The Levante Fly

by European correspondent Luc de Smet

Italian manufacturer Carreffe srl has sold about 150 Levante Fly machines since it launched the product at the triannual Movint, an international industrial and mechanical handling exhibition in Bologna in May 2004.

Carreffe was at CeMAT 2005 to showcase the counterbalance electric forklift and stacker hybrid, among other products. "We are a small company but we can grow easily," a company spokesperson told Forkliftaction.com News.

The Levante Fly, an AC threewheeler that takes narrow aisles and has a stacking width of 2,745mm, a maximum load capacity of 1,200kg and a maximum lift height of 5.5m, has been popular in southern Europe.

It was developed in co-operation with the ZAPI group, an electronic speed controller manufacturer, in Poviglio, Italy, and CFR srl, in Modena, Italy, that built the motors.

"Our business for the future is products on demand. We can supply customised versions of the Fly," said Mauro Leoni, sales manager for Levante srl.

The Levante and Carreffe brands belong family group Carreffe srl owned by Alberto Fornasari. Carreffe, based in Ostiglia, northern Italy, and established in 1982, produces palletisers and electric stackers.

Carreffe plans to produce a self-loader stacker, the Innolift, under licence. The Innolift loads and moves palletised goods of up to 600kg, travels and lifts itself onto a van or trailer It was developed by Friendlift Oy, from Jokela, Finland.

Production is planned for January 2006 and first-year production is targeted at 120 units.