Three fairs, three cities, taking turns every three years. The European fair calendar for forklifts is now in synch.

Organisers of Salon du Manutention, part of Européenne de la Logistique, have changed the show's biennial cycle to fit in with the IMHX and CeMAT shows. The next Manutention will be in the second half of 2006, after IMHX in Birmingham, United Kingdom, (March 2 to 4, 2004) and CeMAT in Hannover, Germany, (October 11 to 15, 2005).

Européenne de la Logistique commissaire générale Soline Sommers said forklift manufacturers had requested the cycle change after CeMAT changed to a three-year cycle after last year's show. IMHX, formerly a biennial event, also became a triennial show late last year.

Ms Sommers said forklifts comprised 40 percent of the 70,000 square metres of exhibition space at the Paris show. More than 40,000 visitors attended this year's show, held from March 11 to 14. It enjoyed strong regional patronage, but foreign exhibitors grew, commanding 18 percent of this year's exhibits, double the figure from the 1999 show. Spanish companies, including Tecna and AUSA, took up about 1200 square metres, 10 times more than at the 2001 show.

Innovations at the show included:
~ BT showed its three-directional Vector C15 combi-reachtruck;
~ Daewoo presented a two-tonne electric three-wheeler in its B18T series and the seven-tonne G60S-2;
~ Hyster launched a four-wheel J2.00-3.2XM ACX electro-truck;
~ Still featured its new R20 15I electric 3-wheeler (ASM-technology) and thermal machines (D25 30 and G25 30);
~ Toyota launched a 7FBEF 48-volt three-wheeler: and
~ Jungheinrich equipped its compact electric forklifts in the EFG-DF series with asynchronous AC-motors.

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