Dear reader,
WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM,
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE.
This is issue #132 - 06 November
2003 of the weekly newsletter for industry
professionals.
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 Welcome to part one of Forkliftaction.com's
special focus on forklift tyres, wheels and castors. This
important cog in the materials handling industry is covered
here in the first of two special editorials about the sector.
This edition focuses on the tyre sector; part two, out on
November 20, highlights the world market for wheels and
castors. Thanks to those advertisers which have taken the
opportunity to have their products share the spotlight of this
feature. Contact Penryn Maddrell
to advertise in the November 20 edition.
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1.
TYRES, WHEELS & CASTORS: PART ONE 
LONDON, United Kingdom
Tyres, wheels
and castors... Where would we be without them? They are
the things every materials handling-related business
relies on for its daily bread.
Welcome to
Forkliftaction.com's feature on the world market for
forklift tyres, wheels and castors. The first of this
two-part series will focus on issues facing the forklift
tyre market. Stay tuned for part two, our wheels and
castors feature editorial, on November 20.
Click here for the full text of this
special feature. 
2.
FINNING, LEX HARVEY INTEGRATION ON TRACK
VANCOUVER, Canada
Finning
International Inc's materials handling assets in the
United Kingdom and the Lex Harvey operations continue to
come together.
"Integration of the Lex Harvey
operations into our existing operations is proceeding on
plan, and the financial performance of our operations
has been very encouraging," said Anthony Guglielmin,
Finning vice president and corporate
treasurer.
"Looking to 2004, we expect the Lex
operations to be fully integrated into our Finning (UK)
operations under the leadership of Tom McCloy,
divisional director, materials
handling."
Strategically, "the forklift operation
in the UK is an integral part of our global strategy to
increase our presence in the more stable rental
business", Mr Guglielmin said.
The May
acquisition increased Finning's total UK operations by
25%. Finning UK employs 2,500 people at 14 branches and
nine depots.
While Finning does not disclose
segment financial data, the Vancouver-based firm
reported profit of CAD36.6 million (USD27.1 million) on
record sales of CAD925.0 million (USD683.7 million) for
the third quarter ended September 30.
- Finning website -
3.
BT BLAMES CURRENCY FOR SALES DROP
MJLBY, Sweden
BT Industries has
posted net sales of SEK8.552 billion (USD1.087 billion)
for the nine months to September 30, down 5% from
SEK8.999 billion (USD1.144 billion) in
2002.
Orders received fell 7% to SEK8.761 billion
(USD1.114 billion). The company blamed the decrease
"entirely" on currency exchanges, particularly a weak US
dollar. At comparable exchange rates, orders received
rose 2% and sales increased 4%.
The US market saw
a demand upswing in the third quarter, but the nine
months was weaker than in 2002. Net sales fell 13% but,
expressed in US dollars, rose 4%. In western Europe,
sales fell from SEK5.166 billion (USD656.6 million) to
SEK5.114 billion (USD650 million). In eastern Europe and
Oceania, sales grew 12% from SEK830 million (USD105.5
million) to SEK943 million (USD119.9 million).
BT
chief executive Per Zaunders said the recovery in the
world economy had been slower than expected, but market
volume appeared to have increased.
"Demand
increased in North America in the third quarter, but the
increase was most noticeable in Oceania and Eastern
Europe," he said. "We anticipate our industry will
cautiously gain ground, though at a slower pace than we
previously thought."
-
Download BT's report -
4.
KOMATSU TO SET UP SHOP IN CHINA
SHANGHAI, China
Komatsu Forklift Co
will establish a subsidiary in Shanghai, China, early
next year.
According to the Nikkei Business
Daily, Komatsu's Chinese arm will be staffed by 10 and
have a capitalisation of USD400,000. Staff will increase
as the operation expands.
The business would sell
diesel-powered forklifts manufactured by German partner
Linde AG in China under the Komatsu brand name. It would
also sell Komatsu and Linde forklifts imported from
Japan and Germany.
Komatsu told the newspaper it
aimed to sell 1,500 forklifts a year by 2005.
- Komatsu website -
5.
**ADVERTISEMENT** VULKOLLAN C (ELECTRICALLY
CONDUCTIVE): A NEW VULKOPRIN PRODUCT
Vulkoprin manufactures high-quality
wheels, castors, rollers and tyres. Vulkollan is the
company's line of heavy-duty forklift wheels, featuring
high load capacity and resilience to wear and tear, oil
and grease.
Following intensive research,
Vulkoprin has launched Vulkollan C (Conductive), a
revolutionary new electrically-conductive Vulkollan
that conforms to standards EN12527 to EN12533 and ISO
2878.
Vulkollan C features adds electricity
conduction to the advantages of Vulkollan, with
non-marking black tread and a hardness between 92 - 95
shore A.
Read our full media release or visit us at www.vulkoprin.be, email info@vulkoprin.be
or phone +32 51 403 806.
6.
MHI, CATERPILLAR STRIKE ENGINE DEAL
TOKYO, Japan
Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Ltd (MHI) has started supplying 3.3-litre,
four-cylinder diesel engines to Caterpillar Inc and
Caterpillar's UK affiliate, Perkins Engines Co.
Under an agreement with the two firms, MHI would
supply 15,000 engines, a Kyodo News International report
said.
The engines, used in MHI's own forklifts
and bulldozers, would be used in Caterpillar's
construction line from now on. The engines would also be
marketed through Perkins' distribution network for use
in construction machinery, and as industrial
engines.
- MHI website
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7.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
HOUSTON, TX, United States
NINOMIYA
APPOINTED NEW MCFA PRESIDENT
HOUSTON, TX, USA -
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc (MCFA) has
appointed Hideaki Ninomiya as president, replacing
Tadashi Sotoike.
Mr Ninomiya, who left Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries Ltd in Japan to take up the position,
was an active participant in the negotiations that led
to the formation of the MCFA joint venture in
1992.
CHANGE OF GUARD AT JUNGHEINRICH
MOOSBURG
HAMBURG, Germany - Jungheinrich Moosburg
sales director Gnter Tronich has replaced technical
director and management board spokesman Anton Pischl,
who has retired.
8.
SUMITOMO-NACCO TIE-UP IN THE SPOTLIGHT
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH, United
States
Sumitomo Nacco Materials Handling Co Ltd, the
joint venture between Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd
(SHI) and Nacco Industries Inc, has been singled out as
an example of successful cross-border business
collaboration by a leading US industry
magazine.
IndustryWeek.com said research showed
the "vast majority" of JVs failed within four to seven
years. Few survived 10 years, and less lasted longer
than 15 years.
"How, then, to explain the ongoing
relationship of Nacco and Sumitomo - an alliance that
has thrived for more than three decades?" the report
said.
The report said the JV began when Yale and
SHI partnered in 1968. Sumitomo entered the forklift
business to calm the cyclical nature of its core crane
and heavy machinery business, and Yale was looking for a
platform to enter the Japanese market.
Everything
changed when Eaton Corporation, Yale's parent, spun the
company off and sold it to Nacco in 1984. This created
the potential for conflict but, apart from changing its
name from Sumitomo-Yale Co Ltd to Sumitomo Nacco
Materials Handling Co Ltd, the JV proceeded with little
change.
Nacco's acquisition of Hyster Co in 1989
was another potential hiccup, but an agreement was
reached on distribution and manufacturing in an
unorthodox series of meetings which dealt with cultural
and language difficulties using a whiteboard to note key
points and resolutions.
"Ultimately, the most
fundamental explanation of the durability of the
partnership comes down to the participants' mutual
respect and willingness to find common ground on
potentially divisive or even destructive issues," the
article said.
"In a decidedly less-than-perfect
world, those may well be the critical factors in
ensuring the success of any joint venture."
-
Read IndustryWeek.com's article -
9.
PATRICK GOES ALL THE WAY WITH UNMANNED
STRADDLES
BRISBANE, Australia
Following
successful trials at Patrick's Port of Brisbane berth,
Patrick has ordered 14 Kalmar ESC straddle carriers that
will be equipped for unmanned operations.
Patrick
spokesman Howard Wren said expansion of the "autostrad"
concept came after 12 months of commercial operation
with five retro-fitted Kalmar CSC straddle
carriers.
"The first year with the unmanned
straddles has been extremely good. The operation has met
all our expectations, specifically in the areas of
productivity, safety and cost efficiency," he
said.
The autostrad carriers move, brake and
steer, and pick and place containers, unmanned. Patrick
has refined navigation using radar, lasers, GPS and a
tasking and traffic management system.
The
straddles feature anti-collision lasers and
anti-collision bumpers. Anything that comes within a
specified distance will stop the machine. Similarly, if
the straddle hits something, it stops immediately.
- Kalmar Industries
website -
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10.
SOLIDEAL: EARTH'S BEST TYRES
LUXEMBOURG CITY,
Luxembourg
Solideal International offers a one-stop
shop to forklift OEMs and users for pneumatic, resilient
and press-on tyres and wheels.
Solideal products are
available in a range of patterns and sizes, including
non-marking, standard and premium versions, to suit
every application.
All Solideal tyres, of which 1.6
million are produced a year, are produced from natural
compounds to ensure the highest levels of tear and chunk
resistance.
Employing more than 4000 people
worldwide, Solideal's comprehensive distribution network
spans all developed markets.
For more
information, see www.solideal.com.
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
11.
THE REVOLUTIONARY SOLUTION
HARTVILLE, OH,
United States
Trelleborg Wheel Systems has again
revolutionized the industrial tire world with its new
resilient tire, developed using advanced manufacturing
techniques and compounds developed exclusively by
Trelleborg.
Redesigning the traditional Soft
Shoe tread pattern, these new tires have:
Deeper
lugs for longer life
A flat profile, optimizing
stability
A re-designed base/cap interface for
improved ride, making this tire the truest rolling
resilient around
With their innovative design,
increased performance, optimized stability and
groundbreaking consistency, these are the resilient
tires of the 21st century.
CONTACT:
Trelleborg
Wheel Systems Americas, Inc.
tel: +1 330-877 4800
fax: +1 330-877 2346
http://www.trelleborg.com/industrial
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
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