Graham Trundell, managing director of GT Lifting Solutions

A UK telehandler supplier has reached a significant milestone after supplying thousands of units in the UK.

Since 1983, Merlo UK has sold over 7,000 Merlo telehandlers. The 7,000th machine was sold to Southeast-based GT Lifting Solutions Ltd and was supplied by East London Merlo dealer CBL. The historic vehicle was a 25-metre (82-foot) lift Roto 40.25 MCSS.

Graham Trundell, managing director of GT Lifting Solutions, says the company now has eight 25-metre Rotos. "The demand is continuing in this sector, quite unlike the general house building side. The Roto offers a spectacular performance and can often replace several machines on-site."

GT Lifting Solutions also uses several heavy-lift Merlo 6- and 10-tonne capacity telehandlers as well as the Roto fleet of 16-metre (52-foot), 21-metre (68-foot) and 25-metre (82-foot) machines.

Peter Grant, marketing manager for Merlo UK, says the Merlo Group produced 7,000 units in 2008, of which 6,200 were rough terrain telehandlers. "The balance is forestry tractors, tracked carrier vehicles and urban waste collection vehicles."

Grant says Merlo UK reports that the specialised telehandler market is still strong, and believes that the Italian manufacturing plant is well placed in the current economic conditions.

He believes the UK specialised telehandler market is strong because it operates in a different market. "The mass of the UK market is normally the plant hire and general house builder market. This market has been severely hit in the credit crunch.

"Merlo UK is strongest in the farm market - about 30% of the total market place. At the moment, the farm market remains strong. The Merlo dealer network and machine reputation places it very well in that group. Indeed, we have seen Merlo penetration increase significantly over the past two to three years."