Forklift sales in Japan slid to 45,801 units in the half-year to June 30, down 9.4 percent on the same period in 2001, according to the latest figures from the Japan Industrial Vehicles Association.

Domestic forklift sales plunged 10.6 percent to 31,379 units, while exports fell 6.8 percent to 14,422 units, a Nippon Kogyo Shimbun report said. Total output dropped 11.6 percent to 47,619 units in the first half.

For the month of June, forklift sales slid 6.2 percent to 8,462 units compared to June 2001, and forklift output fell to 8,437 units, down 8.9 percent.