One of Cascade's attachments.

Forklift attachments maker Cascade Corp reports a 4% gain in sales for the second quarter ended July 31.

Cascade records profit of USD12.6 million on sales of USD136.4 million versus profit of USD13.9 million on sales USD135.6 million for the previous fiscal year's comparable period.

The net sales change was USD5.3 million, with a 3% drop from a foreign currency amounting to USD4.5 million. The result: a 1% increase of USD768,000.

The previous year's quarter included insurance proceeds and costs relating to a flood at the Cascade Australia Pty Ltd subsidiary in Rocklea, Queensland, Australia. "The net after-tax impact of the flood increased net income by USD0.7 million," Fairview-based Cascade said on August 30.

Although global forklift truck unit data may indicate the general health of the industry and Cascade's business over a six- to 12-month period, "it does not necessarily correlate directly with the demand for our products on a quarterly basis", the company says.

Cascade notes that volatility in the global forklift market continues. "The Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific markets experienced flat to moderate growth" for the quarter, Cascade reports. "China's shipments were well below prior year shipments, which were at record levels."

Quoting industry data, Cascade says forklift orders for China dropped 17% and Europe 7% in quarter-to-quarter comparisons. The Asia Pacific region had a 7% gain in forklift orders, and the Americas continent was up 3%.