 The world's largest Hyster forklift distributor celebrates Barloworld's 110th anniversary this year. |
Staff at Barloworld Handling's worldwide headquarters in Maidenhead are celebrating 110 years since the formation of the Barloworld global business.
Today, the company has operations in 27 countries and is active in the industrial equipment, automotive and logistics sectors, with annual revenues of about GBP4.5 billion (USD7.0 billion).
Barloworld Handling is also the world's largest Hyster forklift distributor. The relationship between the two originated in South Africa in the late 1920s.
Managing director Phil Bastow says: "Few companies can lay claim to being part of an organisation successfully trading for more than a century. This anniversary is a major milestone and we're naturally celebrating it across the group."
Bastow adds that for 83 years, the company has been "writing and rewriting the rule book on every aspect of materials handling".
"We know this industry inside out, we thrive on adding value to our customers' businesses, managing equipment in some of the harshest environments, and we look forward to new challenges," he explains.
A company spokesman says from August, the Maidenhead headquarters will hold an open day to celebrate the anniversary, while each Barloworld location will hold local events throughout the year. A 110-year anniversary logo will also be used in marketing materials to commemorate the event.
The company claims to be the UK's largest forklift and warehouse equipment specialist and the sole Hyster distributor since 1956, with 17 service centres and 1,000 support staff including 400 engineers.
Baloworld maintains nearly 25,000 forklifts in the UK. In 2011, it recorded double-digit growth and divisional revenue rose to GBP362 million (USD564 million).
The Barloworld business began when Ernest (Billy) Barlow, a major in the British army, went to South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. After the war, Barlow stayed in the country and founded Thomas Barlow & Sons in Durban, initially selling woolen goods, and in five years, branched out to engineering components.
In 1929 his son, nicknamed 'Punch', approached US-based Hyster and secured the materials handling dealership in South Africa.