Our thoughts go out to the people of Italy after last week's devastating earthquake in and around the town of Amatrice, which claimed almost 300 lives.
It doesn't appear that there is any materials handling manufacturing in the earthquake-affected area, but no doubt many in the industry have been personally affected, losing friends or relatives.
Disasters like this always bring out the best in the forklift community, and we're sure to see plenty of equipment donations and offers of support, not only from Italy's manufacturers, but also from the global brands. Over the years, we have seen the industry contribute generously to disaster recovery and reconstruction, and this tragedy will almost certainly elicit the same outpouring of goodwill.
While there is some uncertainty over the future of Amatrice, we all share Italy's sense of loss and stand ready to help however we can.