Interthor Inc's employees.

Danish forklift manufacturer Logitrans has signed the biggest sales outlet investment deal in the company's 66-year history.

Logitrans has bought Interthor Inc, its American dealer in Illinois since 1988, from Interthor's parent company, Southworth Inc, which manufactures and sells materials handling equipment.

The price was not disclosed but Logitrans said it was an "obvious buyer" as Interthor had been its dealer since 1988.

A Logitrans spokesperson said:"Logitrans products have all the years been Interthor's primary products. Southworth Inc will still be an important importer in the USA together with the activities of Interthor.

"In the last two years, Logitrans has experienced growth of 15 per cent and Logitrans sells around 20,000 units a year. The primary growth markets have been Norway, Germany, Denmark, Finland and the USA.

"Part of the growth is because Logitrans has entered strategic relations with European competitors, for whom Logitrans manufactures products. This has led to positive growth," she said.

The acquisition is expected to strengthen the company's position in the USA. US Postal is one of Logitrans' US customers. It uses Logiflex stackers for handling letters and parcels.

Established in 1940, Logitrans is an international company manufacturing and selling materials handling equipment. It has 140 employees and consists of the parent company in Denmark and eight sales subsidiaries in the UK, Belgium, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Germany and the USA. Around 85 per cent of product is exported to more than 40 countries. Its largest markets, the USA, Denmark, Germany and France, account for more than 50 per cent of sales.

Logitrans launched a new drum lifter in January that can be fitted on Logitrans stackers with standard forks (the Logiflex).