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NEWS STORIES
Russia is fastest growing market
HAMBURG, Germany | Russia is the world’s fastest growing materials handling equipment market, posting 90 per cent growth for the first four months of 2006, according to Jungheinrich AG.
At Jungheinrich’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, shareholders received a draft resolution to increase share dividends and heard a summary of the industry’s markets so far this year (Forkliftaction.com News #212).
The Hamburg-headquartered company had done well, with orders received jumping 12 per cent to EUR766 million (USD967.5 million) for the first five months of 2006, and net sales increasing two per cent to EUR648 million (USD818.5 million).
The world materials handling equipment market grew 11 per cent from January to April 2006, Jungheinrich said. Eastern Europe recorded a 44 per cent growth while Russia expanded 90 per cent. Germany grew by 14 per cent.
Jungheinrich said it was focusing on expanding sales in Eastern Europe. Currently the group has sales subsidiaries in most of Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Newer companies have been established in Russia, the Ukraine and the Baltic states.
Jungheinrich spokesperson Markus Piazza said the group did not report figures for single markets but the group’s market share for Russia and Eastern Europe grew more than the two markets.
“Numerous multinational companies are investing substantially in Russia. All these companies need intralogistic solutions,” Piazza said.
“Research & development investment in 2005 totalled EUR40 million (USD50.5 million). The figure for 2006 will be increased. Jungheinrich intends to increase capital expenditure to EUR70 million (USD88.4 million) in 2006 compared to EUR42 million (USD53 million) in 2005.”
The previous sales forecast for 2006 was EUR1.75 billion (USD2.21 billion). Jungheinrich has now adjusted the forecast to “significantly more than EUR1.75 billion”. |
Komatsu competes via heavy discounts
MILAN, Italy | The European headquarters of Japanese forklift manufacturer Komatsu Forklift Co Ltd is reorganising its original equipment business to compete with non original spare parts suppliers in Europe.
Komatsu Division’s new strategy includes an improved warehouse management system, heavy discounts on certain products, a wider equipment range and an optimised supplier network.
Spare parts pricing & promotion manager Marco Cappelletti said the shake-up in Komatsu Division’s original equipment business would “counter its competitors and pledge the best support to customers”.
“[We] face competitors who offer non original and therefore less expensive equipment. Non original spare parts have a different quality and don’t comply with required quality standards,” he said.
Three new Italy-based area managers have been appointed to develop the spare parts business in Europe. They will oversee the spare parts purchasing process, visit customers, find new customers, analyse potential markets and start up new dealers. Komatsu Division says they cannot be named because of a “privacy policy”.
Komatsu Division’s warehouse, in Lainate, Milan, which supplies parts to 230 distributors, dealers and sub-dealers in Europe, now has a prompt purchasing service supported by a new information system integrated with the importer network, a Komatsu statement said.
Distributors and resellers have entered into “commercial agreements” with Komatsu Division to motivate customers to use original Komatsu parts. Discounts of up to 80 per cent are being offered on “category P” products.
“Products in category P change on a rotation basis. It is not restricted to certain products [but is exclusive to dealers]. The category was created to compete with non original parts by providing parts at heavily discounted prices,” Cappelletti said.
After introducing new product categories, Komatsu Division has seen a jump in revenue for the first four months of 2006. Compared with the corresponding period in 2005, revenues increased 410 per cent for transpallets, 72 per cent for tyres, 67 per cent for forks, 35 per cent for seats and 29 per cent for chains.
As part of the restructure, Komatsu Division has adopted a “selection, qualification and certification process” to optimise its supplier base, which has succeeded in keeping costs low, a company statement said. |
BlueCAT okayed for emissions control
SACRAMENTO, CA, United States | The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has given interim verification to Nett Technologies Inc’s proprietary advanced BlueCAT closed-loop catalyst system for certain forklift and other off-road engines.
Canada-based Nett’s system uses a three-way catalytic converter and a dynamic digital air-fuel ratio controller. It was approved to control emissions from large-spark-ignited model year 1990-2001 engines of 25 horsepower or more used in unregulated off-road applications and operating on LPG fuel.
CARB posted the move in the interim verification link on its website.
On December 9, CARB posted an interim verification for the TermiNOx brand closed-loop emission control system for four-cylinder LPG forklift and truck engines from Engine Control Systems, of Newmarket, Canada.
Interim verifications are in force until CARB passes a verification procedure, which converts interim verifications into executive orders. |
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Poll recognises eight forklift makers
ITASCA, IL, United States | by US correspondent Roger Renstrom
Plant Services, a monthly trade magazine, has listed Caterpillar, Clark, Crown, Hyster, Nissan, Raymond, Toyota and Yale as forklift-category recipients of its 2006 readers’ choice awards.
Readers recognised Genie and JLG in the category for aerial work platforms, Columbus McKinnon, Demag, Milwaukee/Budgit, P&H and Yale for cranes and hoists and Kelley and Rite-Hite for dock equipment, excluding doors.
The magazine conducts the poll using a fill-in-the-blank electronic format and, in each of 60 categories, asks readers to name suppliers delivering the best value.
In late 2005, Plant Services distributed ballots to an e-mail database of about 40,000 pre-qualified subscribers, including technicians, supervisors, engineers and plant managers.
The magazine tries to electronically secure the survey against multiple responses from an original address or unauthorised votes from anyone not on the subscriber list. “Every supplier has an equal chance,” said Paul Studebaker, editor in chief of Plant Services magazine. About 300 readers, less than one per cent of those polled, submitted ballots.
For its 2005 readers’ choice awards, the magazine published a percentage result for each award recipient, but decided not to published percentage results for the 2006 poll.
Toyota Material Handling USA Inc (TMHU) took the initiative to contact the Itasca-based magazine and inquired about its ranking in the forklift category award.
“They did come out on top,” Studebaker said. In the 2005 awards, Toyota also ranked first among forklift makers. In 2005, Columbus McKinnon was first among crane and hoist makers and Rite-Hite was first among dock equipment makers. |
China trip lifts Samuk’s confidence
BEDFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom | A UK forklift distributor has organised a visit to China to bolster staff and dealer confidence in its Shanghai-based principal.
Staff and dealers of Samuk Lift Trucks Ltd subsidiary, Samuk HC, of Bedfordshire, UK, visited the Hangcha factory in Shanghai last month.
The team took a magnetically levitating train (Maglev) which cruised at 430km/h from Shanghai, and was surprised to see views of urban skylines instead of paddy fields, the May 2006 Samuk HC newsletter said.
The dealers and Samuk staff were impressed by the factory’s “European standards” and the product quality.
“China will play the major part by producing popular ranges of trucks at competitive prices, reminiscent of the Japanese after World War II. The difference being, it took Japan 30 years to overcome suspicions of Asian products. In the global market, it will take China only five years to establish leading brands,” the newsletter said.
Samuk Lift Trucks has a joint venture with Hangcha to distribute Chinese forklifts in the UK and some European countries. Samuk was founded by Sir Neville Bowman-Shaw who also founded Lancer-Boss. He received the Fork Lift Truck Association lifetime achievement award in 1996.
Corus, one of the world’s leading steel producers, has leased more than 20 Samuk forklifts in the last eight years from Samuk dealer Wheeled Loaders (UK) Ltd. Its Scunthorpe facility has just received a HY70D seven tonne forklift and a HY100D 10 tonne forklift.
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Kalmar’s Indian expansion under way
STOCKHOLM, Sweden | Kalmar wants to include more Indian port cities in its sales and service network.
Since acquiring a majority shareholding in Indlift last year (Forkliftaction.com News #234), Kalmar has been expanding its sales and service network to include Chennai, Cochin and Kolkota. Kalmar also employed more technicians.
Kalmar India managing director and former Indlift owner Vijay Kumar said other plans in the pipeline included hiring sales and service engineers, training programs and a stronger spare parts supply.
“The future looks bright and we would like to play a dominant role in the growing market,” he said.
Before Kalmar’s acquisition, Indlift employed 18 people at its Mumbai, New Delhi, Vizag and Bangalore offices. Today there are about 20 office-based workers, 20 service engineers around India and 125 subcontracted engineers working with customers.
Jouni Pitkanen, Kalmar India’s vice president for service, will be based in Mumbai to assist development of the service organisation and recruit service engineers. New technicians complete a training program at Mumbai before representing Kalmar Services in different regions.
Kalmar’s presence in India is represented by about 200 RTGS, reach stackers, terminal tractors and forklifts working in the port and terminal industry.
The Stockholm-headquartered company’s most recent Indian order was for six DRF 450-60S reach stackers from Hind Terminals Pvt, in Mumbai. The order included an option for 14 reach stackers. No value was disclosed.
A Kalmar statement said 13 RTGs ordered by Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd (GTI) were scheduled for delivery in July with the remainder to be erected by November 15. Last year, GTI ordered 29 E-One RTGs for a new terminal being constructed at the Port of Nhava Sheva. The order was one of Kalmar’s largest for India (Forkliftaction.com News #201).
Total container volume in India reached almost five million TEUs in 2005, continuing an average 10 per cent growth trend of the past few years, according to Kalmar market intelligence. |
| Briefs | Traigo the latest electric Toyota
BRUSSELS, Belgium
Toyota Industrial Equipment Europe has added a three-wheel, 24-volt Traigo to its range of electric counterbalanced forklifts.
Made in Europe, for Europe, the forklift comes in lifting capacities of one tonne, 1.3 tonnes and 1.5 tonnes.
Like other electric counterbalanced forklifts in Europe, the Traigo has the “three key Toyota technologies”: the system of active stability, AC² power system and the operator total care package.
Century Yuasa adds to chargers
BRISBANE, Australia
Century Yuasa Batteries Pty Ltd has added a new generation of battery chargers to its Performance Chargers range, claiming the chargers can save on annual operating costs.
Century Yuasa emerged from receivership in December 2004 after repaying AUD30 million (USD22.19 million) to creditors, including AUD18 million (USD13.31 million) to St George Bank (Forkliftaction.com News #165).
The company, formed in 1988, is headquartered in Brisbane, where two plants supply automotive and industrial customers through a distribution network in Oceania. |
| Movers & Shakers | HAMBURG, Germany
Dr Eckhard Rohkamm has retired as chairman of Jungheinrich AG’s supervisory board. Jϋrgen Peddinghaus has been nominated as the new chairman.
IRVINE, CA, United States
Hugh Quinnell has been appointed Toyota Material Handling USA (TMHU) national manager for major account parts & service operations. Quinnell has been a Toyota associate since 1983.
Michael Gunn is now TMHU national information technology manager. Gunn has 30 years’ experience in the materials handling industry, including 25 years with Toyota.
Bruce Marti is TMHU’s new national manager for parts & service field operations & customer support. Marti will develop business opportunities for Toyota through its dealer network. He has worked with Toyota since 1990.
Jewell Brown has been appointed TMHU manager of customer satisfaction. Brown helped launch a 800-customer satisfaction line in 2004 and has trained dealers on the value of customer satisfaction.
David Pearlman is now TMHU manager of the Starlift program. He will be responsible for growing aftermarket parts sales. He will promote Starlift as a one-stop shop for materials handling equipment parts.
MILWAUKEE, WI, United States
Darin Drollinger and Nick Yaksich have been asked to serve on US federal industry trade advisory committees. Drollinger is the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) vice president, technical & safety services. Yaksich is AEM’s vice president for global public policy.
LOUISVILLE, KY, United States
Tiffany Sewell-Howard has been named chairman of the 2007 International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition management committee. Sewell-Howard is CEO of The Charles Machine Works Inc.
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Kiwifruit employee drinks, steals forklift
TAURANGA, New Zealand | An intoxicated kiwifruit industry worker was arrested while driving a forklift along a New Zealand highway.
The 17-year-old man caught driving along State Highway 2, near Te Puke, was taken to Tauranga police station, the Bay of Plenty Times reported.
Police said the man took the forklift from kiwifruit company Satara’s coolstore at Te Puke.
Someone saw the man and the forklift on the highway and tipped off police, Senior Sergeant Ross Bielby said. The man faced burglary and drink-driving charges in Tauranga District Court on Monday. |
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FAST FACTS
1. Lisman Vorkheftrucks opens new production line and expands product range
2. Linde AG president & CEO Wolfgang Reitzle received the “Rudolph Erren Award” at the 16th World Hydrogen Energy Conference in Lyon, France this week.
3. Kalmar has developed new combined camera and laser applications for the automation of HHLA's Container Terminhal Buchardkai in Hamburg, Germany.
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