INSIDE FORKLIFTACTION.COM
In Forkliftaction.com News #273, Hyster South-East general manager Rod Peirce’s last name was inadvertently misspelled in our movers & shakers news item. Forkliftaction.com apologises for the error.
Forkliftaction.com helps you plan your advertising by providing a calendar of editorial features appearing in Forkliftaction.com News in the coming months.
Features planned are:
September: Truck mounted forklifts
October: Bad vibrations
November: The forklift market in Canada
For the full editorial calendar, go to: www.forkliftaction.com/news/editorial.asp
Editorial features are an excellent way for your company to share the spotlight of these features. Advertising rates start at USD330! Contact marketing@forkliftaction.com for more information. This month's feature is on container attachments. |
SPECIAL REPORT
NEWS STORIES
Scholarships awarded to future industry leaders
CHARLOTTE, NC, United States | The Material Handling Industry Association’s education arm has awarded USD87,000 in scholarships to 31 students at 20 US universities.
The Material Handling Education Foundation Inc’s (MHEFI) scholarship selection committee, made up of MHIA members, materials handling end users and trade press selected students based on specific criteria, MHEFI executive director Victoria Wheeler said.
“A student must be at least a rising junior at a ‘pre-qualified’ institution. This student must have demonstrated an interest in entering the material handling logistics field and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.00,” Wheeler said.
The Robert R. Reisinger honour scholarship, worth USD6,000, went to Jennifer McClelland, from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
McClelland majored in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and had a grade point average of 3.967 (of a potential 4.0). She was a member of Pi Beta Phi, the Missouri Engineering Student Council, and the Society of Women Engineers and co-chair of a literacy program for children.
Paul Lynch and Joseph Wilck, from Pennsylvania State University, won Spanco Inc honour scholarships, worth USD5,000 each. Todd Alberts, from Indiana State University, and Daniel Navaresse, from Oklahoma State University, also won USD5,000 scholarships. The remaining scholars were awarded scholarships ranging from USD1,500 to USD4,000.
Since 1976, MHEFI has awarded more than 500 scholarships totalling more than USD1.4 million, funded through private and corporate donations, to students pursuing a materials handling education.
MHEFI sponsors student attendance at industry conferences and seminars related to materials handling research, and funds lab materials and classroom instructional aids for universities and research fellowships.
Students who apply for MHEFI scholarships must be enrolled in universities approved by the College & Industry Council on Material Handling Education as having a curriculum dedicated to the materials handling logistics field.
The students enrol in industrial or systems engineering, structural, electrical or civil engineering, computer sciences, or transport and distribution sciences.
“MHEF wishes to be at the forefront of providing the leaders and inventors of the future,” Wheeler said. |
Lucky key for historic forklift buyer
INCHEON, Korea, South | Doosan Infracore marked the sale of its 300,000th forklift to one of Korea’s leading equipment rental companies with a ceremony and a gold key.
Fork Corporation received a plaque of appreciation, a warranty certificate and a “good luck key” as a token of appreciation for buying Doosan’s historic forklift.
Manager for overseas marketing in Doosan Infracore’s industrial vehicle business group Jang-Yong Moon said the “99.9 per cent pure gold” key was a symbolic wish for wealth and prosperity in Korea.
Doosan Infracore has reached other milestones this year. In June, forklift sales surpassed 2,000 a month for the first time and aggregate sales in China passed 5,000 units in May. The company started producing forklifts in 1968 under the Daewoo brand. Korean forklift production takes place at two sites in Incheon.
The company attributed its success to in-house production of “technologically advanced” machines, a line-up of more than 80 globally marketed models and a network of 500-plus dealers in more than 90 countries.
Moon said Doosan Infracore’s key technological advances included “ergonomic design, AC control technology, noise and vibration control and energy savings”.
“We have a reliability centre, equipped with test machines, to provide reliability of forklift components,” he said.
Doosan said in a statement it planned to replicate its success in China’s excavator market with forklifts by developing machines to meet local needs.
In July, mass production of G-series forklifts, designed for China’s mid-segment market, began at Doosan’s Yantai plant, in China.
Doosan’s construction equipment division tapped into the Chinese market by establishing a Chinese plant in 1996. In 2004, 20,000 units of construction equipment were made and sold in China, taking the company to the top ranks of the Chinese construction equipment market, Moon said.
Doosan Infracore started producing and selling forklifts in China in 1998.
Moon names “outstanding performance” and competitive prices as specific needs of Chinese end users. |
Brazilian show attracts 25,000
SAO PAULO, Brazil | More than 25,000 people visited Brazil’s biennial materials handling expo, Movimat, this month.
Edson Carillo, director of show organiser IMAM, told Forkliftaction.com News international forklift manufacturers BT, Clark, Crown, Doosan Daewoo, Heli, Hyster, Hyundai, Jungheinrich, Linde, Nuova Detas, Still, Toyota and Yale were among 200 exhibitors in a 20,000 square metre space in ExpoCenter Norte, Sao Paulo, on August 8-11.
Brazilian manufacturers Paletrans and Skam and forklift attachment makers, and battery, tyre and fork suppliers also exhibited.
Carillo said the Brazilian market was the biggest in South America with more than 8,000 forklifts expected to be sold this year.
From next year, Movimat would be combined with logistics software show Salon de Logistica because both shows had synergies in exhibitors and visitors, Carillo said. The combined biennial show, Movimat Salon Intralogistica, would make its debut on August 7-19 at the same venue. |
Ex-forklift driver starts driving school
SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom | A UK forklift driver unhappy with existing forklift driver training has established his own school to give students “the personal touch”.
Denis Gledhill, 44, has driven forklifts for 25 years. Before he launched DG Truck Training, he was in charge of training forklift operators for a Cadbury Schweppes factory in Sheffield, which operated 70 forklifts.
“My job was to train new employees and give refresher training to old drivers,” Gledhill said.
“There was a lot of pressure on the trainer and drivers to perform to a high standard without building fundamental skills first.”
In December 2005, Gledhill established his business with a bursary award from the Stocksbridge Training & Enterprise Partnership, funded by the UK Steel Enterprise’s community support program.
He said each training program was tailored to meet individual students’ needs.
“I give the students the time they need to learn the skills because everyone picks things up differently. A lot of students are foreigners so there is also a language barrier.”
To date, Gledhill has trained and certified about 75 forklift operators in a fruit and vegetable warehouse in Ecclesfield.
Gledhill is an accredited trainer with two independent UK bodies, the Independent Training Standards Scheme and Register (ITSSAR) and the Road Transport Industry Training Board (RTITB).
UK Steel Enterprise is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Corus Group plc that aims to improve the economies in parts of the UK affected by changes in the steel industry. |
Mombasa Port buys five forklifts
MOMBASA, Kenya | Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has bought five new SMV Konecranes forklifts to handle cargo at the Mombasa Port, Nation Daily reported.
The authority’s technical services manager Joseph Atonga said the acquisition was part of KPA’s equipment modernisation program to enhance efficiency and service delivery at the port.
SMV Konecranes service engineer Hakan Aronsson delivered the forklifts to Atonga last Wednesday. Total cost was KES71 million (USD979,999).
The newspaper said the KPA would soon call tenders for one 50-tonne, one 20-tonne, two 16-tonne and seven five-tonne forklifts. |
Dragados repeats RTG order
HYVINKÄÄ, Finland | Port operator Dragados SPL has ordered eight more rubber-tyred-gantry (RTG) cranes from KCI Konecranes as part of an expansion project at the Spanish Port of Valencia (Forkliftaction.com News #25).
Dragados owns and operates the Maritima Valenciana terminal at the Port of Valencia, on the Spanish eastern Mediterranean coastline. The EUR9 million (USD11.5 million) order adds to Maritima Valenciana’s three existing Konecranes RTGs.
Konecranes sales & product manager Aku Lehtinen said Dragados was expanding the terminal because container traffic had increased.
“They need to expand quay and yard capacity … for this expansion Dragados has purchased two ship-to-shore cranes and eight RTGs,” Lehtinen said. The expansion would be completed in 2007.
Konecranes has sold more than 70 RTGs to Mediterranean customers, including Maritima Valenciana and Terminales del Sudeste, at Malaga, owned by Dragados.
Lehtinen said Dragados ordered its first Konecranes RTGs in 2004. |
New centre enhances CNH global plan
LAKE FOREST, IL, United States | Telehandler manufacturer Case New Holland (CNH) has invested more than USD30 million in a 500,000 square foot (46,452 square metre) parts distribution centre in Cameron, Missouri.
CNH parts & service vice president David Ferguson said the site was chosen because it was close to several interstate highways, making the centre a logistics and transport hub.
About 560 CNH dealers in the states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana would benefit from the new facility.
The centre is due for completion in early 2007 and will be fully operational by mid-2007. About 150 workers will be employed.
The new distribution centre is the 11th in North America.
In September 2003, CNH opened a master depot in Lebanon, Indiana, northwest of Indianapolis. The parts depots were part of CNH’s global plan to improve dealer and customer service, enhance efficiency and cut logistics costs, a CNH statement said.
Duke Realty Corp, of Indianapolis, is developing the project at Crossroads Corporate Centre, about 50 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. |
M&S seeks forklift operators
STOKE-ON-TRENT, United Kingdom | British upmarket retailer Marks & Spencer’s new distribution centre will have 300 jobs up for grabs.
Previously a national hub for delivering Christmas goods, the centre at Radial Point, off the A500 at Stoke-on-Trent, will now distribute Marks & Spencer clothes.
Jobs at the site for warehouse workers, forklift drivers and administrators were advertised in The Sentinel last week.
Employment agency Best Connection manager Darren Ainge told The Sentinel interviews for potential employees would take place over the next five weeks.
Workers will be contracted until at least March 2007 at the warehouse, which will operate 24 hours a day in three shifts. |
| Sample of used equipment for sale: | Search 8759 listings in the Marketplace |
| OM |
D30 |
2006 |
China |
USD 7000 |
Details |
| Linde |
E30-600-03S336 |
2007 |
Germany |
EUR 0 |
Details |
| Shangli |
CPYD40 |
2012 |
China |
USD 0 |
Details |
| Nissan |
GNO1L16HQ |
2006 |
United Kingdom |
GBP 4950 |
Details |
| Terex |
P&H-FCH55 |
1996 |
United States |
USD 0 |
Details |
| Hyster |
H25.00F |
- |
Australia |
AUD 467500 |
Details |
| Kalmar |
DCD80-9 |
2000 |
Austria |
EUR 0 |
Details |
| Toyota |
7BPU15 |
2006 |
United States |
USD 0 |
Details |
| Hyster |
H48.00XM |
2005 |
Australia |
AUD 265000 |
Details |
| Mitsubishi |
FGE25N |
2003 |
Australia |
AUD 9350 |
Details |
| Lift King |
LK16000 |
- |
Australia |
AUD 0 |
Details |
| Jungheinrich |
KEAC16 |
2004 |
Czech Republic |
EUR 6900 |
Details |
| Hyster |
H9.00XM |
2005 |
Australia |
EUR 0 |
Details |
| Tailift |
FD30 |
2013 |
United Arab Emirates |
USD 22000 |
Details |
and thousands more...
Click here to include your used forklifts, stackers, telehandlers, container handlers, attachments etc.
|
Incidents increase, and so does frustration
MELBOURNE, Australia | A spike in Australian workplace fatalities has highlighted workplace safety failings.
A Victorian State Coroner’s Office and Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine June 2006 report expressed concern about workplace incident prevention.
“Despite previous recommendations concentrating on the need to be aware of hazards, there still appears to be issues impeding practical application of prevention,” the report said.
It said April 2006 was the “worst month for workplace deaths in the last 25 years in Victoria”.
The report said a spike in fatalities included a cluster of industrial electrocutions and forklift/transport fatalities, representing 42 per cent of reported workplace deaths. It pointed to poor supervision, lack of training on new equipment and failure to follow codes as obstacles to safety.
WorkSafe Victoria has released a second edition of a report into forklift safety, expressing exasperation about safety in and around forklifts.
“Forklifts tip over too often. Changes to workplace practices and people’s behaviour in and around forklifts need to be made,” the report said.
“Forklift-related deaths and injuries continue to occur in Victorian workplaces. By now, it should be clear, forklifts and pedestrians do not mix.”
The Australian business sector believes the safety message is confusing.
The Business Council of Australia (BCA) delivered a submission to the Federal Government which said “conflicting legislation, particularly across the states” had costly consequences for workplace safety.
Federal, state and territory governments have separate, distinct legislation setting out minimum standards for employers on occupational health and safety. “While the laws are broadly similar in scope, there are several differences which add to costs,” the submission said.
There are eight separate, state or territory run workplace safety entities in Australia, including WorkSafe Victoria, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland, , WorkSafe Western Australia, SafeWork (South Australia), and NT WorkSafe, plus safety consultancies.
The Australian Safety & Compensation Council is a Federal Government initiative.
Victoria and Western Australia are the only states that issue web-based warnings for forklift operators to remain strapped in their forklifts during rollovers.
WorkSafe Victoria’s 2006 report Forklift Safety, Reducing the Risk said there were 56 forklift-related fatalities from 1985 to 2006. Nearly 20 per cent were caused by forklift rollovers.
The report said when a forklift overturned, the safest place for the operator was in the cabin with a seatbelt on. WorkSafe advised operators to “hold on, stay with the truck and lean in the opposite direction of the overturn”.
The report said almost every time an operator jumped from a forklift while it was overturning, they were killed.
WorkSafe Western Australia recommends “during a forklift rollover, operators should not attempt to jump clear, they should brace themselves and stay in the forklift”.
In May 2006 NT WorkSafe developed a daily checklist for forklift operators to maintain safety inspections.
However, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland recommends “only a trained, qualified person may inspect, maintain or repair forklifts”.
The WorkSafe Victoria report said manufacturers were also responsible for safety.
“Manufacturers do not always include vital information, such as a forklift’s capacity at full forward tilt of the mast and at full forward maximum load elevation, in sales information.
“Lift capacity, the maximum load supported by the lift, and vertical lift travel are the most important forklift specifications to be considered to prevent forklift instability incidents.”
Pilz Safe Automation manager Frank Schrever said operators tampering with machinery after breakdowns caused incidents.
Workplace incidents were “unacceptably high”, despite greater focus on workplace safety. Schrever attributed that to protective devices being “manipulated”. Supervisors and colleagues often condoned the practices, he said.
“Often, the cause can be traced to operators wanting to rectify machinery breakdowns without the bureaucracy of procedures.”
The BCA submission called for the Council of Australian Governments, which meets early in 2007, to reduce the regulatory burden imposed on Australian business in areas such as occupational health & safety and workers’ compensation. |
Australian dealer to distribute new Combilift range
MELBOURNE, Australia | Three new Combilift forklifts will be released in Australia in coming months.
Adapt-A-Lift Forklift Rentals and Sales is a privately owned Australian forklift rental business and is the exclusive Australian distributor of the Combilift range. It said in the past four years it had sold 168 Combilift units to Australian businesses.
Adapt-A-Lift national marketing co-ordinator Paul Beschi said the TeleCombi, GT Stand-on forklift and the Semi-rough terrain C 5000L forklift were currently available in Europe and would soon be distributed in Australia.
Beschi said the new TeleCombi was fitted with a one-stage boom mounted on a moving carriage. The GT Stand-on forklift was a 3 tonne to 4.5 tonne lift which worked in narrow aisles and the Semi-rough terrain C5000L was designed to handle long loads and with large pneumatic tyres, was suited to unpaved yards and rough conditions.
Combilift Ltd, based in Ireland, manufactures LPgas, diesel and electric powered all-wheel drive, multi-directional forklifts designed to handle long loads more safely in a yard or confined areas.
A leading UK’s steel stockholder, GH Cook, said it was able to increase the amount of stock it carried at its Sheffield warehouse after replacing overhead cranes with two Combilift 4-way forklifts.
|
Waterfront dispute returns
MELBOURNE, Australia | The ABC complaints line has received numerous calls alleging a TV mini-series, Bastard Boys, based on the 1998 waterfront dispute, is biased.
Bastard Boys is about Patrick Stevedoring chief Chris Corrigan taking on the Maritime Union of Australia over working conditions, and the role of the Howard government.
Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells told The Australian the series was part of an “anti-government” campaign.
Scriptwriter Sue Smith told The Australian she expected controversy.
"In some ways, people probably expect it to be a piece of leftie-something, which is why we went to great pains not to be that," she said.
The series will air in 2007. |
LOCAL STORIES
Incidents increase, and so does frustration
MELBOURNE, Australia | A spike in Australian workplace fatalities has highlighted workplace safety failings.
A Victorian State Coroner’s Office and Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine June 2006 report expressed concern about workplace incident prevention.
“Despite previous recommendations concentrating on the need to be aware of hazards, there still appears to be issues impeding practical application of prevention,” the report said.
It said April 2006 was the “worst month for workplace deaths in the last 25 years in Victoria”.
The report said a spike in fatalities included a cluster of industrial electrocutions and forklift/transport fatalities, representing 42 per cent of reported workplace deaths. It pointed to poor supervision, lack of training on new equipment and failure to follow codes as obstacles to safety.
WorkSafe Victoria has released a second edition of a report into forklift safety, expressing exasperation about safety in and around forklifts.
“Forklifts tip over too often. Changes to workplace practices and people’s behaviour in and around forklifts need to be made,” the report said.
“Forklift-related deaths and injuries continue to occur in Victorian workplaces. By now, it should be clear, forklifts and pedestrians do not mix.”
The Australian business sector believes the safety message is confusing.
The Business Council of Australia (BCA) delivered a submission to the Federal Government which said “conflicting legislation, particularly across the states” had costly consequences for workplace safety.
Federal, state and territory governments have separate, distinct legislation setting out minimum standards for employers on occupational health and safety. “While the laws are broadly similar in scope, there are several differences which add to costs,” the submission said.
There are eight separate, state or territory run workplace safety entities in Australia, including WorkSafe Victoria, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland, , WorkSafe Western Australia, SafeWork (South Australia), and NT WorkSafe, plus safety consultancies.
The Australian Safety & Compensation Council is a Federal Government initiative.
Victoria and Western Australia are the only states that issue web-based warnings for forklift operators to remain strapped in their forklifts during rollovers.
WorkSafe Victoria’s 2006 report Forklift Safety, Reducing the Risk said there were 56 forklift-related fatalities from 1985 to 2006. Nearly 20 per cent were caused by forklift rollovers.
The report said when a forklift overturned, the safest place for the operator was in the cabin with a seatbelt on. WorkSafe advised operators to “hold on, stay with the truck and lean in the opposite direction of the overturn”.
The report said almost every time an operator jumped from a forklift while it was overturning, they were killed.
WorkSafe Western Australia recommends “during a forklift rollover, operators should not attempt to jump clear, they should brace themselves and stay in the forklift”.
In May 2006 NT WorkSafe developed a daily checklist for forklift operators to maintain safety inspections.
However, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland recommends “only a trained, qualified person may inspect, maintain or repair forklifts”.
The WorkSafe Victoria report said manufacturers were also responsible for safety.
“Manufacturers do not always include vital information, such as a forklift’s capacity at full forward tilt of the mast and at full forward maximum load elevation, in sales information.
“Lift capacity, the maximum load supported by the lift, and vertical lift travel are the most important forklift specifications to be considered to prevent forklift instability incidents.”
Pilz Safe Automation manager Frank Schrever said operators tampering with machinery after breakdowns caused incidents.
Workplace incidents were “unacceptably high”, despite greater focus on workplace safety. Schrever attributed that to protective devices being “manipulated”. Supervisors and colleagues often condoned the practices, he said.
“Often, the cause can be traced to operators wanting to rectify machinery breakdowns without the bureaucracy of procedures.”
The BCA submission called for the Council of Australian Governments, which meets early in 2007, to reduce the regulatory burden imposed on Australian business in areas such as occupational health & safety and workers’ compensation. |
Australian dealer to distribute new Combilift range
MELBOURNE, Australia | Three new Combilift forklifts will be released in Australia in coming months.
Adapt-A-Lift Forklift Rentals and Sales is a privately owned Australian forklift rental business and is the exclusive Australian distributor of the Combilift range. It said in the past four years it had sold 168 Combilift units to Australian businesses.
Adapt-A-Lift national marketing co-ordinator Paul Beschi said the TeleCombi, GT Stand-on forklift and the Semi-rough terrain C 5000L forklift were currently available in Europe and would soon be distributed in Australia.
Beschi said the new TeleCombi was fitted with a one-stage boom mounted on a moving carriage. The GT Stand-on forklift was a 3 tonne to 4.5 tonne lift which worked in narrow aisles and the Semi-rough terrain C5000L was designed to handle long loads and with large pneumatic tyres, was suited to unpaved yards and rough conditions.
Combilift Ltd, based in Ireland, manufactures LPgas, diesel and electric powered all-wheel drive, multi-directional forklifts designed to handle long loads more safely in a yard or confined areas.
A leading UK’s steel stockholder, GH Cook, said it was able to increase the amount of stock it carried at its Sheffield warehouse after replacing overhead cranes with two Combilift 4-way forklifts.
|
Waterfront dispute returns
MELBOURNE, Australia | The ABC complaints line has received numerous calls alleging a TV mini-series, Bastard Boys, based on the 1998 waterfront dispute, is biased.
Bastard Boys is about Patrick Stevedoring chief Chris Corrigan taking on the Maritime Union of Australia over working conditions, and the role of the Howard government.
Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells told The Australian the series was part of an “anti-government” campaign.
Scriptwriter Sue Smith told The Australian she expected controversy.
"In some ways, people probably expect it to be a piece of leftie-something, which is why we went to great pains not to be that," she said.
The series will air in 2007. |
MEDIA RELEASES
| Deutsche Messe AG: Trade show for materials handling technology continues to grow | Keeping things on the move: from 10 to 13 October the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) will be playing host to firms in the fast-growing materials handling and logistics industry. CeMAT ASIA has established itself as the foremost trade show for this sector in the Asian region, bringing the successful CeMAT format – originally developed in Hannover – to the booming Chinese market. The prestige of the CeMAT brand can be measured by the record-breaking number of exhibitors this year: 320 firms will be presenting their innovations and ideas on some 20,000 m² of display area.
Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. |
FORK TALK
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