In Italy Nuova detas have gone , Companies like the main one's in Europe have seen sales fall dramatically in Europe as a hole , The Chinese are getting better with help from European design team's , So it will be quite interesting. Some companies that have other area's like construction equipment might look at these as main sources of income and put there backing behind these business leaving forklifts behind. I think there will be also a route away from all the electronic systems because of cost's you will find a good basic truck with a good engine will do well again. Companies all over are now saying do we need the high tec and do the extra cost give the benefit to the bottom line. All customers are really interested in is how many pallets can i move per hour for the lowest cost. they don't really care for all the electronics and as long as they are not needed by law they will look at the best cost for value in moving pallets or what ever they have to move. If the electronic's mean they can move same pallet a hour but the cost's is higher than a truck with out electronics per hour then where is the value to the customer. I think the real savings in speed lie elsewhere in the truck.

Companies will have to drive down cost in manufacturing and with the rising cost of steel there will have to be savings made else where. Companies like Linde who have around 70% of sales in Europe based on there own hire fleets will have to look at there cost's. Even with Linde there will be major changes in where their products are produced. These will mainly be in Germany China and Brazil.


I think with all this shake up in three to four years time there will be plenty of opportunity for new entrants to come in with basic trucks and no debt attached to them they could give the big boys a run for there money.



Another area that will cause concern will be the new Emission reg's that come into force in 2014 that mean manufactures will have to use engines with SCR systems in Europe and North America will some of the smaller manufactures who don't sell many trucks in these area's do the redesign work that will be needed Leaving just a small number of companies Like Kalmar , Linde ,Hyster , SMV Kone ,Taylor in this market. They might look at Asian, Eastern European and South America as there main markets.