The British Industrial Truck Association's (BITA) report on the UK market's second-quarter performance has returned results pointing to a record 2003.

BITA members reported sales of more than 7,000 forklifts in Q2, down slightly on sales for Q2 2002, but following a record first quarter, when almost 8,000 machines were sold.

"The combined first and second quarter figures show that, with a total of almost 14,900 unit orders, 2003 has seen the best first six months ever recorded by a margin of around 500 units," BITA's report said.

"With such a good start to 2003, a second consecutive record year for the UK industry is a distinct possibility."

A breakdown of the figures showed that, in the first half, 58% of forklifts sold by BITA members were counterbalance machines. Powered pallet trucks accounted for 16%, and 11% of forklifts sold were reach trucks, a buying pattern BITA said was "in line with recent trends".