Air Products has signed a major contract with Yale Europe Materials Handling and the Forkway Group.

A world leader in the supply of atmospheric, process and specialty gases has signed a major new contract with Yale Europe Materials Handling and the Forkway Group.

Air Products currently operates around 60 trucks across 27 sites in the UK. These will be replaced by a range of Yale trucks over the next few years.

Forkway has worked with Air Products for nearly 25 years, and according to the forklift company's managing director, Martyn Fletcher, its partnership with Yale Materials Handling was a key factor in securing the deal.

"The extensive and versatile Yale range is ideally suited to the varied needs of Air Products," Fletcher explains.

Forkway has delivered 10T and 4.5T diesel trucks; three-wheeled compact electric models; and a pedestrian-operated stacker. Four 2.5T Veracitor VX diesel trucks, two of which were modified by explosion-proof specialist Pyroban, were also delivered to the Air Products Chemicals site in Clayton, Manchester.

In the coming months, Air Products will also take delivery of raised cab VX models as part of a mixed fleet. "The high cab models are particularly important as they offer operators improved visibility as they move unusually high loads and travel around the sites where such high loads are stored," Fletcher says.

Paul Dodds, operations manager at Air Products, says forklift operators have been won over by the Yale trucks.

The value of the order is confidential.

Forkway works with Yale's exclusive UK dealer, Briggs. Air Products had sales of USD10 billion in 2011. It employs over 20,000 people in over 50 countries.