Marcel VandenTop, general manager of Intella Liftparts Inc, identifies market changes in lighting preferences and adjustments in global parts-buying practices.

Among product developments, a proprietary Intella strobe light utilises light emitting diode (LED) technology and incorporates four modes of illumination in a single device. "With the flip of a switch, the light changes from strobe mode to flashing light mode to two different rotating beacon flash modes," VandenTop says.

"Customers continue to be very interested in switching from traditional sealed beam/halogen lights to LED lights," says VandenTop, who observes that new lower-cost versions of LEDs are gaining traction in the marketplace.

Separately, Intella sells a blue safety light that it says can help avoid accidents between a forklift and a pedestrian.

Intella is based in Holland within the US mid-west heartland and also stocks forks at a warehouse in Fontana, California.

Intella is a subsidiary of Van Gent Forklift Parts BV of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, a family-owned global wholesaler of forklift parts with specialisation in alternative parts.

While in high school, VandenTop worked part-time for the Rapidparts Inc subsidiary of Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc beginning in 1988. Subsequently in materials handling industry positions, he has worked on the wholesale side and, for 10 years, on the retail side with Alta Lift Truck Services Inc of Wixom, Michigan.

"Intella was started in 2007 as a 'competitive alternative' to other parts suppliers," says VandenTop, who is 42.

"Many dealers will spend considerable amounts of time determining the right labour rate in a market but will spend very little time strategically thinking about parts pricing and where to buy parts from," he says. "We have a database of over six million records so if someone's looking for a part, there's a good chance we can help them find it, even if we don't stock it."

Access to the Internet for part searches is changing the industry in the domestic and global markets, he believes.

"Dealers who think they can just charge list price plus a sizable premium are living in yesteryear," VandenTop tells Forkliftaction.com News. "Even if customers aren't ordering from other Internet suppliers, they're using those prices to hammer the local dealer for a better price. If the local dealer doesn't have any alternative suppliers, they lose the deal."