Send this newsletter to an associate
 | | | There’s more good news this week from the International Monetary Fund, but as usual, the improved figures are tempered with a warning that “the road to financial rehabilitation is unlikely to be straight” and that there will be significant policy issues ahead. IMF official José Viňals warns that although we are on the road to recovery, “this does not mean that risks have disappeared”. One of the big shadows hanging over the world economy, he says, is the emerging “financing gap”, where demand for capital outstrips supply and those businesses keen to invest and expand will be hampered by a lack of credit. |
|
 | |
Forktruck Solutions “on target” for latest sales forecast 
Ossett, United Kingdom | Despite challenging times for the UK forklift industry, Clark dealer Forktruck Solutions made a profit for fiscal 2009 and has just created new management positions.
The company that also represents Pimespo and Cesab, and maintains or repairs any make of capital equipment, has just taken on a general manager, John Hanshaw.
Forktruck Solutions managing director Simon Smith says the company did not previously have a general manager.
“John was taken on to expand the business [and] ultimately oversee numerous Forktruck Solutions depots,” Smith says.
Hanshaw has 28 years of materials handling experience and was most recently in the senior management of a forklift manufacturing company.
Hanshaw says his mission is to “deliver a quality, cost-effective, no-nonsense service with unrivalled after-sales care”.
Also new on the scene is Mike Goodliffe, in the newly created role of business development manager. Goodliffe has 23 years’ experience in the industry and was previously a service manager for a Japanese forklift manufacturer.
Another newcomer is Mike Atchison, the company’s new national accounts manager. Atchison started as an apprentice and has been in the industry for over 25 years.
Asked if the company had shed jobs because of the global recession, Hanshaw confirms that “redundancies were reluctantly made” due to “an ambitious restructure”.
He is silent on the number of redundancies, but says that Forktruck Solutions recently secured a contract to supply Clark products to “a large American manufacturing group”, valued at over GBP300,000 (USD479,500).
“We made [a] profit as predicted [for fiscal] 2009 and now we are on target for our latest 2010 forecasts,” Hanshaw adds.
Company founder Simon Smith told Materials Handling World in March that Forktruck is targeting a turnover of GBP5 million (USD7,993,893) by 2012 and GBP10 million (USD15,988,757) in 2015. According to the magazine, the company has grown quickly since it was established a decade ago, almost doubling its turnover year-on-year.
The latest Plimsoll study on the UK forklift industry says one in three companies is making a loss. The study’s author David Pattison says 146 of the 475 companies studied are in the red, some for the first time in their history (Forkliftaction.com News #426). |  |
| | Clark appoints Holt as dealer
Lexington, KY, United States | Clark Material Handling Company has appointed Holt of California as an authorised distributor in the Sacramento, CA and Reno, NV markets. Holt is a full-service materials handling dealer, featuring full sales and service departments, a rental fleet, an aftermarket parts department as well as a full offering of allied products.
Clark dealer services director Scott Johnson sees the appointment as significant for his company. “We promised our customers, employees and fellow dealers that we would move swiftly and definitively in appointing a new dealer for these markets. We also assured them that we would take this opportunity to significantly enhance and improve our distribution capabilities across the entire business,” he says, adding that he believes these have now been accomplished.
“Holt’s discipline in areas such as coverage, facilities, treasury management and brand image are ‘best in class’,” he says.
Holt will support Clark sales and service activities out of four facilities: West Sacramento, Stockton, Yuba City and Redding.
Besides Clark, Holt also sells materials handling equipment from Caterpillar, Linde, Mitsubishi, Princenton/Teledyne, Combilift and Manitou. | |
| | Cargotec wins NorSea contract
Stockholm, Sweden | Cargotec has won a contract to supply seven Kalmar reach stackers equipped with special attachments to Norwegian Group AS (NorSea).
The reach stackers will handle gas pipeline sections for the Nord Stream Project that will supply Europe with gas from Russia via two parallel 1,220km (758 mile) pipes.
Approximately 120,000 pipe sections with an average weight of about 25 tonnes each will be handled by the machines.
EUPEC subcontracted NorSea to transport the concrete-coated pipes from Mukran, Germany to Gotland, Sweden and from Kota, Finland to Hanko, Finland. NorSea has also been subcontracted for the loading, offloading and interim storage of the pipe sections at temporary storage sites before they are shipped out to the barge that lays the pipe sections on the Baltic Sea bed.
According to Cargotec, pipe-handling solutions with reach stackers usually consist of a slave attachment connected to the spreader. The solution provided to NorSea is a fully integrated attachment.
Svante Alverönn, Cargotec’s industrial business sales manager for Northern Europe, says the collaboration between the companies started in 1986 with NorSea’s purchase of its first Kalmar forklift. In early 2009, Cargotec delivered three Kalmar reach stackers and two terminal tractors to NorSea.
“The integrated attachment is specially adapted for pipe handling [and] will increase reliability and safety,” says Mikael Persson, director of Kalmar Reachstackers.
The equipment will be delivered in January 2010. The order also includes a service agreement.
Norwegian Group AS is a privately owned company established in 1965. It is a supplier of base services and integrated logistics systems to the Norwegian oil and gas industry. The company, headquartered in Tanager, has an approximate annual turnover of NOK1.5 billion (USD257.5 million).
Nord Stream AG is an international joint venture established to plan, construct, and subsequently operate, the new pipeline across the Baltic Sea.
EUPEC is an internationally-recognised provider of concrete weight coating, manufacturing pipe-in-pipe systems, providing cathodic protection, remote monitoring services for pipelines and other services in the pipeline sector. | |
 | | The perfect emission control solution for forklifts | What is the filter that keeps forklifts running clean, without time-wasting downtime for regeneration? The answer is Proventia’s CHILI filter.
Proventia, a Finnish-Swiss company, has developed an electrically regenerated CHILI filter that cleans itself without any additives in the fuel during driving by heating the filter elements. This means no time-wasting downtime for cleaning the emission system in workshops, a clear advantage that distinguishes CHILI from other particulate filters on the market.
The secret behind CHILI lies in its ability to clean itself during driving, avoiding maintenance breaks. Click here to read the full article.
For more information visit www.proventia.fi.
Email: sales@proventia.fi - Phone: +358 40 777 5769 |  |
| | MHIA puts spring into ProMat 2011 dates
Charlotte, NC, United States | ProMat 2011, a major US materials handling equipment, systems and services event, will take place on 21-24 March 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.
The scheduling in the early spring of the northern hemisphere moves the ProMat event to milder weather from the early January timing of the 2009 and 2007 events during the heart of the midwest’s winter season.
Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) sponsors ProMat, which brings together manufacturers, consultants, third-party logistics providers, publishers and systems integrators.
“We are committed to making ProMat 2011 an exceptional event where our association members and show attendees can come together to see what’s new in our industry, discover the leading trends for industrial productivity and foster strong business relationships,” says John Nofsinger, chief executive officer of the Charlotte-based international trade association.
The organizers anticipate more than 700 exhibitors in a net space of 300,000 sqft (27,000 sqm), again in the south hall of McCormick Place. Attendance is expected to include manufacturing, warehousing and distribution professionals from more than 100 countries.
Features of ProMat 2011 will include an international buyer program providing matchmaker services and a comprehensive educational conference.
The first opportunity for exhibitors to secure space for ProMat 2011 occurs on 21 January 2010, according to Tom Carbott, MHIA vice president of sales and events. The ProMat exhibit space drawing will take place at the event venue, McCormick Place.
Time remaining until the opening of ProMat 2011 is being counted down in the upper left corner of the event’s www.ProMatShow.com website, which also has a comprehensive virtual event.
MHIA’s next event will be the NA 2010 materials handling and logistics show on 26-29 April 2010 in the international exposition and convention IX Center in Cleveland, Ohio with details at the {statlink|1|www.nashow.com} website.
MHIA touts the ProMat and NA shows under a registered slogan: Solutions That Make the Supply Chain Work. | |
| | Visitors preview GBP22M JCB Academy
Rocester, United Kingdom | Hundreds of people from Staffordshire and Derbyshire had a sneak preview of the new GBP22 million (USD35.2 million) JCB Academy, designed to develop the engineers of the future.
The school that opens in September 2010 is located in the JCB-owned Tutbury Mill in Rocester, near the equipment manufacturer’s Staffordshire headquarters. JCB contributed the mill and 10% of the academy’s capital.
Parents interested in the academy were given half-hour guided tours of the facility and an insight into the hi-tech resources on offer. They were also treated to a show from the JCB Dancing Diggers team.
“The event gave everyone the opportunity to understand the unique educational experience, which the JCB Academy will provide,” says Jim Wade, JCB Academy principal.
“Everyone who attended was particularly interested with the [restoration] work going on at Tutbury Mill and especially the amount of space that is going to be available to work in,” Wade adds.
The state school, funded by the Department of Children, Schools and Families and sponsored by JCB, is open to students from years 10 to 13 with an interest in engineering, manufacturing and business.
At JCB Academy, students will study natural curriculum subjects but focus on engineering-related areas. Each term is based around an engineering challenge, allowing students to learn in a practical way. Besides JCB, the school has close ties with Rolls-Royce and Toyota so the students get to work on real engineering problems.
Students graduate with diplomas equivalent to Advanced Level Diplomas that are recognised as entry qualifications for major UK universities. | |
| | BLT shows expertise to Africans
Jacksonville, FL, United States | Jacksonville, FL-based Big Lift Trucks (BLT) recently hosted a 27-member trade delegation from West Africa.
Ryan Mouritzen, vice president of BLT, says the event recognised the company’s significant presence in Africa.
“We felt is was appropriate for BLT … to spotlight our distribution, warehousing and logistics advantages to African businessmen wanting to investigate and pursue opportunities for trade between the USA and the African continent,” he says. “These delegates from Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Guinea and Senegal represented elite companies in diverse sectors, including freight forwarding, mining, transport, public works and construction, as well as capital equipment.
“The delegates’ objectives were to learn more about Jacksonville as a port city, to source and purchase trucks, cars and heavy equipment, and to find out about the roll-on roll-off transportation capabilities at the Jacksonville Port Authority.”
Mouritzen says the visitors were impressed with BLT’s expertise in booking cargo onto African trade lane ships out of Jacksonville, the company’s ability to transload African cargo to containers in the BLT terminal, and with the sound relationships BLT has established with African port of call vessels.
“We are encouraged by the enthusiastic feedback from our visitors and we are committed to working closely with these African businesses. We hope to facilitate their international transactions by way of equipment sales, cargo handling and containerisation, to minimise ocean freight costs where applicable,” he adds.
BLT has over 40 years’ experience in logistics, warehousing, containerisation, storage, breakdown support and container handling equipment. | |
| | Ready to re-grow your topline sales? | EquipmentFX specializes in creating a seamless dealer and manufacturer strategy and workplan for forward-thinking companies that need answers, and need them now. We have the highest level of dealer management, sales and marketing experience, combined with individuals at the top of their game with web design, development, Search Engine Optimization and information management experience. We’re different.
EquipmentFX has the detail, evidence and plan that will make a difference for years to come. We’ve created a variety of low risk, time sensitive ways to get to know us. EquipmentFX… do more for your dealership.
Contact Details:
w: www.equipmentfx.com,
e: steve@equipmentfx.com,
p: +1 888-665-8999.
Click here to view the EquipmentFX Shopfront | |
| Sample of used equipment for sale: | Search 4625 listings in the Marketplace | |
| Toyota |
42-7FGF25 |
2005 |
Ireland |
EUR 14950 |
Details |
| Linde |
T20AP02 |
2003 |
Germany |
EUR 750 |
Details |
| Still |
R70-20G |
2002 |
Germany |
EUR 4250 |
Details |
| Caterpillar |
DP100 |
1999 |
United States |
USD 35500 |
Details |
| New Holland |
TN85FA |
2005 |
United States |
USD 19500 |
Details |
| Linde |
E15C |
1995 |
New Zealand |
AUD 7000 |
Details |
| Jungheinrich |
TFG670400ZZ |
2005 |
Germany |
EUR 25000 |
Details |
| Hubtex |
MQ50 |
2004 |
Germany |
EUR 29900 |
Details |
| Linde |
H25T |
2004 |
Germany |
EUR 6250 |
Details |
| Hyster |
H4.50XM |
2001 |
United Kingdom |
GBP 7000 |
Details |
| Linde |
H30D03 |
2002 |
Germany |
EUR 5250 |
Details |
| Linde |
E35P |
2001 |
Germany |
EUR 5450 |
Details |
| Hyster |
H32.00C |
1988 |
Germany |
EUR 64000 |
Details |
| JCB |
930 |
2001 |
United States |
USD 16500 |
Details |
and thousands more...
Click here to include your used forklifts, stackers, telehandlers, container handlers, attachments etc. | |
| | | Movers & Shakers | Wiesbaden, Germany
Otmar Hauck has been appointed to KION Group GmbH’s executive board as chief operating officer (COO). He will be in charge of product planning, product development, purchasing and truck production, and the Hydraulics and Components business unit.
His move takes effect on 1 November, when he will replace Gordon Riske, KION’s CEO, who is now acting COO.
Hauck was executive director of the plastics business unit at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany, where he was responsible for the development and manufacturing of plastic components and modules for the Volkswagen brand.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Barloworld Ltd has appointed Mfundiso Johnson Ntabankulu Njeke as an independent non-executive director to the company board, and a member of its audit committee. | |
| | | Briefs | Hyundai expands forklift range
Geel, Belgium
Hyundai Heavy Industries Europe has launched four new sit-on reach trucks.
The machines with load capacities of 1.4, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.5 tonnes have the latest generation of electric motors with AC technology.
The BRJ-7 reach trucks are designed for intensive use in warehouses. According to Hyundai, the machines’ optimised motor design ensures low noise emissions and the battery capacity lasts an entire shift.
Logitrans introduces remote control
Ribe, Denmark
Logitrans has introduced a wireless remote control so that its truck users can carry out operations without being behind the wheel.
The operating area for the remote control is three to five metres (9.8 to 16.4 feet) and is available in two models for rotating or lifting and lowering. Logitrans also offers a remote control with a spiral cable that can reach about 250 cms (8.2 feet).
Clark honoured with award
Lexington, KY, United States
Clark Material Handling has received the Republic Bank’s 2009 “We Care” Award.
Presented at a dinner in Lexington last week, the award recognises companies that have encouraged their employees to impact their communities through volunteerism.
The bank noted Clark’s philanthropy efforts in the American Cancer Society, the Martin Luther King Unity program, the Altrusa Mighty Mom Project, the American Diabetes Association and Susan G Komen for the Cure. | |
| | Tips to avoid forklift abuse
Houston, TX, United States | Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has released a list of tips on recognising and avoiding common forklift abuse.
“The truth is that downtime is often a direct result of user application and a lack of understanding,” says Kevin Krakora, Mitsubishi’s product services director.
“By implementing a few simple, proactive measures in day-to-day operations, companies will help productivity and keep equipment running efficiently,” Krakora explains.
Tyres: Replace worn tyres that cause jarring impacts to the wheel, axle components, load and operator. Demanding applications require using the proper tyres for a forklift’s maximum performance. To be certain that your equipment has the correct tyres, request an application survey from your local dealer.
Forks: Operating the forklift with worn tyres can cause premature wear to the bottom of the forks, which can jeopardise the forklift’s ability to lift and thus create an unsafe working environment. Routine fork inspections by operators and in-house technicians are needed to ensure the forklift is operating with safe forks.
Transmission: Costly damage to the transmission system can be caused by operators riding the inching pedal. To prevent major component failure, the inching pedal should only be used when approaching a rack and when wanting to apply the brakes while revving the engine (allowing the hydraulics to work at full speed). The brake pedal is used for regular stopping of the truck when hydraulics are not in use.
Impact: Tyres, wheels, body panels, forks, attachments and backrests suffer when forklifts encounter impact to products and surroundings due to high travel speeds. Assigning equipment to an operator can help track who is causing the abuse. Installing an impact monitor, vehicle speed limiter or keyless access system as options on the forklift can help reduce impact damage.
Training: Regular and ongoing training is key to ensure that equipment is properly maintained and that equipment users are in step with proper safety and maintenance applications. It is imperative that all new operators are well trained on how to perform the required daily inspections and properly operate the equipment prior to use. | |
 | |
| | CEVA wins major freight contract
Brooklyn, Victoria | Supply chain management company CEVA Logistics has won a contract with Baker Hughes to manage all inbound and outbound freight logistics within Australasia for the oilfield service company.
CEVA will manage all customs clearance, destuffing of containers and loose product deliveries to Baker Hughes’ operations, utilising its network of multi-user warehouse facilities in Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin and Brisbane and also New Zealand. | |
| | OHS laws open for comment
Canberra, ACT, Australia | The new model occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation has opened for public comment for a period of six weeks until 9 November.
Tom Phillips of Safe Work Australia Council says this consultative process will ensure the new national OHS laws are relevant and applicable to all Australian workplaces.
“This is an opportunity for Australian businesses and individuals to actively participate and voice their opinion on the new laws,” says Phillips.
The development of national OHS laws has been driven by Safe Work Australia, in partnership with the commonwealth, state and territory governments.
The harmonisation of OHS laws will allow businesses to effectively manage workplace safety and work to one set of laws regardless of which jurisdiction they are operating in.
For further information or to submit your comments, visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au. | |
| | Online auction sells out
Milperra, New South Wales, Australia | Powerlift Nissan’s recent unreserved online auction of 226 forklifts was a sell-out, with every unit sold.
The nationwide ‘surplus to ongoing requirement’ sale ended on 24 September, with the company declaring itself ‘satisfied’ with the prices achieved.
National operations manager Kevin Gaffney tells Forkliftaction.com News that the forklifts offered for sale included both ex-rental models and trade-ins (Forkliftaction.com News #428).
The majority of products were Nissans, but other brands included Toyota, Crown, Hyster, Linde, Komatsu and Clark.
“Many of the major forklift providers use auctions and or clearance sales to dispose of surplus stock. This is just a necessary part of the business we are in.”
Buyers were able to inspect and test the forklifts at inspection sites in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales during the sale period.
“The online auctioning of forklifts is increasingly becoming an alternative sales channel for major suppliers in Australia,” says Cameron Poolman, CEO, GraysOnline, which conducted the sale in its largest single online auction of forklifts to date. | |
| | Melbourne port resilient despite global downturn
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | After record highs in 2007/8, trade through the Port of Melbourne remained resilient in 2008/9 despite the global financial crisis.
Container throughput surged to over 200,000 TEU per month in August, September and October before slowing in the second half of the financial year.
With a total throughput of 2.16 million TEU in the year to 30 June, the port remains Australia’s leading container port despite a 4.4% decrease in core container trade.
Overseas imports of loaded containers recorded a 6.5% decrease over the previous year while overseas exports of loaded containers also declined but at a lesser rate of 3.3%. The drought in south-eastern Australia also impacted exports.
Although the domestic economy avoided technical recession, new motor vehicles declined 23.4% to a total of 301,000 units and contributed to a 5.7% decrease in total port trade of 71.4 million revenue tonnes in comparison to last year’s record 75.7 million revenue tonnes.
“After setting last year’s high water mark, Melbourne has shown strong trade resilience against the backdrop of negative economic growth internationally, handling just under 6,000 containers per day on average in 2008/9,” says chief executive Stephen Bradford. | |
| | Climate change and the supply chain
Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia | The Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) will host a meeting in Woolloongabba on Friday, 23 October aimed at explaining how climate change will affect the supply chain industry.
Speaker Rod Glass, CEO of Carbon House, will help demystify the subject, assisting supply chain managers to understand their pivotal role in a company’s response to the new carbon dynamic.
Glass is a specialist in strategic, organisational and business planning for business and government in the environmental field and, in particular, the new niche of climate change. He has worked extensively with business and government over a 13-year period, instigating and implementing these programs. | |
| | Design improves workplace safety
Mildura, Victoria, Australia | GTS Freight Management has been nominated for the Best Design for Workplace Safety award in the WorkSafe Victoria Awards 2009.
The design of its load restraint trailer provides a safe and efficient way to handle, load and secure pallets of stock.
Designed and developed primarily for use in the transport industry, it has removed the need for human contact associated with the tying-down and stacking of freight.
Once the loading of pallets by a forklift is completed, a scissor-lift behind the trailer pushes the pallets to the headboard, providing front- and back-load restraint.
The side curtains, with gates attached, are then hydraulically secured and the centre wall is moved towards the curtains, again hydraulically, securing the load to provide side-to-side load restraint.
The design of the trailer, with its fully automated moveable walls, ensures freight stability while significantly reducing the risk of injuries caused by manual handling and working from heights.
The Mildura business is one of only two finalists in the category, which recognises individuals and organisations that have developed an innovation or invention that eliminates or significantly reduces a risk.
WorkSafe executive director of Health and Safety, John Merritt, says the company was selected from 118 applications from across the state.
“The achievements of the awards finalists, who have used their ideas, innovations and initiative to make Victorian workers safer, are outstanding.” | |
 Send this newsletter to an associate
| | | 2.5 Million Pallets and Going Strong | DCS Europe, a UK top ten wholesaler (Grocery Powerlist 2009) of toiletries and household brands, has operated Bendi articulated trucks in its warehouse facilities exclusively for over ten years. In that time, the trucks have carried out an estimated 2.5 million pallet movements. Warehouse Manager Jason Maxwell was instrumental in the original decision to buy Bendis. Now, with the benefit of a decade of experience running Bendis, he explains why the company remains committed to them.
Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. | |
|
|
Tip off Forkliftaction.comDo you know something our readers should know? Write to news@forkliftaction.com or provide information anonymously here.
| Upcoming Events | 1. ProMat 2011Chicago, United States 21st to 24th March 2011 |
| Jobs | 1. Part Sales - Full timeUnited States, N.J.; PA.; DE.; MD. 2. Field Service Technician - Full timeUnited States, Metro Atlanta, GA 3. Sales - Full timeUnited States, Metro Atlanta, GA 4. Forklift Division Manager - Full timeUnited States, Cherryville, NC 5. Trainer / Assessor - Materials Handling - Full timeAustralia, Sydney 6. National Account Manager - Fleet Management - Full timeAustralia, Sydney & Melbourne 7. Sales Apprentice / Cadet - Full timeAustralia, Melbourne |
|
Print version
