Manitou and Yanmar partnership
West Bend, WI, United States
Maintou Group and Yanmar Co Ltd have formed a strategic alliance.
Manitou will launch a line of compact excavators made by Yanmar, under the Gehl and Mustang brands, for the North American sales region. This partnership marks the end of Manitou's distribution relationship with Wacker Neuson that has provided compact excavators and all-wheel steer loaders to Manitou for the Americas region since 1999.
Yanmar will launch a range of skid loaders and compact track loaders, designed and manufactured in the US by Manitou's compact equipment division, under the Yanmar brand for distribution in North America.

Irish factory wins quality award
Craigavon, Ireland
The NACCO Materials Handling factory in Craigavon, which produces Hyster and Yale forklifts, has achieved the Northern Ireland Quality Award 2011.
Plant manager Alan Little accepted the award at a ceremony in Belfast City Hall on 26 January.
The Northern Ireland Quality Awards, organised by the Centre for Competitiveness, claims to be the premier business event in Northern Ireland. It recognises organisations that have demonstrated excellence in their overall business performance.
The factory employs over 600 people and produces about 14,000 forklifts annually.

New university opens
Marengo, IL, United States
Nissan Forklift Corp has started the new year with the launch of the University of Nissan Forklift and its College of Technical Service.
The university was created to help strengthen Nissan Forklift's sales and service staff through providing continued education and training.
The curriculum-based program for the College of Technical Service offers three certification levels of achievement - apprentice, journeyman and master technician - while the university will provide a web-based learning management system specially designed for dealership professionals seeking to enhance technical skills. Nissan Forklift plans to open a College of Sales through the University of Nissan Forklift in the future.

Awards night a sell-out
Alton, United Kingdom
The Fork Lift Truck Association's 18th Annual Awards for Excellence has almost sold out.
The event will be co-hosted by Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell, and all the tables have been reserved, but there are still a few spaces left for individuals or couples.
Representatives of the industry's leading manufacturers and suppliers will be treated to an evening of entertainment, dining and dancing on 18 February at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel.

Palletforce raises £6,800 for charities
Burton upon Trent, United Kingdom
Palletforce members and staff have raised GBP6,800 (USD10,800) for two charities.
The cash was raised through an auction at the company's AGM where prizes included two tickets to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix donated by Shell, a signed Henry Cooper photo montage and a VIP trip for two to an England football match donated by Toyota.
The money will be split between the Midlands Air Ambulance and the Joseph Foote Trust.