, was called in after the
weight of the 14-foot (4.3 metre) shark, which got
caught in the fishermens nets and was dragged back to
Looe Harbour by two boats, was too much for the
fishermen.
The forklift, working nearby, hoisted
the shark out of the water, and was featured in national
newspapers for its efforts.
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8.
FORKLIFT TRAINING NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
ST
PETERSBURG, United States
OSHA rules
(29CFR1910.178(L)) require employers to properly train
forklift operators.
Occupational Safety and
Health Consultants, Inc. (OSHC) has created two online
safety courses: Frk101 for Counterbalance Sit-down Rider
Lift Trucks; and Frk105 for Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks
(Rough Terrain Lift Trucks coming soon).
Both
courses can be downloaded or studied online. After a
theory and practical exam is completed, a personalized
certificate and wallet card, valid for three years, is
presented. All courses, combining three hours of theory
and practical study, can be conducted
on-site.
See www.oshc.com for more information. A
10% discount applies if this notice is
mentioned.
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