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Dear reader, WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM, MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE. This is issue #339 - 06 December 2007 of the weekly newsletter for industry professionals. |
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 “Doosan completes Bobcat acquisition.” |
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New Kion division a growth strategy  WIESBADEN, Germany Kion Group is establishing a separate hydraulics & components division to boost sales growth and create synergies between the Linde, Still and OM brands. Linde Hydraulics, a division of Linde Materials Handling, is now part of the new Kion division. That means Linde Material Handling, like other OEMs, is now a customer of the new division. The division’s products include high-pressure hydraulic pumps and valves, electronic control units, complete drive shafts, counterbalances and casting components for hydraulics applications. It employs about 2,000 people in seven locations worldwide. The division’s plants are in Europe. Linde’s hydrostatic drive technology is sourced from the division while “commodity” components, like counterbalances, will be supplied to the three Kion brands. Kion spokesman Michael Hauger says half the division’s sales come from external OEMs. OEM customers include the construction, forestry and farming equipment industries. “The newly-created division achieves sales in the magnitude of a significant three digit million Euro figure.” Gordon Riske, Linde Material Handling CEO, says the company has “outstanding technological skills” in hydraulics and components. “We intend to increase significantly the marketing of these skills outside the Kion Group. Our aim is to achieve substantial growth in sales over the next few years in the hydraulics and components business.” Kion estimates the world market for hydraulics and drive components to be worth EUR16 billion (USD23.5 billion) annually and says it is growing at an average long-term rate of about 8%. Hauger will not comment on the group’s market share and business targets but says establishing the division will be good for sales growth. “Management of the division has full responsibility for its own sales and results. This creates a strong entrepreneurial thinking, which is prerequisite to improve and grow business.” Kion will “create synergies in the area of commodity components”, improving co-operation between the Linde, Still and OM forklift brands. “But the cooperation will not dilute the strong brand differentiation between the three brands, which produce trucks to fulfill different requirements,” Hauger says. Klaus Hofmann, a Linde Material Handling management board member, is chairman of the division’s board. Hofmann will represent the division on Kion Group’s executive committee. Karl-Heinz Birkner, Kion Group’s chief of in-house consulting, is CFO. Former Linde Material Handling CEO Stefan Rinck, who was responsible for hydraulics on Linde’s management board, is leaving Kion Group. Christopher Kempermann, Bernward Welschof and Peter Kolb, who had management roles in the former Linde hydraulics division, now form the new division’s management team with roles in marketing & sales, development and production respectively.  Doosan completes Bobcat acquisition SEOUL, South Korea; WEST FARGO, ND and CHARLOTTE, NC, United States Doosan Infracore will reach more customers with a broader product portfolio now that its USD4.9 billion acquisition of Ingersoll Rand Company’s Bobcat, utility equipment and attachments businesses is finalised. With the addition of Ingersoll Rand’s operations in China, Belgium, France and the Czech Republic, Doosan Infracore will have a combined distribution and manufacturing network exceeding 3,500 dealers and consisting of 20 manufacturing plants worldwide (Forkliftaction.com News #321). Doosan Infracore vice chairman Yongmaan Park says the company is now “extremely well-positioned” to become a “true global leader” in the construction equipment sector. “These three businesses each have superior operations with high-quality products that will enhance Doosan’s overall product portfolio by adding compact construction equipment to our existing medium and large-scale construction equipment product lines.” Doosan Infracore expects to be one of the world’s top 10 manufacturers of construction and utility equipment and associated attachments in terms of pro forma sales, which will be about USD7.5 billion annually. Bobcat and Ingersoll Rand’s utility equipment and attachments businesses will operate as individual businesses of Doosan Infracore’s US subsidiary, Doosan Infracore International. Bobcat, which makes telehandlers, loaders, excavators, utility products, light construction equipment and attachments, will still be known as Bobcat. Ingersoll Rand Utility Equipment will be known as Doosan Infracore Portable Power. Ingersoll Rand Attachments will be called DII Attachments. Forkliftaction.com News previously reported Doosan Group will establish a new company, Doosan Techno Holding Company, to own and control Bobcat’s intellectual property rights (Forkliftaction.com News #336).  Bac2 secures GBP2 million in private funding SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom Bac2, producer of the patent-pending ElectroPhen polymer, has raised GBP2 million (USD4.1 million) in private funds to market its key product. The funding follows a GBP500,000 (USD1.0 million) seed investment in May 2006 and a GBP250,000 (USD516,449) grant from the UK Department of Trade & Industry in June 2005. Bac2 CEO Mike Stannard says the company has made progress since then. “The fact that we have been able to secure so much investment, mainly from private individuals, demonstrates the progress we have made since the company was set up in 2005.” He says ElectroPhen will be initially commercialised in the fuel cell market and then in other electrical and electronics applications. ElectroPhen is an electrically conductive polymer used to create bipolar plates and end caps for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks. A Bac2 spokesperson told Forkliftaction.com News the company will announce its first standard product soon and plans to use ElectroPhen in plastic and printed electronic components and circuits. ElectroPhen plates need to be customised because each fuel cell design has unique plate requirements. However, the spokesperson says some customers want to tailor ElectroPhen bipolar plates to their specifications themselves. “Bac2 will announce the availability of blank plates of ElectroPhen that can be machined by customers to meet their applications’ needs.” Bac2 has four employees working at its offices and test laboratory in Southampton, UK, which opened in August. (Forkliftaction.com News #316). Still equips new Rotterdam logistics centre HAMBURG, Germany Still GmbH is responsible for managing and supplying high-end logistics for Rotterdam-based Tronox Inc’s new distribution warehouse. Tronox, according to Still, is the world’s third largest producer of titanium dioxide pigments, supplying them to more than 100 countries. Still is working with Dutch VAT Logistics Services BV to establish Tronox’s new, highly-automated logistics centre, expected to be ready by mid-2008. Still’s tasks include delivering three fully automatic, laser-guided MX-X very narrow aisle forklifts, two Still RX 50 counterbalanced forklifts and a driverless transport system to the centre. The driverless transport system consists of two shuttles, each with a transport capacity of three pallets, that will move between the titanium dioxide production facility and the warehouse reception. Still is also setting up a pallet rack of 15,000 storage bays and transport facilities for pallets at the production and warehouse sites.  Obituary: William Alexander “Bill” Taylor LOUISVILLE, MS, United States Taylor Machine Works’ board chairman and former president William Alexander “Bill” Taylor Junior, 76, died at his home in Louisville, Mississippi, on November 22. Taylor, born on February 17, 1931, was the son of Ruby Leon Turner and William A Taylor Senior, who founded Taylor Machine Works in 1927. Taylor attended Mississippi College and Mississippi State University. He served in the US Air Force during the Korean conflict and later joined the family business. He was board chairman of The Taylor Group Inc and its subsidiaries, Taylor Machine Works, Sudden Service, Taylor Power Products, Taylor Environment Products, Taylor Machine Tools Corp, Taylor Precision Industries and Taylor Rail Group. One of Taylor’s significant contributions was a parts catalogue that became the cornerstone of Taylor Machine Works’ parts and service department. He assumed leadership of the company when his father died in May 1968. In 1993, his eldest son Lex Taylor took over as Taylor Machine Works president but Taylor continued serving as board chairman until he died. He is survived by his wife, Mitzi Metts Taylor, daughter Teresa Ktsanes, sons Lex Taylor and Robert Taylor and seven grandchildren. The funeral service was held on November 25 at First Baptist Church, Louisville. Information from The Taylor Group website and The Clarion-Ledger. To sign the guest book for WA “Bill” Taylor, go to: www.legacy.com/ClarionLedger/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=98491681  Seven things to consider when preparing your 2008 marketing plan
Contact our advertising sales team on info@forkliftaction.com, phone +61 (0)7 3369 9090 or fax +61 (0)7 3369 9096.   First Queen’s Award for ITL ROCESTER, United Kingdom JCB subsidiary International Transmissions Ltd (ITL) received its first Queen’s Award for Enterprise last Thursday, recognising its impressive overseas sales growth. JCB Group manufacturing director Alan Blake says the award is special because it is achieved by a small team. “Between 2003 and 2005 the 14 employees of International Transmissions helped increase overseas sales of transmissions, axles and engine components by a staggering 134%,” Blake says. Exports now represent 80% of ITL’s business. “While today’s award is for ITL, it is also a huge honour for everyone at JCB Transmissions. For it’s the world-class products made by this company that ITL has made such a success of selling in the global market, including the USA, Canada and the Middle East.” ITL sells transmissions, axles and engine components built by JCB Transmissions to third party OEMs. The transmissions and axles are also fitted to JCB Loadall telehandlers. ITL and JCB Transmissions are based in Abenbury Road, Wrexham. Trefor Jones, Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd, toured the JCB Transmissions factory before presenting the award to Blake at a ceremony in Wrexham watched by hundreds of ITL and JCB Transmissions employees. JCB's Loadall Business Unit and JCB Compact Products also received Queen's Awards this year. JCB has received 21 Queen’s Awards since its first in 1969 (Forkliftaction.com News #328). Briefs New series meets environment specifications LAINATE, Italy Komatsu Forklift Europe has introduced EX50 series 10 ton to 16 ton internal combustion forklifts. Manufactured in Tochigi, Japan, the new forklift series replaces the EX20 series introduced in 2004. It is sold only in Europe. Komatsu says the forklift’s engine complies with EPA Tier 3 and Euro IIIA regulations. “An electronic controlled unit controls fuel injection, giving high performance and reducing fuel consumption,” a Komatsu statement said. “The unique shape of the combustion chamber facilitates complete fuel burning by optimising conditions, timing and fuel injection, helping reduce NOx and particulate matter in exhaust [emissions].” The forklift series includes hydraulic suspension cabs that absorb vibration and reduce fatigue. Powercell powers Doosan forklifts STANSTED, United Kingdom Powercell Industrial Battery Engineers Ltd is now the exclusive supplier of batteries and chargers for Doosan’s new electric counterbalanced forklifts. Darren White, Doosan’s UK general sales manager, says the 24V market is a new sector for Doosan and the reliability of Powercell’s products was key in partnering with the battery supplier. “Doosan invests heavily in the ability to supply a forklift to a customer in a short lead time. It can be frustrating when a battery supplier cannot provide a unit on time or provides the wrong specification. “We are pleased Powercell provides the right battery at the right time,” White says.  Top Gun winners announced BRENTWOOD, TN, United States Global supply chain company Ozburn-Hessey Logistics has announced the winners of its 16th national Top Gun competition. Regional training director David Claybrooke praised the “skill and poise” demonstrated by forklift operators from 16 regions across the US. The champion was Danny Meade, from Granite City, Illinois. Runner-up was Terrence Alexander, from McDonough, Georgia, and third place winner was Scott Hammarlund, from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. “Our champion, Danny Meade, was truly impressive,” Claybrooke says. “Danny’s flight to the semi-finals was cancelled due to weather, so he rented a car, drove five hours from St Louis, got right on a forklift and turned in a phenomenal performance.” Meade received USD1,000 and a leather bomber jacket. Second CONEXPO draws international crowd GUANGZHOU, China Industry professionals from more than 80 countries visited CONEXPO Asia 2007 this week at the Chinese Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex, in Guangzhou, China. Show organizer, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, says most visitors are from Australia, Canada, China, Japan, India and the US. The top Chinese provinces represented include Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shanghai. The show attracted nearly 450 exhibitors exhibiting in more than 30 product categories over 100,000 m² (1,076,391 square feet) of floor space. Visitors are contractors, equipment dealers and equipment rental professionals. Show manager Petra Kaiser says the second CONEXPO Asia coincided with the association’s 10th anniversary in China. “We have shown that CONEXPO Asia is more than just an exhibition. It is … just one example of AEM’s commitment to being a global trade association and one that advances the interests of the construction industry in China, Asia-Pacific and worldwide at all stages.” There were 30 exhibitor companies in the crane/lifting/aerial equipment category and more than 100 companies displayed attachments and accessories. Telehandler manufacturers Haulotte Group, Terex Corp and JLG Industries Inc were among the exhibitors. The Associated Equipment Distributors brought a delegation of North American dealers to the show and facilitated meetings between delegates and exhibitors. Besides several international delegations organised by the US Department of Commerce, other international delegations were from India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sweden and Thailand. Several industry events were held in conjunction with the show. The China Construction Industry Association held a forum on the used equipment market. China Highway Construction Association held the 4th China Road Construction & Maintenance Congress and the Changsha Economic Committee held a meeting to outline Changsha’s manufacturing and business capabilities. The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products was a co-organiser of the December 4-7 show. Search 4459 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. Crown employees’ health status improves NEW BREMEN, OH, United States Crown Equipment Corp says an employee health program it introduced in 2004 has improved the health of its workers and reduced company health care costs. Today, more than 92% of Crown employees join the HealthWise Program that Crown developed with the University of Michigan. According to the US forklift manufacturer, more than half Crown’s employees now fall into the low health risk category, 12% more than before the program began. HealthWise provides health benchmarks and personal risk analyses for Crown employees and their spouses. Individuals are placed into health categories (low, medium or high risk) based on their health risk appraisals (HRA). The HRA considers risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, exercise level, smoking and diabetes. Low risk is defined as not more than two risk factors and high-risk individuals have five or more risk factors. Employees and spouses receive health advice based on their HRA results. The program includes wellness screenings, access to a fitness-focused website and advice on healthier food choices. James R Heap, Crown’s corporate medical director, says the program has met its objective. “We significantly increased the number of low-risk employees and reduced the number at high risk.” Heap presented results of the program at a “Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy” session at the Joint Forum on Health, Productivity and Absence Management at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC, on October 23. During the presentation, Dr Dee W Edington, from the University of Michigan, addressed the risks and costs of a “do-nothing” strategy. Wayne Burton, from JP Morgan Chase, discussed the business case for effective health and disease management programs. Movers & Shakers FLEET, United Kingdom Bill Pfleger has been promoted to managing director of Nacco Materials Handling Group (NMHG) Asia Pacific. He was managing director for Yale’s Europe, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) operations. Ralf Mock, NMHG’s EMEA managing director, has taken over Pfleger’s former responsibilities. NMHG will not comment on whether a new person will be appointed to Pfleger’s former position. Simon Munn, NMHG EMEA vice president for marketing, will assume additional tasks to support the Yale brand. HYVINKÄÄ, Finland Konecranes has appointed Jaana Rinne as director for talent management and a member of the group executive board. She will be responsible for human resources, including competence development and administration. Rinne was director of human resources of Konecranes’ business service area. She has been with Konecranes since 1986, starting in finance then joining human resources in 1997. Peggy Hanson, director of competence development and a member of the group executive board, will leave Konecranes in February 2008. Forklift driver becomes MBA scholar DRAPER, UT, United States A forklift driver whose career goal got sidetracked has been awarded a Master of Business Administration degree scholarship by an American university and a Utah business journal. Maryann Sampson Alston originally dreamed of becoming a medical doctor but a family crisis took her on a different path, Deseret Morning News reported. Alston helped her father, Lance Sampson, run his construction equipment business. She drove a forklift, fixed broken tools and met tax requirements and, in five years, grew Sampson Equipment, in Murray, Salt Lake County, by more than 200%. The University of Phoenix Utah Campus and Utah business journal The Enterprise have awarded her a USD5,000 scholarship.
Buyouts imminent for failed forklift companies SYDNEY, NSW, Australia The administrator of liquidated forklift company Smeaton Forklifts, trading as Budget Forklifts NSW, believes a sale of the company will take place within the next week. “I am in negotiations with several interested parties after a successful marketing campaign, which resulted in more than 20 parties expressing an interest. I expect to exchange contracts in the next seven days or so,” says Peter Hillig, of Smith Hancock. He told Forkliftaction.com News that Budget NSW, which owes an estimated A$2.7 million to creditors, was placed in liquidation on November 27 at a second meeting of creditors. In a separate case, PPB, administrator of embattled forklift company Independent Forklift Services, expects to conclude a deal to purchase the business within days. “The adjourned second meeting of creditors will be re-convened for December 18, when creditors will be updated on the administration. We hope to finalise a sale before the meeting,” partner David Whyte told Forkliftaction.com News. Campaign targets safety during MRISC MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia WorkSafe Victoria has launched a major safety campaign that targets the need to plan and properly supervise people maintaining, repairing, installing, servicing and cleaning machines (MRISC), including forklifts. A briefing on the MRISC project, which involves targeted workplace inspections across Melbourne’s eastern and south-eastern suburbs, is on Wednesday, December 12, from 9am to 1pm at the Quality Inn Baton Rouge, 1233 Stud Rd, Rowville. Registrations can be made via WorkSafe’s website - www.worksafe.vic.gov.au. Several other workshops will be staged across the state early next year. WorkSafe’s manufacturing, logistics & agriculture program director, Trevor Martin, says just because a machine is risk-assessed to be safe for day-to-day use, a separate review is needed to ensure safety during MRISC work. “In the past year, nearly 5,000 people were seriously hurt and nine died in machinery-related MRISC work in Victoria’s manufacturing industry,” he says. “This work is often the most dangerous, because guarding might be faulty, removed or otherwise exposed, particularly when testing is underway or the machine is running while routine cleaning is done. “At this time of year, when people are getting ready for a Christmas shutdown or major maintenance period, the risks increase as many people begin focusing on things other than the job at hand.” Despite the pressures of business, Martin says safety must always remain a high priority. “As one judge once said, you need to take an ‘active, imaginative and flexible approach to potential dangers in the knowledge that human frailty is an ever-present reality’. “Excuses like ‘there isn’t time’, ‘we’ll take the short cut just this once’ or ‘we’ve always done it this way’, are no use after someone is hurt,” Martin says. “You have to know it will be safe, not simply assume it will be.” New brewery’s forklift requirements uncertain AUCKLAND, New Zealand Australia's Lion Nathan will build a NZ$250 million brewery in East Tamaki, an industrial suburb of Auckland. The development follows an announcement in July that Lion will sell its Auckland brewery site in Newmarket to AMP Capital Investors for NZ$162 million. The new 100,000 square metre facility will better align production and supply chain with market demand, the company says. Development of the integrated manufacturing and warehousing facility is a four-year project. Construction is yet to start. Liz Read, corporate affairs director for Lion Nathan NZ, told Forkliftaction.com News the company’s forklift requirements for the facility are not yet known. Port Botany expansion contractors named SYDNEY, NSW, Australia A joint venture between Baulderstone Hornibrook and Jan de Nul was named last week as contractor for the A$1 billion expansion of Port Botany. The 60 hectare expansion of Port Botany, in Sydney's south, will begin next year, with the first berth scheduled to be ready by 2012. Trade through Port Botany was worth more than A$40 billion last year, and the figure is expected to double over the next two decades. The port currently handles a third of Australia's container traffic. NSW Premier Morris Iemma says the Port Botany expansion will deliver 9,000 jobs to NSW and boost the state's economy by A$16 billion during the next two decades. Ports Minister Joe Tripodi says the government will begin an international tender process next year for a stevedore to operate the new facilities. Australia records worst trade deficit CANBERRA, ACT, Australia Australia has recorded its worst-ever trade deficit, despite being in the midst of one of the biggest commodity booms in history. The goods and services deficit reached a record A$2.983 billion in October as the drought and ongoing capacity constraints in the economy continued to weigh on exports. The figures released on Monday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed exports fell 3% in October while imports rose 2%. Rural exports fell 5.0% in October while non-rural exports, which includes the mining sector, fell 4.7%. The October deficit was the worst in 36 years, since the ABS began collecting data in 1971. With exports of cereals, meat, coal, metals and metal ores all falling sharply in the month, HSBC chief economist John Edwards says the export side of the trade equation remains dismal. Capacity constraints continue to have a major impact on Australia's export levels, ensuring the trade imbalance remains despite the commodities boom. Pressures are expected to ease as infrastructure comes on line and fortunes for the rural sector improve. Brief SYDNEY, NSW, Australia Sign up for “Fork Off” competition Entries for a forklift driver competition, dubbed the “Fork Off”, are pouring into the Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia. The competition is open to female and male forklift drivers and corporate teams of three that hold valid LF Class forklift licences. The competition finals will be at MATEX 2008, a warehousing and logistics exhibition in April in Sydney. For more information, go to www.matex.com.au and download the registration form.  Send this newsletter to an associate
4th Guangzhou International Brand Forklift & Accessories Exhibition China 2008 The 4th Guangzhou International Brand Forklift & Accessories Exhibition China 2008 is due to be held in the Liuhua Complex of Chinese Export Commodities Fair during March 13-15, 2008 .It will become an important platform for the enterprises of forklift & accessories to publicize the brands, process the effective transactions and open up the international markets. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. Exhibitions & Trade Fairs Acquires Matex Exhibitions and Trade Fairs Pty Limited (ETF) and Exhibitions Pty Limited (EPL), a Sydney based exhibitions management company are pleased to announce that the Matex exhibition has been acquired by ETF. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. EMC expands its Australian business EMC Group Pty Ltd has bought the business of Adelaide attachment manufacturer Sattach Pty Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. FIRST Mobicon heads to the United Kingdom The first Mobicon sold in the UK market was recently delivered to Karl King Transport in Suffolk, England. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. Will your forklift battery supplier be around tomorrow to support you? The turmoil in the forklift battery industry of the last 24 months has left many companies worried that if their forklifts batteries break down, they could be left with a big repair bill and no support. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. 
Smart Impact Sensor (SIS) from SpeedShield makes you look smarter! Click here for more information on this product, including pictures. The most ergonomic forklift seat available! Click here for more information on this product, including pictures. 
It’s that time of the year again ALTON, United Kingdom Your votes will decide who takes the honours for environment, ergonomics, safety and innovation achievement awards at the Fork Lift Truck Association’s (FLTA) Awards for Excellence 2008. Click here for the full Fork Talk feature, including pictures. 
Rob Vetter: Climate change – but this one is good BLAINE, WA, United States I get reflective at this time of year as the sun sets on the waning days of the past year and dawns on the hopes and anticipations of the future. I like to look at what I did well and not so well to see if I can replicate the good stuff and eliminate or improve on the bad. It appears business and industry have been doing this as well because things seem to be getting better on the safety front. Click here for the full Safety First feature, including pictures.  |
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