Hand-over of the 10,000th Combilift

Combilift has delivered its 10,000th forklift, a 10 tonne capacity, customised four-way forklift to Weyerhaeuser, one of the world's largest pulp and paper manufacturers.

The forklift will be deployed at Weyerhaeuser's Parallam Mill in Annacis Island near Vancouver. It is the first 10 tonne Combilift at the Weyerhaeuser site.

Weyerhaeuser ordered its first Combilift, a C8000, in 1999. It now operates 130 Combilifts across its different North American sites and is embarking on a program to phase out its 300-400 counterbalance forklifts at its distribution centres and replace them with Combilifts over the next few years.

Combilift spokesperson Liz Townsend says the machines Combilift supplied were brand new models developed from the ground up. "Customised features include an integrated side shifting mast, a wide fork position, improved size and ergonomics of the operator cab - the hydraulic controls and directional control lever were repositioned," she says.

She adds that "a vast array of smaller details" were customised or incorporated to make the handling of Weyerhaeuser's oversized products easier, safer and more efficient. Most of Weyerhaeuser's products are as long as 20 metres (66 feet).

Combilift managing director Martin McVicar says that Weyerhaeuser exemplifies how customer feedback has been instrumental in helping the manufacturer continually improve the Combilift concept.

"Product development was based on close collaboration between the two companies," adds Combilift US president Tommy Cadden.

"Chuck Antonides (Weyerhaeuser's director of lean processes) visited our manufacturing facility in Ireland on a number of occasions to liaise with the management and engineers." Cadden explains.

Combilift designed, built and delivered the first of Weyerhaeuser's 6 tonne units from August 2007 to January 2008. Throughout 2008 Weyerhaeuser ordered and took delivery of 108 of the models.