Barloworld Handling now offers Irion sideloaders.

Barloworld Handling is now providing UK-wide sales and service support for the Irion brand of sideloaders.

Graham Jones, Barloworld Handling's general manager for UK sales, says the materials handling equipment company is committed to providing a "complete portfolio" of handling equipment to its customers.

"The Irion range gives a wider choice in specific sectors," Jones explains.

Irion sideloaders are designed to handle long and awkward loads in the textile, wood, timber, building products, steel, cable and aluminium industries. They suit tough, outdoor applications.

Jones says that the Irion brand will benefit from Barloworld's established network. "To date, Irion has had little exposure in the UK but with the backing of the Barloworld support infrastructure, it represents an excellent new solution in our portfolio to help businesses operate efficiently."

Irion, a division of the Terra group of companies, is one of Europe's leading sideloader brands, with manufacturing facilities in Austria and France. The DFX fixed-wheel range is available in diesel or LPG options, hydrostatic transmission, fully-enclosed operator cab, a lift capacity between 4 and 8 tonnes, and lift heights of up to eight metres (26.3 feet).

Separately, Barloworld Handling and Hyster Company celebrated the 60th anniversary of their US partnership at Barloworld Handling's headquarters in Charlotte, US, last week.

"In a time where corporate landscapes change quickly, and where partnerships are short-lived, our relationship with Hyster Company is truly one-of-a-kind," says Barloworld Handling's US vice president of sales and marketing, Scott Alexander.

The US division of Barloworld Handling started in 1943 as a small distribution and equipment business named Wrenn Brothers. Wrenn Brothers became one of the first Hyster forklift dealers in the region in 1949, and the partnership has grown ever since.

Barloworld Handling is the world's largest independent forklift dealer with operations in the UK, Holland, Belgium, South Africa and south-east USA. Barloworld Handling's US division includes 30 full-service branches and over 400 road service technicians in eight states. As the UK's exclusive Hyster distributor since 1956, Barloworld Handling maintains nearly 30,000 forklifts through its network of 1,000 support staff that includes 550 engineers.