Hiab has won an order for 150 truck-mounted forklifts

Hiab, part of Cargotec, has won an order for 150 truck-mounted forklifts from ABC Supply Co. Inc.

ABC Supply is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, and one of the largest distributors of other exterior building materials in North America. It has 456 branches in 45 states, and operates 1,050 truck-mounted forklifts and 550 loader cranes from Hiab on its delivery fleet. Hiab will supply 80 Moffett M55 and 70 Princeton PB50 truck-mounted forklifts in this order.

The order was booked into Cargotec's 2013 fourth quarter order intake, and the equipment will be delivered during 2014.

Service is an important part of the deal, according to Bob Kislia, fleet manager at ABC Supply. "We operate in every major metropolitan area, and our equipment needs to be maintained wherever it is based. Hiab has a large service organisation with both mobile technicians and service workshops, and the service levels that they offer us are critical to our ability to operate."

Kislia explains that "truck-mounted forklifts are our number one invoicing delivery tool". They are mainly used to deliver roofing shingles, a heavy, bulky, item that forms a cubed, palletised load.

The delivery location is usually either a built-up residential area, or a building site, without facilities for unloading. The lifting capacity of 5, 500lb (2.5 T), all wheel-drive capability and the ability to drive across rough terrain make truck-mounted forklifts ideal for ABC's needs. "They can deliver products to the exact place where they are required, eliminating the need to move them again, which saves time and reduces transit damage," he explains. "Add to this the fact that using a truck-mounted forklift is three times faster than offloading by hand, and less expensive to purchase and maintain than a boom crane, and you can see why we find them ideal for our needs," adds Kislia.

ABC has a long history of using Princeton truck-mounted forklifts. Now, ABC uses a combination of both Princeton and Moffett, depending on which type of truck their delivery fleet is equipped to carry.

Hiab, Cargotec's unified load handling business since 2004, encompasses the
Moffett and Princeton businesses which were acquired in 2000.