The OPB20NE, Mitsubishi's latest model in its low level order picker range.

Mitsubishi Forklift has established a new branch to provide continued service to its Norwegian customers after its dealer succumbed to the global recession.

Birgitta van den Bosch, Mitsubishi's regional sales manager, tells Forkliftaction.com News that the company's former dealer, Al Maskin, has closed down.

"Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Trucks BV has taken over the staff, the location, service vans, tools and registered a [new] company," van den Bosch says.

The new company, Mitsubishi Gaffeltruck Norge, will move to new premises in Oslo at the end of the year. There are currently 28 people working for the branch, located in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Tromso and Trondheim - to provide a nationwide support network.

Van den Bosch says not all of Al Maskin's staff are working at the new branch.

"We will make use of the in-house experience and possibilities from the Mitsubishi factory in Almere. Some of the workload can be moved to the Netherlands, like putting attachments on trucks centrally or making use of direct distribution to customers."

According to World Industrial Truck Statistics, Mitsubishi Forklift's marketshare for warehouse and counterbalance trucks has been around 6% in Scandinavia for the last four years. Van den Bosch says the global recession did not affect its dealers' marketshare, but as the market declined, so did the number of forklifts supplied.

Van den Bosch says the company's employees and customers have been loyal during the process of establishing Mitsubishi Gaffeltruck Norge. "Scandinavia has always been an important contribution to our company. We did not want to disappoint our long-term customers and jeopardize our long standing relationships."

The Mitsubishi forklift brand has been represented in Scandinavia since the 1970s. Mitsubishi has had a higher market share for counterbalance trucks than warehouse trucks in Scandinavia.

Van den Bosch says Mitsubishi aims to boost its marketshare for both warehouse and counterbalance trucks in Scandinavia next year.