Robern Menz's Violet Crumble-themed forklift

Australian confectionary company Robern Menz has commemorated its recent success by decking out one of its Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) forklifts with a Violet Crumble-themed paint job. With roots that can be traced back all the way to 1850, Robern Menz has steadily built its business in the suburbs of Adelaide, and the purchase of the famous Violet Crumble brand in 2018 has seen its business taken to new levels. For the last two decades, Robern Menz has relied on TMHA equipment, and the Violet Crumble forklift represents the fruitful relationship the companies have enjoyed over the last 20 years. Robern Menz currently uses a fleet of 14 different TMHA machines to run its business, and warehouse manager Shaun Dwyer says that the reliability of the equipment was crucial, given how consistently they are used. "Our units are utilised 24 hours a day, so reliability is massive for us," Dwyer notes. "The counterbalance forklifts are used externally and internally, again 24 hours a day, and the walkie stackers are the same - we continually use them. "The ease of use, the servicing, and the people from Toyota have been a huge plus for our side of things," he says. Dwyer is particularly impressed with the adoption of two Toyota VRE150 Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) turret trucks, the first of their kind in South Australia, which have allowed Robern Menz to free up an additional 500 pallet spaces in their warehouse, helping facilitate a scale-up in their operations. Besides the VNA trucks, the fleet of TMHA equipment used includes walkie stackers, counterbalance forklifts, a scissor lift, a powered pallet truck and a floor scrubber. Since taking over the Violet Crumble brand, Robern Menz has seen an expansion of its business, shipping the beloved honeycomb chocolate internationally to markets including the United States and Philippines. The rights to the Polly Waffle chocolate bar were also purchased in 2019, while the performance of the company since the start of the pandemic has seen its 110-strong staff working hard to keep up with demand. Robern Menz has been shipping one 40-foot container of product around the world every fortnight, helped by the 24-hour operation of its TMHA equipment.