Dear reader,
WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM,
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE.
This is issue #146 - 26 February
2004 of the weekly newsletter for industry
professionals.
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 Welcome to Forkliftaction.com News. Today we
include a special preview of IMHX 2004, Europe's biggest event
this year.
A warm welcome to IMHX visitors and exhibitors
reading our news for the first time. We hope you enjoy our
news coverage and take advantage of our free membership.
Forkliftaction.com team members will be roaming IMHX exhibits.
Don't hesitate to say hi and ask any questions or pass on your
news.
This edition also includes the final part of our
feature on the Chinese materials handling market. This series
has been the most popular yet, with hundreds of new and
existing members clicking through to read all about this
exciting market.
Enjoy it!
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1.
IMHX 2004: HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS 
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom
IMHX 2004
officially opens at 9.30am on Tuesday, March 2, at the
main entrance to Hall 20 of Birmingham's National
Exhibition Centre.
>From then, Europe's
biggest materials handling event in 2004 takes off, with
a whirlwind of shows, seminars, flashing lights, music,
multimedia, demonstrations and the all-important
promotions girls across 20,000 square metres of floor
space.
For forklift buyers and users, IMHX 2004
is a dream come true. Exhibition director Richard Hease
said more than 90% of UK forklift suppliers would be
represented among the 350 exhibitors, and figures
suggested 92% of all forklifts sold in the UK this year
would be supplied by IMHX-exhibiting companies.
Management, IT, logistics, transport, accessories and
auxiliary suppliers are also well
represented.
Forklift suppliers represented
include Atlet; Barloworld Handling; John Bradshaw; BT
Rolatruc; Euro Daewoo UK; Finning Materials Handling;
Hyster Europe; JCB Industrial; Jungheinrich UK; Kalmar;
Linde UK; MasterMover International; Narrow Aisle UK;
Nissan Motor; Still GB; Toyota Industrial Equipment
(UK); Translift Engineering; Wilmat Handling; Yale
Europe Materials Handling; and Yale Materials Handling
UK.
"Visitors will certainly benefit from having
such a high number of competing suppliers in one place,"
Mr Hease said. "IMHX 2004 is clearly the place to be if
you are interested in specifying materials handling
equipment this year."
The seminars program at
IMHX 2004 is one of the classiest in recent memory.
Named the "Knowledge Zone", a pair of presentation
theatres will offer show attendees a range of
theoretical sessions.
Three theatres will focus
on legislative issues, case studies, new products, and
general forum discussions. Topics to be covered
include:
Employment Law - the Information
& Consultation Directive
What is the purpose
of the directive? What is the deadline for compliance?
How will it work? Could existing structures suffice? To
what extent does the employer have to take on board the
views of employees?
Working Time
Regulations
What types of workers are affected by
the Horizontal Amending Directive? What protection
applies to truck drivers and others in the distribution
industry? How does the opt-out work? What are the latest
developments in Europe?
Thorough Examination of
Fork-Lift Trucks: BITA
Find out about the new UK
standard for Thorough Examination from the British
Industrial Truck Association. Hear how you can most
effectively meet the requirements of LOLER 98 and PUWER
98 on health & safety and the use of
forklifts.
For the first time, the show, will
include a "Property Village", designed for exhibitors in
property provision and development, a "Cleaning
Village", showcasing warehouse equipment cleaning
machinery and supplies, and an "IT Village", for
software solutions.
One event that will have
attendees' attention is the BT UK Fork Lift Truck Driver
Championships, established in 1963, which will run for
the full three-day show. The championships, hosted by BT
Rolatruc, will test reach truck and counterbalance
forklift drivers over the first two days, with the grand
final staged on day three.
Forkliftaction.com
is proud to co-sponsor the BT UK Fork Lift Truck Driver
Championships. Such events promote forklift safety, and
Forkliftaction.com is glad to be a supporter. Look out
for our logo at the competition.
IMHX 2004 is
supported by the British Materials Handling Federation
(BMHF), which is the parent of such bodies as the
Association of Loading & Elevating Equipment, the
Automated Material Handling Systems Association, BITA,
the Construction Equipment Association, the
International Powered Access Federation, and the Storage
Equipment Manufacturers' Association.
Paul
Michael, IMHX 2004 show director, said: "The support of
the BMHF will benefit the success of IMHX 2004
considerably. The 2001 event was excellent, but 2004
will be even better, with the greatest range of
exhibitors from all sectors of the UK handling and
storage industry."
Forkliftaction.com
representatives will attend the show. Watch out for our
trademark orange shirts as team members wander through
the exhibition. We hope to visit each exhibitor, but if
you see us, say hi!
- IMHX website -
2.
MATERIALS HANDLING IN CHINA: PART TWO
BEIJING, China
The Chinese materials
handling industry is an exciting prospect for the world
market. The world's biggest nation is one of the biggest
consumers of forklifts and materials handling
products.
On February 12, Forkliftaction.com News
published chief reporter Damien Tomlinson's interview
with Linde-Xiamen Forklift Truck Corporation general
manager Heinrich Winzl, a pioneer in the western world's
rush to access the Chinese market. Click here to read it.
In part two,
Forkliftaction.com looks at Chinese national forklift
companies. While the size of the market means confusion
over distinguishing the players, the market leader is
obvious.
3.
NACCO IMPROVES FORKLIFT PERFORMANCE
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH, United
States
Nacco Industries Inc improved forklift profits
and sales during 2003 but says cost-pressure
difficulties may exist ahead.
During 2004, the
wholesale operation of Nacco Material Handling Group
(NMHG) projected a further modest strengthening of
global forklift markets.
"High product
development and introduction costs are expected to
continue, while manufacturing restructuring costs are
anticipated to decline," the company said.
NMHG
wholesale reported full-year 2003 operating income of
USD22.4 million on sales of USD1.62 billion, compared to
the 2002 income of USD21.5 million on sales of USD1.42
billion.
NMHG said the improvement reflected
increased volumes in all markets, favourable currency
movements and a shift in mix to higher-priced forklifts
in the USA, South America and Europe.
NMHG, which
markets Hyster and Yale forklifts, shipped 70,406
machines last year and 64,437 in 2002. The company's
worldwide backlog increased to 19,830 units at December
31, compared to 18,800 at the end of 2002.
In the
fourth quarter, however, unfavourable foreign currency
movements caused an after-tax impact of USD6.9 million
for NMHG's wholesale operation, and continuing
unfavourable trends posed a challenge, the company
said.
"We import a great deal of product from the
[United Kingdom] and Europe" particularly from Nacco
plants in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, and Nijmegen, the
Netherlands, Nacco chairman Al Rankin said during a
conference call. "If the strength of those currencies
continues, our costs are going to increase as they (did)
in the fourth quarter."
NMHG aims to fabricate
equipment in the region of sale, but sourcing from
Craigavon and Nijmegen for final assembly in the United
States has become more costly.
Mr Rankin
anticipated cost pressures could lead to supplier price
increases and said Nacco would "need to look advisedly
at price increases as we move forward", particularly if
the British pound sterling, the euro and the Japanese
yen continued to perform strongly.
NMHG's retail
segment reported a 2003 operating loss of USD6.0 million
on sales of USD162.6 million, compared to a 2002 loss of
USD9.2 million on sales of USD172.2
million.
Nacco said the lower loss was
attributable to benefits realised from prior disposal of
unprofitable dealerships and higher net income in the
Asia-Pacific region. Nacco aims during 2004 "to achieve
and sustain at least break-even results" for its
wholly-owned dealerships.
- Nacco Industries website -
4.
KALMAR LANDS BIG DEALS WORLDWIDE
LJUNGBY, Sweden
Kalmar has secured
substantial orders around the world in the past
year.
SA Stevedores, in Durban, South Africa,
has expanded its Kalmar fleet with five additional
15-tonne forklifts equipped with detachable
counterweights. The company is hiring all machines from
Saficon, Kalmars South African dealer.
P&O
Durban has bought four medium Kalmar forklifts.
Kalmar has sold three new forklifts to Ningbo Port,
close to Shanghai.
Container manufacturer Shunde
Shun and the port of Tianjin have both purchased a
Kalmar five-high stacking empty-container handlers.
Medway Ports in the UK has bought four Kalmar machines
for its mixed cargo handling operations. The trucks are
the first in the UK with Kalmars new Flexcab and Dana
13000 power train.
Kalmar has delivered 10
heavy-duty forklifts to ports in the Mediterranean. Two
are going to the Port of Sokhna in Egypt, and several
light forklifts are heading for Syria.
International Paper, in the US, one of the world's
largest sawmill and paper conglomerates, has bought its
first Kalmar machine following a trial.
Tool
Logistics, a member of Germanys Gluns Group, has bought
six Kalmar forklifts for inventory management and
offloading chipboard in Saarland. Klausner Holz, another
German timber company, has ordered six 15-tonners to
handle its lumber.
Austria's Mayr-Melnhof has
ordered seven Kalmar trucks with a lifting capacity of
16 tonnes to service operations in the Czech
Republic.
The UKs Tarmac Concrete, part of global
mining and mineral specialist Anglo American plc, has
increased its fleet of 10-tonne Kalmar trucks with the
purchase of another seven machines.
Turkish steel
producer Idas has bought six 15-tonne forklifts to
handle large steel wire coils. Kalmar is also supplying
13 forklifts to ISPAT Hamburger Stahlwerke.
UK
fertiliser manufacturer ABP Fertiliser has chosen four
nine-tonne Kalmar forklifts to handle large sacks of
fertiliser.
Ford, Opel, BMV, Daimler-Chrysler and
Audi have bought a total of eight electric-powered
forklifts in the last year.
Kalmar has secured a
deal with Norwegian National Defence for a series of
16-tonne forklifts with appropriate attachments for
military airports in Gardemoen and Bod.
Norwegian
brewery Ringns has chosen a Kalmar machine to move beer
and soft drinks. The company has taken delivery of a
forklift with a vertically-adjustable cabin.
The
significant number of new orders reflected Kalmar's
track-record in tackling diverse and complex
assignments, said Kalmar Industrial Systems sales &
marketing director Mikael Rietz.
"We've made
(several) significant breakthroughs in interesting
markets. Kalmar is supplying more forklifts to new and
returning customers," he said.
- Kalmar Industries
website -
5.
**ANNOUNCEMENT** CHECK YOUR BUSINESS DIRECTORY
LISTING
Materials handling manufacturers and
suppliers, forklift fleet owners and professionals are
advised to check their free listings in
Forkliftaction.com's new Business Directory.
Now in its
third week since being launched, this global materials
handling directory, has seen more than 650 visitors
browsing its pages, looking for products and services,
looking for you.
Our research department has
received dozens of requests for changes to directory
information for various companies. It would be a shame
if your company missed a new deal because your phone
number was incorrectly listed.
To check if your
information is correct, use the Business Directory's Are You Listed? page to perform a
quick check that your business is in the
directory.
Forkliftaction.com's team has gathered
company information from all over the world, using
various sources, so it's likely your company's in the
directory, and you didn't know it! This is just one of
the free services that has made Forkliftaction.com the
world's busiest materials handling website.
Contact
research@forkliftaction.com
if your listing needs updating.
6.
SAFETY FIRST: DAVID HOOVER
NEWARK, OH, United States
As a
father of two children I am constantly looking for ways
to motivate my kids to be polite, helpful and safe. I
have found a great motivational tool: positive
reinforcement.
The old saying "you catch more
flies with honey than vinegar" seems to hold true. If I
really want to shape their behaviour, I get them working
towards a positive reward such as a later bedtime or
more play time and then make a big deal out of it when
they "earn" the reward.
I also use negative
reinforcement, such as reducing play time, but only as a
last resort. Normally the positive works better and
lasts longer.
You're probably wondering what this
has to do with safe forklift operations. Let me
explain.
If you were called into your manager's
office tomorrow and told "you are doing a decent job, I
think we'll keep you around another year", how would you
feel? If you had worked hard and done your best, you
might feel disappointed, unappreciated and maybe even
angry, right?
That is exactly how many
highly-skilled forklift operators feel today. I come
across people like this all the time: they are smart,
extremely skilled and make their companies run like
well-oiled machines, but nobody seems to
notice.
Year in and year out they stack and store
materials safely and efficiently, which makes their
company profitable, but who cares? No wonder morale is
so low in many companies and industries
today.
Here are some ideas to motivate your
forklift operators:
1) Hold a safe operation
award (like the "million mile awards" some companies
give truck drivers). Make it tough to achieve but not
impossible, so only the best achieve it (not the guy who
hits the building column every day). Put up some cash or
a prize and recognise winners in the company newsletter
or at a function. Recognition is a very powerful
positive reinforcement, maybe even more so than
money.
2) Organise a forklift rodeo (I prefer the
words "forklift skills challenge", but that's just me).
This might be just your company or you might include
everyone in your industrial park. Set up real life
courses, such as trailer loading, stacking, and
manoeuvring, and grade operators' safe operation and
efficiency with an emphasis on safety. Award trophies
and recognise the winners by getting them in the local
paper or on local TV. Everyone likes to show their
skills and this gives forklift operators a chance to do
just that.
3) Get operators' input on how to improve
safety and reduce materials handling expenses. Put up
cash rewards and incentives for great ideas. If the
company is going to save $10,000 as a result, I think
you can cough up $250 for the idea. This will make
operators feel they are part of your team.
If you
have other unique ways your company positively
reinforces safe forklift operation or rewards drivers,
please let me know and I'll put together a list for a
future article.
David Hoover is president of Forklift
Training Systems Inc, a US safety company specialising
in site and forklift safety training, training trainers,
custom program development and cutting-edge forklift
safety products. Contact David Hoover
7.
RECORD ATTENDANCE FOR ARCHIES
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom
More than
500 people turned out at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole
for the Fork Lift Truck Association's (FLTA) night of
nights, the annual Awards for Excellence 2004.
An
unprecedented 10 awards were presented across various
categories. Here are the winners:
Apprentice
of the Year: Richard Taylor, Jofson Ltd;
Services to the Fork Lift Truck Association:
Brian Nealon, Bendigo Mitchell Ltd;
Services to
the Fork Lift Truck Industry: Gil Male, Health &
Safety Executive, engineering plant group;
Design Achievement: Narrow Aisle Ltd;
Supplier of the Year: Translift Engineering
Ltd;
Safety: Health & Safety
Executive;
Environment: Still Materials
Handling Ltd and B&B Attachments;
Ergonomics: Crown Lift Trucks;
Innovation: Toyota Industrial Equipment;
Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Eckersley,
Linde Material Handling.
FLTA chairman Richard
Baxter said the Archies, named after the solid bronze
statuettes of Archimedes presented to the winners, were
recognised as the industry's highest
accolade.
"For any individual, group or
organisation winning an Archie, enormous prestige
awaits. The great progress being made in raising
industry standards, as reflected in the quality of the
winners and nominees, is very encouraging," he
said.
- FLTA
website -
8.
NIPPON YUSOKI TO WIND UP SUBSIDIARY
KYOTO, Japan
Nichiyu forklifts
manufacturer Nippon Yusoki Co Ltd will wind up its
wholly-owned sales and maintenance subsidiary, Hamamatsu
Nichiyu, in the Shizuoka prefecture, by the end of
March.
The move, reported by the Japanese News
Digest, was aimed at strengthening Nippon Yusoki's
management operations. Hamamatsu Nichiyu, based in
Hamamatsu, was established in 2001.
Nippon
Yusoki's subsidiary Nichiyu Shizuoka, headquartered in
Numazu, would take over the operations of Hamamatsu
Nichiyu.
Nippon Yusoki also plans to establish a
marketing subsidiary in Shanghai, China, in March. It
will be the third Nippon Yusoki subsidiary in
China.
-
Nippon Yusoki website -
9.
FORKLIFT SAFETY COMPANY EXPANDS
SYDNEY, Australia
Melbourne,
Australia-based aftermarket forklift safety products
supplier Fork-SAFE International has expanded to Sydney
and New Zealand.
Managing director Richard Jeney
told Forkliftaction.com News the new Sydney office was
headed by Bruce Kretchmer, a forklift sales veteran of
20 years.
"With this new local support, we've
extended our stand in the industry as the major
aftermarket supplier to forklift manufacturers," he
said.
Fork-SAFE has also appointed Targeted
Transport Training Ltd (T3), headed by Barry McIntosh,
as its New Zealand distributor. Fork-SAFE products are
now available throughout New Zealand.
- Fork-SAFE website -
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10.
CONCRETE GRINDING LTD: SEE US AT
IMHX
Concrete Grinding Limited is
displaying its full compliment of services at IMHX 2004
in Birmingham, UK on March 2-4 2004. See us at stand
20/C26.
Concrete Grinding Limited, specialists in
upgrading the floor flatness of narrow racking aisles in
new and existing VNA warehouse/storage units, have
released the Laser Grinder, a laser-guided
concrete grinding machine.
The Laser
Grinder very effectively grinds aisles to the
required flatness, while being clean, quick and
non-intrusive. Designed to operate in operational
warehouse facilities, floors are upgraded to ensure a
safe and efficient VNA facility with little
disruption.
Click here for our full article and
pictures.
CONTACT US:
Tel: +44 (0) 1484
600080
Fax: +44 (0) 1484 600095
Email: information@concrete-grinding.com
Web:
www.concrete-grinding.com
11.
COMBILIFT GOES LIVE AT IMHX
Combilift is
going live at this year's IMHX. By exhibiting in the
halls and staging demonstrations in the outdoor area,
Combilift visitors will experience the manoeuvrability
and versatility of the trucks at close
range.
"Seeing the trucks at work gives a
realistic view of their capabilities," comments
Combilift MD Martin McVicar. "We will also exhibit our
multi-directional sideloader and an electric-powered
Combilift."
See us at IMHX stand 20 D42 &
Outside Area
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
T: +353
47 80500 (Head office)
1877COMBI56 (USA only)
F:
+353 47 80501
E: info@combilift.com
W: www.combilift.com
Click here for the full text of this
release, including pictures.
12.
CHAINTECH LINKS EUROPE
Chaintech U.K. Limited
is a leading European supplier of chain to the materials
handling industry.
We will be at IMHX 2004 exhibiting
our wide range of chain products, including Leaf Chain,
Roller Chain, Conveyor Chain and other chain-related
items.
We will be using the occasion to announce our
new Low Maintenance Anti Corrosive Leaf Chain called
Zi-Co.
You can find us on stand E70 in Hall 20 or
contact us via:
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1676
535437
Fax: + 44 (0) 1676 535436
E-mail: info@chaintechuk.co.uk
Website: www.chaintechuk.co.uk
Click here for the full text of this media
release, including pictures.
13.
BRAMBLES AUSTRALIA SELECTS WEBB/ELWELL-PARKER AGVS FOR
25-TONNE STEEL COIL HANDLING
SYSTEM
FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan, United
States
Jervis B. Webb Company will supply Brambles
Industrial Services an Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV)
System to move steel coils at BlueScope (formerly BHP)
Steel's facility at Port Kembla, New South Wales,
Australia.
The system will handle coils up to 25
metric tonnes. The first AGV is scheduled for testing
and completion in March. This is the second
Webb/Elwell-Parker AGV project completed for BlueScope.
Jervis B. Webb Company has partnered with Elwell-Parker
for numerous heavy-duty AGV projects in the primary
metals industry.
For more information please
visit:
www.jervisbwebb.com
www.elwellparker.com
www.brambles.com
Click here for the full text of this media
release, including pictures.
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