Manufacturers face tough competition
ESSLINGEN, Germany

Competition among forklift manufacturers is so fierce that it’s hard for companies to gain sufficient income from forklift sales alone, says world ranking list author Wolfgang Degenhard.

He made the comment in dhf-intralogistik magazine’s publication The Market keeps moving - World Ranking List 2005/06.

He said almost all companies in the list reported profits but that did not mask the fact that competition between manufacturers was hard.

“This takes us to another trend, the increasing focus on becoming a system supplier and service provider.

“This does not only apply to large but increasingly also to smaller companies,” Degenhard said.

“By now, they also supply complete solutions from a single source, starting from initial material flow planning via conceptualisation and scheduling and the construction phase to the plant operation.

“Maintenance of complete fleets, handling of client-oriented service concepts, and the acceptance of specially tailored leasing and financing services are no longer the prerogative of the large providers.”

The top four forklift manufacturers, Toyota (18.67 per cent), Kion (15.73 per cent), Nacco (8.42 per cent), Jungheinrich (6.76 per cent), had nearly 50 per cent of the global market share for 2004/05.

Degenhard said manufacturers often made market share claims that did not accurately reflect reality.

To develop the market shares published in The Market keeps moving - World Ranking List 2005/06, Degenhard and his team added the turnovers of listed manufacturers with a percentage representing “undisclosed cases”, based on international industry associations’ estimates.

“The total calculated in this way reflects the size of the world market,” Degenhard said.

He said the conventional method of determining market share involved counting the number of forklifts sold. Dhf used company turnover to reflect market share because the average prices of individual forklifts could differ by significant amounts.

Click here to view the ranking list.

“No business, no charge”
EL MONTE, CA, United States

A search engine optimisation (SEO) consultant has included a forklift company in a pilot program for small businesses to implement online marketing strategies with no upfront costs.

Renea Blanck, a Houston, Texas-based independent marketing and SEO consultant created Best Forklift Service’s company website about two years ago.

Now, Best Forklift and another client will benefit from Blanck’s services on a “no business, no charge” basis to direct targeted traffic to the website.

Blanck researched the small family-owned forklift parts company’s potential online market and discovered the key words people used in internet search engines to find products.

“By identifying key terms and phrases that relate specifically to Best Forklift, I was able to determine there are hundreds of people looking for forklift parts and other forklift-related information, services and products.

“We believe we should be able to generate an additional USD10,000 to USD20,000 a month via the internet,” she said.

The challenge in improving Best Forklift’s website visibility rested on “beating the competition”.  Blanck said there were more than one million websites competing for forklift-related traffic, many with a high page ranking on internet search results.

“Best Forklift currently has no page ranking as they haven’t done SEO before, so the first step is to get them a competitive page ranking.

“The other strategy will be to target more niche terms to capture some of the untapped traffic,” she said.

Blanck said many small businesses found it difficult to afford online marketing like SEO. Under Blanck’s pilot program, clients are charged according to an agreed percentage of online sales generated by her efforts.

She said she was currently testing the program and if it was successful, it would be implemented as part of her business model.

“Most SEO firms or individuals I or my clients come across require large fees and do not offer any no-risk programs other than, in some cases, a money-back guarantee.”

Best Forklift Service CEO Jim Nicholson said Blanck provided the expertise the company needed.

“[She] developed an affordable, easy-to-use website for us. It was natural to approach her again when we were ready for SEO,” he said.

Best Forklift Service carries forklift parts for brands that include Caterpillar, Clark, Crown, Hyster, Kalmar A/C, Komatsu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Raymond, TCM, Toyota and Yale. The California-based company also supplies forklift speciality items, like battery connectors, booster cables and LP-gas components, and a selection of strobe and flashing lights for the materials handling industry.

Looking to expand your existing business or customer base?

Barrett Industrial Trucks, a leading manufacturer of electric warehouse forklifts in Marengo, Illinois, is currently taking applications from qualified businesses that wish to represent our product line. Since 1914, Barrett Industrial Trucks has been providing a quality and innovative product to our Industry, and we are looking to grow our distribution network.

Warehousing is a rapidly growing sector of the material handling industry. This may be just the opportunity for your Company.

If you are interested in becoming the next Distributor of Barrett Industrial products, please call (815) 568-4460 or e-mail Mark Manninen.

Briefs

Growing Jungheinrich US expands to larger building
RICHMOND, VA, United States
Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp has moved its headquarters to a larger building not far from its previous Richmond site.

The new building is 70,000 square feet bigger and accommodates 120 people, 20 per cent more than the current building.

Junhgheinrich president John Sneddon said substantial growth over the past 12 months had prompted the move, which consolidated all departments into one building.

BT introduces new counterbalanced series
MJÖLBY, Sweden
BT Industries has introduced the new Cargo E4 series of counterbalanced forklifts.

The Bologna, Italy-made forklift comes with the BT Safetronix safety system, which consists of speed reduction on cornering, an automatic parking brake, “active STOP” braking and the counterbalance management system.

With active STOP braking, a forklift’s mechanical brakes are automatically activated half a second after the forklift stops.

Last year, BT’s Bologna plant won the international best factory award, a prize instituted in Great Britain in 1992 by Cranfield School of Management and Management Today magazine.

Hyster puts AC traction control in forklifts
GREENVILLE, NC, United States

Hyster Company has introduced the B60ZAC and B80ZAC series walkie/rider motorised hand pallet trucks.

The forklifts have the “latest advancements” in AC traction control technology to provide “increased torque, pace-setting travel speeds and smooth acceleration”, a Hyster statement said.

Operators can move more in one load with optional double and triple pallet fork lengths.

The B230 series B60ZAC and B233 series B80ZAC forklifts replace the A230 series B60Z and A233 series B80Z forklifts. The main difference between the new and old forklifts is the use of AC control technology.

Movers & Shakers

Portland, OR, United States
Allied Systems Company has appointed Russ Johnson as Long Reach sales director. Johnson has held sales management positions at Lift Technologies, where he was director of sales for the past four years. He worked with Cascade Corp from 1975 to 1999.

Matt Halloran has joined Allied Systems Company as Long Reach mid-central territory manager. Halloran has 12 years’ experience in the materials handling industry.  

Shelby Coon has joined Allied Systems as the southwest territory manager for Long Reach, based in Los Angeles, California. Coon was a sales representative with Komatsu for two years and a territory manager and product support representative with Crown Lift Trucks for six years.

Allied Systems acquired the Long Reach line of forklift attachments and other materials handling products in 2002.

SEOUL, Korea
Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (KOCEMA) member delegates voted at the association’s 13th annual general meeting to have Doosan Infracore president Choe Sung-chul serve another term as KOCEMA chairman. Choe said his priorities included invigorating domestic demand and helping Korean machinery makers become global leaders.

Search 3916 listings in the MarketplaceSample of used equipment for sale:

Nissan	PJ02A25U	1986	Australia	AUD 13500	Details
Linde	R 20 P 114	1997	Germany	EUR 2850	Details
Linde	P 60 Z 036	1997	Germany	EUR 1750	Details
Taylor	THD-250-S	1999	United States	USD 68500	Details
Steinbock	KE 16-66/300ZT	2000	Germany	EUR 3850	Details
Clark	GCS25MB	> 10 years	United Kingdom	GBP 3000	Details
Jungheinrich	ERC 12 G115-250ZT	1998	Germany	EUR 2750	Details
Still	R 60-25 6023	2001	Germany	EUR 6400	Details
Lansing	FHG36N8	> 5 years	Australia	AUD 14500	Details
Raymond	112TM	2000	Australia	AUD 3000	Details
Hyster	S30C	1980	United Kingdom	GBP 1968.75	Details
Nissan	NJ01A15	1997	Canada	USD 6150	Details
Linde	E16P	1999	United Kingdom	GBP 3093.75	Details
Yale	GLP155	2003	Canada	USD 36000	Details

and thousands more...
Click here to include your used forklifts, stackers, telehandlers, container handlers, attachments etc.

Respected European forklift manufacturer seeks dealers in Italy

Major European brand seeks Industrial forklift dealer representation for unique product. This product range is well positioned alongside conventional forklifts because it adds to a dealer's coverage of the marketplace without competing head-on directly with any current forklift type or brand.

This machine was designed and manufactured in Europe and the manufacturer has strategically established its brand in Europe and North America. Now the time is right to open out more into Italy and interest is sought from successful forklift equipment dealers who want to broaden their scope with this unique forklift.
  
The product is available in Diesel and LPG and is primarily aimed at exterior yard applications.

For more information, email Forkliftaction.com with your query and contact details.

The manufacturer will contact you in a timely manner.

Dealers Wanted - Australia/Asia

Major European brand seeks Industrial forklift dealer representation for unique product. This product range is well positioned alongside conventional forklifts because it adds to a dealer's coverage of the marketplace without competing head-on directly with any current forklift type or brand.

This machine was designed and manufactured in Europe and the manufacturer has strategically established its brand in Europe and North America before broadening coverage. Now the time is right to open out into South East Asia and the Pacific Region and interest is sought from successful forklift equipment dealers who want to broaden their scope with this unique forklift.
  
The product is available in Diesel and LPG and is primarily aimed at exterior yard applications.

For more information, email Forkliftaction.com with your query and contact details.

The manufacturer will contact you in a timely manner.

It’s “business as usual” for NFN
MILPERRA, New South Wales, Australia

The head of Nacco Materials Handling Group (NMHG) in Australia says National Fleet Network (NFN) customers should not detect any noticeable change in their every-day dealings with the forklift fleet rental business.

The assurance comes despite NFN’s “absorption” into NMHG this month and the uncertainty that surrounds final staffing and office arrangements.

Forkliftaction.com News submitted questions to NMHG managing director Ian Neilson after the April 4 announcement.

Answers, which arrived this week, showed many operational decisions were outstanding.

Neilson insisted, however, that NFN customers – which include industrial heavyweights Visy Industries, Toll Holdings and Mitsubishi Motors Australia – would notice only improvements in their future dealings.

NFN customers were notified of the business realignment by direct contact, letter or telephone.

“In most cases, the same technicians will continue to service their trucks,” Neilson said in a statement to Forkliftaction.com News.

“In fact, we believe customers should experience improvements in [several] areas, including sales support, fleet management offerings, product availability and technical support.”

Neilson said staffing arrangements had not been finalised.

“The functions of the NFN offices will be merged into either the NMHG Wholesale group or the NMHG Retail group,” Neilson said.

“No specific decisions on locations have been announced, since the organisation is still in the analysis process.”

With eight offices nationwide and 165 staff throughout the Asia-Pacific region, NFN calls itself “Australia’s largest materials handling fleet management company”.

NFN was formed in December 2000 when giant Oregon USA-based forklift manufacturer NMHG Inc, marketer of the Hyster and Yale brands, bought the Australian business operations of Brambles Equipment.

Neilson said feedback from customers and staff had been “very positive”.

“Sales and marketing will be enhanced by consolidating the existing NMHG Wholesale and NFN selling organisations,” he said.

“Using NMHG’s national dealer network to provide service support will significantly improve responsiveness to customers.”

Sell-out in motion
AUCKLAND, New Zealand

New Zealand company Broadway Industries Ltd has signed a conditional sales agreement to buy Brisbane engineering firm Inmotion.

Publicly listed Broadway Industries manufactures and supplies materials handling equipment for the global food processing industry through its subsidiary, Mercer Technologies.

Inmotion manufactures and supplies conveyor and materials handling systems for the food industry.

An Inmotion spokesman declined to comment, citing “sensitivities” surrounding a sale to a public company.

Briefs

No pulp friction at southern port
PORTLAND, Victoria, Australia
Expansion plans for the Port of Portland will not be affected by the scrapping of a $650 million Heywood pulp mill project.
The Port of Portland is a deep-water bulk port between Melbourne and Adelaide which expected to ship about 350,000 tonnes of pulp a year from the mill. Developer Protavia unexpectedly withdrew its plans for the Heywood project, north of Portland, last week.
Port spokesman Graeme Tivey told the ABC in western Victoria that plans for the port were not tied to pulp shipping contracts.
"We’ve been planning for either no pulp mills, one pulp mill or two pulp mills and we've covered those contingencies all the way along,” Tivey said.

Contest open to young logisticians
PARRAMATTA, New South Wales, Australia
The chance to mix with the world’s foremost logistical thinkers at an all-expenses-met conference in Philadelphia, USA, is again on offer in 2007.
Applications for the logistics development award close on June 30. A fully funded trip to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals Conference, from October 21 to October 24, is the main prize for the winning author of a 1,500-word paper.
“I urge young logisticians to seriously consider applying for this unprecedented opportunity to widen their horizons,’’ Joe Famularo, Logistics Association of Australia’s (LAA) vice president of education and training, said.
“Attending the [conference] is an international industry highlight like no other.”  
For entry forms and information, see the LAA website, http://www.laa.asn.au.

Fantastic plastic delivery
ALTONA, Victoria, Australia
A $225 million contract between transport company Toll Holdings Ltd and plastics manufacturer Qenos Pty Ltd will see a five-year plan to store and distribute 400,000 tonnes of polyethylene begin next year.
Australian Associated Press reported bulk containers and palletised product would be delivered from Quenos facilities in Altona, Victoria, and Botany, New South Wales, to customers nationwide.


Big hopes for BHP site
MAYFIELD, New South Wales, Australia
The future for a 150-hectare former BHP site at Mayfield, north of Newcastle, NSW, looks bright after tenders closed last week.
The Regional Land Management Corporation told the ABC in Newcastle that there had been strong submissions from within Australia and abroad.
Corporation chief Brad Foot said the submissions were in line with the corporation’s master plan.
“We've got proposals that involve direct port uses, proposals that use the freight handling attributes of the site with the rail and some general industrial uses have been proposed," Foot said.

Something to suit most pallets
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia
Logistics giant Brambles has signed with internet-based freight managers Freightnow to streamline CHEP pallet distribution across Australia.
Freightnow’s website allows freight forwarders to link instantly with available transport operators.
“We offer a service which matches loads with empty trucks in the smartest possible way,” a Freightnow spokesman said in a statement.
CHEP spends about $30million a year on freight, sending and receiving pallets and containers Australia-wide.

On the horns of a dilemma
TOWNSVILLE, Queensland, Australia

It was forklift against beast last week when a runaway steer charged down Townsville’s Flinders Mall and into the carpark of the local newspaper.
The steer had bolted from a herd of 17,600 cattle being loaded on board an Indonesia-bound ship at Townsville Port.
Two ringers who had been at the port to watch the mammoth loading operation tackled the beast as it broke through the newspaper’s fence and headed towards traffic.
A Townsville Bulletin employee swiftly commandeered a forklift to lift the steer into a makeshift pen until further help arrived.

After 40 years Lisman Forklift Trucks retains it's family business character.

Year 2007 is an exceptional year for Lisman Forklift Trucks, because in these months the Dutch based company will be celebrating 40 years in the business. To take you back in time we provide you with an insight in the Lisman history.

Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures.

Safety know-how at Queensland Safety Conference and Show

A host of workshops at the Queensland Safety Show and Queensland Materials Handling, together with expert addresses at the Queensland Safety Conference will equip visitors with the know-how to make workplaces safe.

To be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from June 19 to 21, the three concurrently held workplace safety events draw together an impressive list of expert speakers and industry partners that includes WorkCover Queensland, the Master Plumbers' Association of Queensland, the Electrical & Communications Association and Commerce Queensland.

Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures.

Introducing the All-New TCM PRO Cushion Tire Lift Trucks

These trucks are specially engineered for demanding high-cycle applications. 100% clean sheet designs, the all-new 3,000 to 6,000 pound TCM PRO cushion tire lift trucks increase your operation’s productivity and profitability! More than 58 years of TCM innovations and continuous improvement have been built into TCM PRO, making them the most reliable and powerful TCM lift trucks ever. Optimized to deliver outstanding performance every day, they also feature improved safety, operating precision, and simplified maintenance as top priorities.

Click here for more information on this product, including pictures.

RICO ships diesel powered platform trucks

RICO Equipment, Inc., has just announced their completion of two heavy duty, high capacity Rider Platform trucks. The capacities range from 80, 000 lbs to 90,000 lbs.

Click here for more information on this product, including pictures.

Todd Brennan: Time for change?
HELENSBURGH, NSW, Australia

I rack my brain as to why these two scenarios continue to pop up. Surely by now all users are aware of the importance of wearing seat belts and pedestrian separation – or are they? Is it operators or management? Is it forklift design or workplace design? Is it the number of forklifts in use or the number of workers? Is it behavioural or procedural? Obviously there is no simple answer or surely it would have been treated by now.

Click here for the full Safety First feature, including pictures.

Jerry Hu, Hytsu Group
SHANGHAI, China

Jerry Hu, owner and CEO of the rapidly growing forklift manufacturer Hytsu Group, says hard work does not mean long hours at the office.

Click here for the full Industry Profile feature, including pictures.

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