Dear reader,
WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM,
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE.
This is issue #130 - 23 October
2003 of the weekly newsletter for industry
professionals.
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 This week's edition wraps up Forkliftaction.com's
showcase of the Australian forklift market. This special
feature series has been an enormous success, and will become a
reference to the Australian market in the future. The
Australian feature is just one of many sectors of the world
forklift market to be highlighted in coming months. November
is tyres, wheels & castors month, and advertising space is
filling quickly. If you would like your company highlighted in
association with these features, email our marketing
department today. Penryn
Maddrell
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1.
**NEWSFLASH** CASCADE BUYS RONCARI 
PORTLAND, OR, United States
Cascade
Corporation has finalised its acquisition of Italian
attachments producer Roncari Srl.
Cascade said on
September 11 that it had signed a preliminary agreement
to acquire all outstanding shares in the company. The
completion of the acquisition was announced
today.
Cascade, in a brief statement, said it paid
USD6.5 million cash to buy Roncari, which has annual
revenues of about USD12 million.
Cascade's
Roncari acquisition was announced just before
publication deadline. See next week's issue for a
detailed look at the sale and what it means for the
companies involved and the wider market.
2.
THE AUSTRALIAN FORKLIFT MARKET: PART TWO
CANBERRA, Australia
This week
Forkliftaction.com News presents the second and final
instalment of its feature on the Australian forklift and
materials handling industry.
Thank you to the
Australian companies that contributed to the editorial
showcase of the industry down under. And thanks to the
advertisers that took advantage of the spotlight on
Australia to market their companies and
products.
In this special feature, chief reporter
Damien Tomlinson sat down with Howard Grant, secretary
of the Australian Industrial Truck Association (AITA),
which this year celebrates 42 years of official
representation, to discuss the industry.
An
advocate and representative of forklift manufacturers,
suppliers and ancillary companies, the AITA has been at
the forefront of developments in the Australian market
since its inception in 1961.
Click here for the full text of this
special feature. 
3.
MORRIS SUES KONECRANES FOR UNFAIR
COMPETITION
OAK CREEK, WI, United States
Morris
Material Handling Inc has sued KCI Konecranes
International PLC for "egregious and systematic
violation" of intellectual property and "acts of unfair
competition".
The suit was filed on October 7 in
the US District Court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The
complaints include infringement and unfair competition
related to federal, state and common-law trademark
protections; false advertising; and fraudulent
representation under a Wisconsin
statute.
Plaintiffs include privately-held Oak
Creek-based Morris Material Handling, subsidiaries SPH
Crane & Hoist Inc, of Milwaukee, MHE Technologies
Inc, of Wilmington, Delaware, and affiliated licensor
Harnischfeger Technologies Inc, also of
Wilmington.
Morris was founded in the 1880s as an
operating division of Harnischfeger Corp, in Milwaukee,
and, during the mid-1990s, was known as the P&H
Crane Division. In March 1998, Harnischfeger sold 80% of
the division, which adopted the Morris
identity.
Morris has an exclusive licence from
Harnischfeger to use the P&H trademark in the
industrial crane and hoist
business.
Publicly-traded KCI Konecranes, based
in Hyvink, Finland, has major global overhead crane
and hoist operations, including its US unit, fellow
defendant KCI Konecranes Inc, of Springfield, Ohio. The
parent company had profit of EUR24.6 million (USD25.8
million) on 2002 sales of EUR713.6 million (USD748.1
million) and, at December 31, employed 4,441
persons.
Morris alleges Konecranes and affiliates
misused the P&H trademark in Canada in September
1999, misused the Morris trademark in Canada in December
2001 and distributed inappropriate marketing material
and passed off non-P&H aftermarket parts as genuine
P&H parts in April 2003.
Morris said it
complained in letters to Konecranes management. In
response, Konecranes "denied undertaking any wrongful
conduct", the Morris suit said. "Defendants and their
affiliates have continued to misuse and misappropriate
plaintiffs' intellectual rights, all for the purpose
(of) diverting business and customers" from Morris to
Konecranes. Numerous examples are cited in the
litigation.
The suit identifies three
Konecranes-related websites on which Morris trademarks
are listed.
Morris has requested a jury trial and
intends to pursue an award for punitive damages and
"actual damages to be proven at trial", the suit said.
Initially, Morris wants the court to prevent Konecranes
from continuing the alleged actions.
The suit
said Konecranes' US market expansion had included
purchases of "Shepard Niles, Crane Manufacturing and
Kranco". In addition, Konecranes "has aggressively but
unsuccessfully attempted to purchase all or portions of
the Morris Group on several occasions since 1997",
according to the suit.
Konecranes had not
responded to the suit before deadline.
- Morris website -
4.
**ADVERTISEMENT** PLAN YOUR FORKLIFTACTION.COM
ADVERTISING
FORKLIFTACTION.COM helps you plan your
advertising by providing this list of special features
slated to appear in Forkliftaction.com News in the
coming months.
Contact Penryn
Maddrell for more information.
November 2003:
Forklift Tyres, Wheels & Castors
December 2004:
Materials Handling in the United Kingdom
January
2004: Forklift Attachments & Accessories
February
2004: Materials Handling in China
March 2004: Used
Materials Handling Equipment
More features will
be added in the coming months.
-
Contact us for more information -
5.
JCB DEALER NETS GBP2.5 MILLION ORDER
FARNHAM, United Kingdom
Greenshields
JCB has landed a GBP2.5 million (USD4.2 million)
contract to supply 80 telehandlers and rough terrain
forklifts to Kent Sweepers, a national sales and hire
company.
The order comprises Loadall 535-95,
537-135, 540-70 and 540-170 telehandlers, and 926 rough
terrain forklifts. Kent Sweepers managing director Len
Smith said the new machines would strengthen Kent's
fleet nationwide.
"We like to keep to one brand
so we have uniformity and most of our people have worked
on and have expertise in JCB machines. The latest deal
is to meet the demands of our depots throughout the UK.
We decided to go with JCB as the customer identifies
with them and historically we have used JCB," he
said.
A Greenshields JCB spokesman said: "Kent
Sweepers is one of the biggest independent companies we
deal with and a long-standing customer which has
constantly invested in our machines. Kent Sweepers'
fleet now consists solely of JCBs."
- JCB website -
6.
BIA LANDS NINE-STRADDLE KALMAR SALE
ANTWERP, Belgium
Hesse-Noord Natie
has ordered nine Kalmar Edrive ESC straddle carriers for
its River Schelde terminals.
The order, placed
through Kalmar's Belgian dealer, Bia NV, is for five
ESCs with normal spreaders and four with extendable
twin-lift spreaders with a 50-tonne lift
capacity.
The order is a vote of confidence for
the new twin-lift spreader and the ESC straddle carrier,
which combines an electrical drive system with the
robust construction of Kalmar's CSC straddle
carrier.
Hesse-Noord Natie first bought two ESCs
for testing last year. The company already operates
almost 50 Kalmar straddle carriers. Neither the
estimated delivery time nor the contract value was
released.
- Bia website -
7.
BRIEFLY...
MANILA, Philippines
International
Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) plans to acquire
one quay crane and four rubber-tyred gantry cranes
(RTGs) to augment its capacity.
The company also
intends to buy new mobile cargo handling equipment to
expedite internal yard movement. ICTSI also announced a
USD100 million expansion plan for its Baltic Container
Terminal in Gdynia, Poland.
BIRMINGHAM, UK -
People intending to visit IMHX 2004 in Birmingham next
March can now register free online. Simply go to www.imhx.co.uk and click on the
"REGISTRATION NOW OPEN" banner.
IMHX 2004 follows the
successful inaugural event in 2001. Occupying five major
halls, IMHX will feature more than 200 materials
handling and storage companies, plus free seminars and
the forklift driver of the year competition.
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8.
NEW LCD IGNITION SYSTEM FROM
KEYTROLLER
MELBOURNE,
Australia
Dunham Instruments and
KEYTROLLER, INC. have released the
KEYTROLLER LCD Model 501 LCD screen.
Shift checklists
can now be automated, and safety items must be checked
before starting.
Supervisors can access events like
shock/abuse, speeding, overheating, oil pressure,
maintenance, hours, speed % limit, % of memory used and
operator name.
KEYTROLLER LCD comes with scalable
security and prevents untrained operators from starting
vehicles, makes abusive operators accountable and
monitors engine conditions.
Installation is simple
for any IC or electric
vehicle.
For more information see www.keytroller.com, phone 03 9876 4784
or email info@dunhaminstruments.com.au.
Click here for the full version of this
release, including pictures.
9.
LOOK AFTER YOUR FORKS
BRISBANE,
Australia
Fork Safety 101: A simple process to ensure
your crew's safety.
One of the keys to safe
forklift operation begins with inspecting forks for
wear. Did you know that a 10% reduction in fork
thickness results in a 20% capacity
reduction?
Follow the easy steps in Cascade's
Fork Inspection Kit to ensure safety and keep you in
compliance with safety laws. Call your forklift dealer
for a kit, which includes a poster, measuring calliper,
safety checklist and clipboard.
See www.cascorp.com or just call us on
1800 CASCADE (227 223) within Australia or
+61-7-3373-7300.
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
10.
FORKPRO AUSTRALIA - LIFTING FORKLIFT SAFETY &
PRODUCTIVITY
SYDNEY, Australia
Maintaining
maximum productivity with maximum safety is a delicate
balancing act, but one Australian company makes it
easy.
Forkpro Australia advises OH&S and
purchasing managers, forklift operators and others on
subjects including forklift compliance management,
operator safety and license
accreditation.
Heading up Forkpro is Todd
Brennan, a 20 year industry veteran who has held key
positions with one of the world's leading forklift
manufacturers.
"Of special importance with plant
equipment is understanding the requirements of today's
performance-based OH&S legislation", he
says.
For more information, call +61-2-4294-8187
or email enquiries@forkpro.com.au.
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
11.
STYLE, SIMPLICITY, ELEGANCE AND
STRENGTH
CLAYTON SOUTH, Australia
The
above is the only way to describe the new Fork-CAM
Colour Series Camera.
The new case boasts stylish
curved designs, greater strength with higher resistance
to impacts, and a better seal to protect the camera from
the harsh elements of heavy industry.
The high
quality of the auto-iris wide-angle lens gives
unprecedented clarity, only found in a
Fork-CAM.
Read about this new design and the
other range of products available from Fork-SAFE
International, and download the latest specifications
at: www.forksafe.com
Fork-SAFE
International
3/15 James Street Clayton South
1300
723 326
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
12.
NEW RETROFIT PIVOT AND SUSPENSION FOR
FORKLIFTS
FORT WAYNE, Indiana, United
States
The Huddle Group has developed the "U-Turn"
pivot system, which fits between any seat and the deck
of a forklift to provide a 15 degree rotation while
driving backwards. This minimises twisting but keeps
feet on the pedals and knees inside the cage and away
from controls. The optional "REBOUND" suspension system
has been clinically proven to attenuate harmful low
frequency vibrations.
Both of these products, are
included in Huddle's affordable T-700 Transport seat,
which also includes other ergonomic features.
For
more information, phone +1 260 470 9838, email rovitt@huddlegroup.com
or visit www.huddlegroup.com.
Click here for the full version of this
release, including pictures.
13.
BUDDY - PROTECT YOUR ASSETS &
EMPLOYEES
MELBOURNE, Australia
Buddy is an
established product from Ozweigh Innovations.
~
Keyless ignition, preventing theft;
~ Reports on
operator and shift usage, impact damage, servicing and
engine monitoring;
~ Offers operator-specific and
zoning speed control. Load weighing accuracy to 1%;
~
Send messages to individual trucks or the entire
fleet;
~ Downloads and stores reports
automatically;
~ Prompts to update operator permits,
licences and retraining;
~ Prints reports and
generates emails to managers.
ALL THIS = COST
BENEFITS TO YOUR COMPANY
CONTACT Colin White:
Email ozweighaus@bigpond.com,
phone +61-3-9431-6575 or fax +61-3-9439-3437.
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
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19.
CONVEYORS AND INSTALLATION
Albuquerque, New
Mexico, United States
Closing: 30 October 2003 4:00pm
- Contract: 501-61-03
20.
MAINTENANCE OF APPROX 250 VARIOUS
MHE
Bremerton WA, United States
Closing:
02 December 2003 TBA - Contract: N00406-04-R-5007
21.
CONTAINER HANDLING PLANT
Mulhouse,
France
Closing: 28 October 2003 12:00am - Contract:
CPV: 34144730
22.
LIFTING AND HANDLING EQUIPMENT AND
PARTS
Saint-Cloud, France
Closing: 17
November 2003 3:00pm - Contract: CPV: 29220000
23.
LIFTING TRUCKS
Velizy Cedex,
France
Closing: 02 December 2003 3:00pm - Contract:
CPV: 29221510
24.
LIFTING, HANDLING, LOADING OR UNLOADING
MACHINERY
Rome, Italy
Closing: 30 October
2003 1:00pm - Contract: CPV: 29221800
25.
LIFTING AND HANDLING EQUIPMENT
Lille,
France
Closing: 24 November 2003 TBA - Contract: CPV:
29221000
26.
HAND LIFT TRUCK QTY 46
Mechanicsburg PA,
United States
Closing: 19 December 2003 TBA -
Contract: N0010403RLH52
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