JCB lifts manufacturing with no-fee school
ROCESTER, United Kingdom

JCB is funding an academy in East Staffordshire to raise the profile and appeal of the manufacturing industry among young people.

JCB’s latest step in its long-term investment in UK education programs involves a GBP1.8 million (USD3.15 million) investment in the JCB Academy, specialising in engineering, manufacturing and international business for 14 to 19 year olds.

Academies are independent, publicly funded schools that are non-selective in admission.

The academy, which will have up to 540 pupils, is expected to impact positively on Staffordshire and Derbyshire areas like Stoke-on-Trent and Derby, which were deprived of traditional industries, JCB said in a statement. More than half the intake would come from those areas, with scholarships for boarding available.

Staffordshire Learning & Skills Council executive director Gill Howland said manufacturing was an important sector for Staffordshire.

“The current skills shortage is something we need to tackle at the grassroots and having one of the largest global manufacturers on board can only help to change perceptions and open endless possibilities of a career in the industry,” she said.

The JCB Academy, planned to be opened in September 2009, is being developed in partnership with Burton College and Thomas Alleyne’s High School, Uttoxeter.

Burton College has trained many JCB apprentices and mature employees and prepared JCB-sponsored undergraduates for industry life.

JCB has had a long history of involvement in manufacturing and engineering education programs. The company sponsored and hosted Young Enterprise events for 10 years and was honoured with a gold award by its national organisers in 2005. It sponsors nine Young Engineers’ Clubs and has been recognised by the Institutes of Mechanical, Electrical and Agricultural Engineering as a provider of excellent training for 18 years.

Former Clark exec jailed
WASHINGTON, DC, United States

A federal judge has sentenced former Clark Material Handling Co executive Robert E Quinn to 39 months’ prison after a long, emotional hearing.

Quinn, 55, of Lexington, was also fined USD6,600 for violating a US trade embargo in his role in shipping USD32,000 of forklift parts to Iran, The Lexington Herald Leader reported (Forkliftaction.com News #238).

He broke down in court and expressed remorse for his actions.

“I’m sorry. I do regret it … I think about it all the time. I look back, and I say why did I do that? Why didn’t I just walk away, let other Clark people handle it?

“We could have just let them take their business somewhere else,” Quinn told the court.

US district judge John D Bates said the offence was “very serious” and the sentence would deter future similar attempts by companies.

Bates said the effect of the forklift parts sales on national security was minimal but violating the embargo was a national security breach.

The trade embargo was imposed after the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, was seized in 1979.

Bates agreed to a request that Quinn be sent to a minimum-security prison and continued Quinn’s release on a USD60,000 bond until he determined whether Quinn could remain free for the time it took for an appeal.

Quinn’s family declined to comment on the sentencing.

Big leap in Argentine new forklift imports
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

Argentine imports of new forklifts grew 38 per cent in 2005 while imports of used forklifts dropped 18 per cent, a market report said.

Marketeck SA analysed official Argentine Government customs statistics, processed by Tesys SRL, and found 3,086 new forklifts were imported last year, a 38 per cent increase on 2004’s 2,243 forklifts (Forkliftaction.com News #206). The number of used forklifts dropped 18 per cent from 1,561 forklifts in 2004 to 1,277 forklifts in 2005.

Henry Whitney, who prepared the report, said used forklift imports fell because new forklifts were more accessible as the Argentine economy grew nine per cent in 2005.

“Companies operated at their maximum installed capacity, profits are up and new trucks are more accessible. Second, excellent trucks like Toyota, Clark or Heli are available at competitive prices,” he said.

The FOB value of new forklift imports for 2005 totalled USD51,998,429, up 78 per cent from 2004’s figure of USD29,247,813.

Marketeck has forecast 2006 to be a good year for the Argentine economy with forklift imports levelling off. It said 2007 volumes could drop if the Argentine Government decided to put import duties on forklifts.

Sample of used equipment for sale:

Search 9418 listings in the Marketplace

Raymond	CSR30T	1998	United States	USD 17133	Details
Raymond	OPC30TT	2000	United States	USD 8926	Details
Hyster	R30F	1996	Australia	AUD 17500	Details
Raymond	R40TT	2000	United States	USD 11076	Details
TCM	FG25	-	Australia	AUD 12650	Details
Esslingen	DFG 50	1972	Germany	EUR 2300	Details
Crown	CG20E-3	2002	Australia	AUD 12000	Details
Nissan	RGM02R30U	1997	Belgium	EUR 13500	Details
Jungheinrich	ETV16	1997	Germany	EUR 6500	Details
Auramo	B200CE	2001	New Zealand	NZD 5000	Details
Nissan	UF03A33	-	Australia	AUD 9000	Details
Komatsu	FB15R-8	1993	United Kingdom	GBP 2500	Details
Nissan	PH01	1992	United States	USD 9950	Details
Caterpillar	TH83	2000	United States	USD 42000	Details

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

Crown CEO joins Bush council
NEW BREMEN, OH, United States

The head of Crown Equipment Corporation, James F Dicke, has been appointed a member of US President George W Bush’s export council.

Secretary of commerce Carlos M Gutierrez said business leaders like Dicke were one of the best resources for identifying trade barriers and opportunities for US exports and for promoting the president’s trade policy.

The council, established in the 1970s, advises the US president, through his secretary of commerce, on enhancing exports and encouraging US companies to increase exports and enter new markets.

Crown operates nine plants in Australia, Germany, Mexico, and the US and is expanding into China. It has distributors in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and the Pacific Rim.

Founded in 1945 by the Dicke family, privately-owned Crown has more than 7,300 employees. Annual sales revenues exceed USD1.2 billion.

The president’s export council includes private-sector members who have no set term of office, five US senators and five House of Representatives members.

Steel price dents Rocla’s profits
JÄRVENPÄÄ, Finland

Rocla Oyj’s operating profit for 2005 suffered mainly through increased steel costs, the Finnish forklift manufacturer said in its annual financial statements.

Net sales of Rocla industrial trucks for fiscal 2005 amounted to EUR85.9 million (USD102.2 million), up 7.5 per cent from 2004’s total of EUR80 million (USD95.2 million) but operating profit decreased 26.4 per cent from 2004’s EUR7.6 million (USD9.0 million) to EUR5.6 million (USD6.7 million).

Increased steel costs impacted on manufacturing costs for long-term agreements, Rocla said.

Industrial trucks accounted for 89 per cent of consolidated net sales and automated guided vehicles made up 11 per cent. Seventy-four per cent of the group’s net sales were from exports and operations outside Finland.

Benelux countries, the UK, France and Spain were Rocla’s biggest export markets with Russia and the Baltic states forming a growing market.

Rocla said its Russian subsidiary, OOO Rocla Rus, in St Petersburg, established in 2005, was built up over the year as a significant maintenance and service base for its truck operations and Rocla aimed to strengthen its market position in Russia.

Rocla’s new corporate strategy includes exploiting synergies between its industrial trucks and automated guided vehicles business areas for product development, sourcing and customer services.

For 2006, the group’s main objectives are to achieve a 10 per cent growth in net sales and to improve the operational result from 2005. The group aims to be a leading source of materials handling solutions and services by 2010.

Rocla listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange in 1997. Its three largest shareholders on December 31, 2005, were Etra-Invest Oy Ab, Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Europe BV and Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc.

Briefs

New series for Jungheinrich
HAMBURG, Germany
Jungheinrich has introduced the EJC Series 2 electric pedestrian truck to replace the first series introduced in 1999.

The EJC Series 2, available in lifting capacities of 1,200kg, 1,400kg and 1,600kg, is different from the first series because of its maintenance-free three-phase AC motor, modified lifting system and a higher residual lifting capacity at lifting heights of up to 5,350mm.

MCFA to offer flexible “iWarranty”
EAST MOLINE, IL, United States
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA) expects to sell more forklifts with extended warranties after contracting with 4CS Inc to implement its iWarranty service contract module.

MCFA product manager Kevin Krakora said the software would enable dealers to include extended warranties in initial quotations and dispense with the need for customers to send MCFA separate cheques.

Police awarded for preventing theft
CALIFORNIA, LA, United States
Two Los Angeles law enforcement officers have received awards for their work in the recovery of stolen equipment.

Investigator Gabe Marquez, of the California Highway Patrol, and Detective Lou Koven, of the Los Angeles Police Department, are joint winners of the 2005 ARA Insurance Services/National Equipment Register (NER) award.

Marquez and Koven worked together and recovered numerous machines, met local associations to raise awareness, trained fellow officers and assisted in forming an industry anti-theft task force in southern California, NER said.

1 in 3 Forkliftaction.com members is an end user of forklifts!

36% of our members operate forklifts in their businesses and are in charge of the purchase and planning of their fleet.

These professionals work in all industry sectors:
·         38% manufacturing
·         12% construction industry
·         10% stevedoring, ports, transport, shipping
·         8% warehouse, storage
·         4% defence, military, government
·         3% agribusiness and forestry
·         2% food
·         2% mining, exploration,
·         1% fuel, oil
·         21% other industries

Forkliftaction.com reaches:

·         Dealers of new and used forklifts, parts & components -39%-
·         End users and fleet managers -36%-
·         Manufacturers of forklifts, parts and attachments -20%-
·         Finance & professional services -5%-

For more information email marketing@forkliftaction.com.

Forklift raiders steal pounds
LONDON, United Kingdom

Thieves who ripped off a cash machine from a UK service station with the help of a forklift got away with nearly GBP120,000 (USD209,375).

Damage to the Texaco garage, in Becontree Avenue, Dagenham, was so great it would be closed for repairs for a week, the Barking & Dagenham Post reported.

The cash machine had just been filled by owner Lloyds TSB a few hours before the raid. Witnesses told police that, less than an hour after the garage closed, three men arrived driving a forklift and a white transit van.

Lloyds is offering GBP25,000 (USD43,620) for information leading to the thieves’ arrest.

SAPO expands with Kalmar straddles
STOCKHOLM, Sweden

South African Port Operations (SAPO), the terminal operating subsidiary of South African transport company Transnet Ltd, has ordered 25 more Kalmar straddle carriers.

In 2001, SAPO ordered 60 straddle carriers from Kalmar Industries and 53 in August 2005.

The order is made up of 10 CSC three-high stacking units and 15 CSC four-high stacking units. Delivery to SAPO’s Port of Durban container handling facility is scheduled for mid-2006.

Kalmar says SAPO is expanding its container handling facility because of a significant increase in cargo volume handled at the terminal. The Port of Durban currently handles 1.8 million TEUs and by 2007 will increase capacity to 2.4 million TEUs.

The value of the order was not disclosed.

Kalmar has also opened a new 1,400 square metre service & maintenance centre at Kotka Container Terminal in Mussalo, south-eastern Finland. The centre will initially provide support to cargo handling and stevedoring company Finnsteve.

Bolzoni Auramo “Intelligent” Paper Roll Clamp In Halden, Norway

Bolzoni Auramo delivered three units of the new third generation “Intelligent” paper roll clamp, CTX G3 to Norske Skog, in Halden, Norway. The varying paper quality, roll weight and diameter increased the need to change clamping force during loading of ships. To solve this problem Norske Skog decided to invest in 3 units of 3 tons rotating Bolzoni Auramo intelligent clamps CTX-generation 3, installed on H45, H50 and H80 Linde fork lifts, delivered by the Norvegian Linde dealer Hesselberg.

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

RAEDER-VOGEL: Special wheel materials for cold store applications

The tread material VULKOLLAN® fulfils almost all the requirements of modern industrial trucks regarding wear resistance and damping. However, this material reaches its limits in deep-freeze applications down to –35° C. Especially on heavy-duty narrow-aisle trucks and reach trucks, flat spots develop overnight on the load and drive wheels. Due to the low ambient temperatures, these flat spots are slow to recover and can thus cause intolerable vibration.

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

Hoist Liftruck - Neptune Series Marina Liftruck

Hoist Liftruck is poised to provide the same quality and reliable liftruck to the marina industry as it has for the past 100 years to other heavy-duty industries. The Neptune Series Marina Liftruck meets the demands of marina owners/operators to dry-stack boats with its tight maneuverability, easy operation and corrosion protection. This pneumatic series, modeled after Hoist’s proven line of liftrucks, has a capacity range of 15,000 to 25,000 pounds with a 96-inch load center.

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

The forums are a friendly place!
"Hi Bob, My name's Julian and I'm from Argentina. Can I help you? Tell me, what kind engine do you have? Thank you. "
July, Argentina

Selling forklifts overseas.
"Would like to start selling forklifts in Belgium or the Netherlands. How do I find a manufacturer which is looking for an importer or dealership in these countries?"
boudh, Belgium

Payment by beer.
"Daniel, received email today. I have got to say thanks very much. I have been trying to obtain this info through the normal channels since last November . That's a beer I owe you. Cheers, Greg. "
Greg, Australia

On seatbelts.
"I have personally talked to operators who tried to jump clear of incidents, only to be held back by a seatbelt. They all say that the odds were that they would've been injured/killed had they jumped. It is just an instinctive reaction."
mike_n, Canada

1. 2nd Indian Ocean Ports, Logistics and Shipping 2006 Exhibition and Conference
Mahe, Seychelles
30th & 31st March 2006

2. 3rd Trans Asia 2006 China
Dalian, China
25th and 26th April 2006

3. 28th ICHCA International Conference
Singapore, Singapore
22nd to 24th March 2006

1. Warranty Analyst - Full time
Columbus, IN, United States

2. Parts & CSSR Training Administrator - Full time
Irvine, CA, United States

3. Parts Manager-Forklift Dealership - Full time
Portland, Oregon, United States

1. Service Technician - Full time
Global, Canada

2. Sales & Marketing - Full time
India, India

3. Salesman - Full time
Europe, Spain

4. Service Technician - Full time
NEW YORK,OR ANY WHERE IN UNITED STATES, United States

1. Bolzoni Auramo “Intelligent” Paper Roll Clamp In Halden, Norway

Explosion proof forklifts
Forklifts in the logging and timber industry
Industrial batteries and chargers
The forklift market in China
Reach stackers
Forklift tyres, wheels and castors
The German forklift industry
Container attachments
Truck mounted forklifts
Engines and drive trains
The forklift market in Canada
End of year review