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Dear reader, WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM, MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE. This is issue #268 - 13 July 2006 of the weekly newsletter for industry professionals. |
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 “JLG wants telehandlers to be ‘hot’!” |
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LIFTOR head praises Crown technician training  MARTINSVILLE, NJ, United States Ohio-based Crown Equipment Corp’s award-winning technician training program has been praised by the Monaco Group Inc, which operates the National Lift Truck Operator Registry (LIFTOR). Monaco Group president Joe Monaco, who chaired the judging committee for the International Society for Performance Improvement’s (ISPI) 2006 awards of excellence, said Crown’s DP Quick Start program, based on human performance, had met more than 40 rigorous ISPI criteria (Forkliftaction.com News #265). “There were more than 40 prescribed criteria that had to be documented by Crown. If the awards of excellence evaluators observed that a single criterion was not met, Crown would not have received the award,” he said. Each criterion corresponded to an element of a “systematic, data-driven approach” to develop the international product competing for the award. “Crown’s instructional system was engineered from deliberate collection of data, thorough analysis and careful rendering of logical conclusions about what works on the job and what doesn’t,” Monaco said. Crown’s training system was like the LIFTOR forklift operator management training system because both were human performance-based systems of instruction and focused on practice over theory. “If any other forklift manufacturers, anywhere in the world, are using such a human performance technology approach to developing training, I would be delighted to know,” Monaco said. “With Crown’s new instructional system, time to competence has been reduced to less than six months and, in some cases, three months.” From examining Crown’s website and information submitted to the April 2006 ISPI conference, Monaco said it took about 12 months to train a technician with old training methods. The DP QuickStart program has reduced time to competence by 75 per cent, a Crown statement said. LIFTOR is a forklift operator management and training system owned by New Jersey-based Monaco Group Inc. Monaco said he had no affiliation with Crown Equipment Corp.   Forkliftaction.com celebrates 6th birthday BRISBANE, Australia Six years ago Forkliftaction.com executive director Michael Leu launched the industry’s most accessed web portal after years of experience as a forklift dealer. Knowing a business information site would benefit the materials handling industry, Leu gathered a team of professionals to harness the power and reach of the internet. The result was a weekly e-newsletter, first sent to 50 of his industry associates on July 7, 2000. Forkliftaction.com now celebrates its sixth anniversary of providing a relevant business resource and meeting place for the materials handling industry. Forkliftaction.com News is read by more than 80,000 people from North America, Europe and Asia each week. More than 300 dealers list used equipment in the Forkliftaction.com Marketplace and over 35,000 visits were made to the Marketplace last month. Each visitor viewed about 18 pages and visitor numbers are growing steadily. The numbers are expected to grow as Leu and his team take the business to a new level. Currently catering to a global audience, Forkliftaction.com is planning to tailor its website to local members. General manager Ann Hofmans said the company would source more news from local correspondents and offer news and ads to local members. “We have started writing local stories for Australia and New Zealand. This presents opportunities for local advertisers. In the coming year we will develop local communities everywhere in the world,” she said. “We are growing as a community and a business. We are actively seeking people to help expand our news and advertising sections so please drop us an email if you are interested.” Forkliftaction.com believes its strength lies in its business products and independent news service. Revenue comes from materials handling companies’ advertising campaigns but advertisers have no say in what the company publishes in its weekly e-newsletter. “Our biggest challenge and aim is to remain independent in our industry. Our neutral position in the market is our strength and the only way we can ensure long-term success,” Hofmans said. The web portal continues to develop web pages that correspond to the level of interest, need and internet experience of its audience. The ShopFront advertisements are very popular and likely to have increased content in future. ShopFront ads are like an advertiser’s ‘virtual office’. They contain a company profile, contact details and are linked to the advertiser’s media releases, product profiles and used equipment listings. More features will be linked to the ShopFront. Forkliftaction.com’s jobs section has seen materials handling companies attract suitable employees and industry members find new jobs over the years. On average, 10 job listings are posted on the Forkliftaction.com website each week. Forkliftaction.com plans to enhance the jobs and resumes sections to increase employment in the industry. Leu said that as an Australian forklift dealer operating six years ago, Forkliftaction.com would have provided him with an invaluable tool. “It would have given me the information to see the ‘big picture’ of the materials handling world. Today Forkliftaction.com can tell me who the industry players are, what new product lines, spare parts or machines are available to offer my customers. Customers have access to digital photos and can make quicker decisions and I can receive their emails in an instant,” he said. “Forkliftaction.com would have been great for my old business.”  JAMCO have over 40 PNEUMATICS IN STOCK!!! See listings and photos on MarketPlace 5x 2000 CLARK CGP25 - 5000lbs Pneumatic, 83/189" Triple, s/shift, LPG $9650USDea 25x 1996 YALE GLP060 - 6000lbs Pneumatic, 81/114" 2stage, Full Cab, S/shift, LPG $6600USDea 2x 1996 YALE GLP040 - 4000lbs Pneumatic, 2stage LPG $5800USDea 10x 1996 YALE GLP030 - 3000lbs Pneumatic, 82/118" 2stage, LPG $5800USDea 1x 1996 YALE GLP080 - 8000lbs Pneumatic, 2stage, LPG $8750USD 1x 1996 YALE GLP100 - 10000lbs Pneumatic, 2stage LPG $10500USD Phone: +1 519 653 7979 - Nth American callers (866) 848-5400 www.jamco1.com See our ShopFront JAMCO now celebrate 20 years service...   Konecranes bags first Ukrainian order HYVINKÄÄ, Finland KCI Konecranes has secured its first rubber-tyred-gantry (RTG) crane order from a Ukrainian container terminal. Terminal operator Ukrtranscontainer ordered six RTGs, worth EUR9 million (USD11.5 million), to be delivered to Illichivsk container terminal in the northern hemisphere’s 2007 spring. The 16-wheel, all-electric RTGs have a lifting capacity of 50 tons and can stack containers one-over-five high in a six-plus-truck wide lane. The cranes, which will be manufactured in Europe and the Ukraine, are part of a program to modernise the Illichivsk Sea Commercial Port, started in 2004, a Konecranes statement said. Konecranes said the Illichivsk terminal would increase its annual handling capacity to four million TEUs in 10 years. Urktranscontainer is part of the National Container Company, the largest container terminal operator in the Commonwealth Independent States, Konecranes said. It has operated the Illichivsk terminal since 2005. JLG targets “hot category” for telehandlers HAGERSTOWN, MD, United States JLG Industries Inc, of Hagerstown, will release new die-cast models of its machines after selling more than 40,000 of eight models launched last December (Forkliftaction.com News #237). The second series, to be released in October, will be the JLG 860SJ telescopic boom lift, the JLG 10MSP vertical mast stock picker, the JLG T350 TowPro and the JLG Liftlux 260-25 scissor lift. “We are pleased model collectors and customers around the world have given us a huge thumbs up, purchasing thousands of our replica models,” JLG director of marketing David Baxter said. Baxter said JLG had produced the models as marketing tools for its network of equipment rental partners, sales distributors and as limited offerings to employees. “The models were so well received we decided to expand our marketing focus to include collectors.” The 1:32 scale models were available at specialty retailers, collectors’ shows and events, and through the JLG website. JLG learned, via its merchandising team, that there were thousands of collector model distributors that could help get the models to a larger audience. “Collectors provide more volume to help grow the business. If a category becomes hot, models can become collectors’ items and that will help increase awareness of the JLG brand,” Baxter said. “About 20 per cent of the models currently go through the collector distribution channel. We hope to grow that to more than 50 per cent in the next few years. The key is establishing aerial work platforms and telehandlers as a hot category,” he said. JLG’s first scale models were developed in 1982 by New York-based die-cast truck manufacturer Winross. They were a series of 1:50 scale boom lifts and carry-deck cranes. In the late 1980s, they were replaced with a 1:40 scale model of the JLG 60H boom lift. Baxter said that, after JLG acquired Gradall in 1999 and OmniQuip in 2003 (Forkliftaction.com News #115), it decided to develop a series of die-cast models of the entire product line. Before 2005, an estimated 150,000 models were produced.  Patented Forklift Attachment- Seeking Manufacturer Safe-Sheet, LLC is actively pursuing a company to license, produce and manufacture our Safe-Sheet forklift attachment, which virtually eliminates product damage caused by forklifts. Safe-Sheet is a clear attachment that protects products from being damaged by the backstop of a forklift. The Home Depot stores in Arizona, USA that are using our attachment have recorded a 7-15% reduction of damaged goods per store, per month. The target market for this attachment equates to $15 million over a four year period. If your company is interested in building additional revenue without eroding existing sales please contact us: EMAIL: tkunch@safe-sheet.com ONLINE: www.safe-sheet.com Briefs Associated-Allied expands in Indiana INDIANAPOLIS, IN, United States Raymond forklift dealer Associated-Allied has expanded its Indiana presence with a new office and warehouse in Marion County. The 30,000 square foot (2,787 square metre) facility is in the Ameriplex Business Park. Company president Michael Romano paid tribute to Associated-Allied’s Indiana employees for their commitment and hard work at the facility’s opening last month. Yale honours 14 dealers GREENVILLE, NC, United States Yale Materials Handling Corp has given dealer of excellence awards to its 14 top performing dealers at the 12th annual awards ceremony in Half Moon Bay, California. Yale claims to have the world’s most comprehensive dealer network. Each year, dealers who achieve ambitious goals for customer satisfaction, dealer performance, general management, truck sales, short-term rental, aftermarket sales, and parts and service operations are recognised with awards.  Pedal layout a safety issue in Australia MELBOURNE, Australia In Australia this week WorkSafe Victoria issued a press release warning of safety risks due to forklift pedal layouts. WorkSafe said some forklift models had more than one brake pedal while others had an accelerator pedal that allowed the foot position to select forward or reverse mode. If a forklift was added to an existing fleet, mixing control types could “lead to operator confusion and inappropriate operator actions”. WorkSafe Victoria called on employers and forklift hire businesses to assess and control risk under the Occupational Health & Safety (Plant) Regulations 1995. Tough environment sparks forklift fleet upgrade SYDNEY, Australia Linde Materials Handling Australia has delivered the last of 30 Linde H20 two tonne counterbalanced forklifts to one of Australia’s toughest materials handling environments, Sydney’s Flemington Markets. The 30 forklifts replaced 43 Nissan 2.5 tonne counterbalanced forklifts. Although not Linde Australia’s biggest order to date, New South Wales Linde Materials Handling sales manager George Pappas said it was a major order for Linde. “The biggest orders for us are 100-300 units. However, this was a significant order,” Pappas said. He said the order was valued at more than AUD1.15 million (USD866,642). Sydney Markets Transport Services Pty Ltd ordered the replacement forklifts after concerns about efficiency at the Flemington Markets, a Linde statement said. “Forklifts unload trucks and deliver stock to wholesalers up to 500 metres away. There can be up to 40 consignments in one truck load and there’s usually another truck waiting,” the press release said. A Flemington Markets spokesperson said the hectic environment of the Sydney markets justified purchasing the Linde forklifts. “The markets are definitely getting busier. We have increasingly less room, so factors such as the tight turning circle and excellent visibility of the Linde are increasingly important to us,” he said. Pappas said about 900 forklifts operated at the markets during night shifts. Articulated truck maker introduces new range REDDITCH, United Kingdom UK forklift manufacturer Translift Bendi Ltd is introducing its “biggest range of new models in years” in 2006. The 1,800kg rated B318 forklift, whose predecessor is the B313, can lift up to 10 metres using front-wheel drive. It can work in 1,600mm wide aisles. A two-tonne rated forklift, the B420, is being launched in the northern hemisphere summer. It is available in rear-wheel and all-wheel drive and raises loads to 10 metres. The B420 Hi-Lift, which can lift loads to 13 metres, will be available later in the year. A new machine, named “External”, has been introduced for companies using a counterbalanced forklift and reach truck for lorry loading and unloading and indoor work. The articulated truck, fitted with “special compound rubber wheels”, will work in 1.8 metre wide aisles, “less than the 2.6 metres required by reach trucks and the 3.6 metres by conventional counterbalanced forklifts”, a Bendi statement said. Measurements, currencies and time zones...: CHECK OUT THE NEW UNIT CONVERTER! We’d like to introduce you to our newest tool: the Forkliftaction.com UNIT CONVERTER. With a couple of clicks you can convert any measurement or currency value to another or find the time in other parts of the world. Square metres to yards, pounds to kilograms, US dollars to British Pounds...: it's all here. Check it out! You can open the unit converter from the orange search bar in all our web pages: www.forkliftaction.com We hope you find our converter useful. Write us about it on info@forkliftaction.com. The Forkliftaction.com Team Email: info@forkliftaction.com – Phone: +61 7 3369 9090 – Fax: +61 7 3369 9096. Balkancar plant turned to housing SOFIA, Bulgaria The site of a former Balkancar plant, in Sofia, Bulgaria, will become a residential complex. The Bulgarian News Digest reported VP group subsidiary Lithuanian Vilnius Acropolis will occupy 20 hectares at the site in Krasno Selo district. The plant’s floor space totalled 750,000 square metres. The residential units will occupy 350,000 square metres; 100,000 square metres will be used for trade and recreation centres, and 50,000 square metres for an office building. Construction is estimated to cost EUR500 million (USD635.3 million). Acropolis acquired Balkancar’s plant for LEV8 million (USD5.2 million). VP group is a private Lithuanian company operating a retail trade network for foodstuff and manufactured goods in the Baltic States. Show presents latest RFID MELBOURNE, Australia A trade show and conference in Melbourne, Impetus 2006, will present the latest in RFID and RSS (reduced space symbology) bar coding technologies. Host of the July 25–26 event is GS1 Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that administers a global system of numbers and bar codes to order, track, trace, deliver and pay for goods across supply chains, anywhere in the world. Conference speakers include representatives from Proctor & Gamble, CHEP Asia Pacific and retailers Coles Myer, Woolworths and The Warehouse, in New Zealand. There will be panel discussions on RFID technology. More than 30 trade show exhibitors include Supply-LINQ, Pacific Commerce and Pulse Logistics. GS1 relationships marketing coordinator Morag Milne said the conference was “intense and global with representatives from Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe”. Further information: www.gs1au.org On-road forklift disrupts business PORT WENTWORTH, GA, United States A forklift on a highway disrupted 250 Port Wentworth residences and businesses in Georgia, USA, last week when it hit the telephone, cable and power lines. Savannah TV station WTOC reported Mario Summerville, of Cargoways Logistics, was driving on Highway 25 when he heard an “electrical” noise. “Coming up the power line, it looked higher from a distance. Before I knew it, I made contact with it,” Summerville said. He also hit the phone and cable lines. The Georgia Department of Public Safety said the forklift was not carrying a permit and Cargoways Logistics could face fines and citations from the incident. Search 8655 listings in the MarketplaceSample of used equipment for sale:
and thousands more... Click here to include your used forklifts, stackers, telehandlers, container handlers, attachments etc.  Send this newsletter to an associate
Conscientious Manufacturer Leads Initiative to Raise Industry Safety and Performance Standards The material handling industry’s new voluntary standards for portable loading dock equipment (also known as ANSI Standard MH30.2) improves safety and performance for customers. Spear headed by Bluff Manufacturing, Inc. in conjunction with the trade association Material Handling Industry of America’s (MHIA) Loading Dock Equipment Manufacturers (LODEM) group, the initiative outlines mechanical and structural design guidelines along with usage, operation and maintenance standards. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. Cascade Canada announces the retirement of two outstanding individuals Cascade Canada announces the June 30th retirement of two outstanding individuals: John Januszczak, Territory Manager-Manitoba and Central Ontario and Brian Watchus, General Manager, Cascade Canada. Under Brian's guidance and John's commitment to total customer satisfaction, Cascade Mississauga has grown to become a custom solution provider for the Material Handling Industry in North America. Under their supervision, sales quintupled at Mississauga! Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. ACS Speedshield appoints Terry Troutman Automotion Control Systems (ACS) of Australia is pleased to announce that Terry Troutman opened their Chicago based North American operation. ACS is the creator of Speedshield, the most advanced control system for forklifts and mobile plant equipment. Tested and proven in Australia, the latest version is now operating successfully in major steel, aluminum, and automotive plants. Speedshield offers the ability to select varying levels of safety measures, including Driver Interlocks and Speed Limiters, Speed Zoning, a range of Dynamic Stability Controls and Wireless Reporting. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. VNA Warehouse Floor Flatteners – Concrete Grinding Specialists Flatness is an essential requirement of a floor slab in certain categories of industry. Undoubtedly the most important of these categories is that of aisles in high-density warehouses where fixed-path VNA forklifts operate. Variations in level across the aisle between the wheel tracks of the truck are magnified in proportion to the height of the racking. But this, calculated from geometrical considerations, forms only part of the potential movement at the top of the mast. READ MORE... Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. 
Multi-piece wheels could save your employees from serious injury or death Click here for more information on this product, including pictures.
Chicago company fined for forklift death ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL, United States The US Department of Labour’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Chicago company USD165,200 after a worker fell from a forklift and died. Click here for the full Fork Talk feature, including pictures.  |
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Forkliftaction.com celebrates its sixth anniversary this week and we're proud of it. So, for the occasion we have attempted to satisfy the curiosity of some of our most active members: 
