Kalmar forklift working at Martens Beton's production facility in Oosterhout, the Netherlands.

Kalmar has entered the Benelux concrete industry after winning an order from Martens Beton for 14 forklifts with five- to 12-tonne lifting capacities.

The delivery to Martens Beton's production facility in Oosterhout, the Netherlands comprises four DCE 50-6HM units with five-tonne lifting capacity; eight DCE 80-6HM units and one DCE 80-9HM unit, all with eight-tonne lifting capacity; and one 12-tonne DCE 120-12.

They will be fitted with a variety of attachments including rotators, triple forks, quadruple forks and stone clamps.

All 14 machines have been procured under a 60-month rental contract providing 1,500 running hours per machine. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

Paul Michon, Kalmar Nederland's managing director, says the order resulted from effective "internal co-operation".

Michon praises the "excellent communications" between the sales and service departments, the offices of Dutch agent, Kalmar Hoogyliet, and his team in Sweden.

"The contract is a real coup for Kalmar as we are confident it will give us valuable inroads into the concrete business in the Benelux region.

"Other producers will be monitoring the performance of Martens Beton's forklifts closely, so it is important that both Kalmar and the machines excel for the duration of this contract," he says.

Martens Beton is a leading producer of concrete and plastic products for earthworks, road construction and hydraulic engineering trades, and the DIY industry in the Benelux. Its products include concrete drains and sewerage systems, paving, concrete flagstones, agricultural plates, industrial concrete floor slabs and ready-mix concrete.

Separately, Kalmar has received an order for 22 E-One rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes from South African Transnet Ltd. The delivery to the Port of Ngqura will be completed in 2009. The order is estimated at between EUR22 million (USD33 million) to EUR33 million (USD50 million).