The FG30N benefits from an advanced, clean-burning engine that comes with a three-way catalytic convertor as standard.

A fleet of five Mitsubishi Grendia forklifts has improved turnaround at Solent Stevedores' cargo-handling operations at sugar giant Tate & Lyle's Silvertown facility.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks dealer Bronze Mechanical Handling sales director Chris Slater carefully reviewed the customer's application.

"Silvertown is a site that really sorts out the best trucks from the rest," Slater says. "Wet, dockside operations can really take their toll on a truck's performance ... especially in a non-stop application [like] this."

Each month, up to 4,000 T of loose sugar is transported by sea from Tate & Lyle's East London dock. Solent has been responsible for ensuring that the sugar manufacturer's products are moved swiftly and efficiently from warehouse to ship container holds.

Long battery changeovers, truck breakdowns and poor servicing of its previous fleet led Solent operating manager Martin Hiscock to put his materials handling supply out to tender. He says: "We had two key aims. Our new fleet needed to deliver on performance and reliability."

Hiscock says Bronze was able to deliver the "best products, the best turnarounds as well as the best after-sales service".

Slater put together a package of five 3 T Grendla LPG-powered FG30N forklifts, each fitted with Cascade double-pallet handler attachments.

He says the customer needed "all of the power and speed of a diesel forklift" but none of the associated emissions. "The FG30N benefits from an advanced, clean-burning engine that comes with a three-way catalytic convertor as standard."

Solent's previous materials handling operations at Silvertown came to a halt whenever the trucks reached the quayside, where product would be dumped, awaiting transfer onto ships using pallet trucks.

The introduction of the new fleet has changed all that.

"The compact nature of the FG30N, combined with its high-visibility mast, means that drivers can confidently manoeuvre the heavy sacks of sugar directly into the holds of the ship," Slater says.

Hiscock says the new fleet has made an enormous difference, improving loading times by 15%.

Solent Stevedores Ltd is a UK firm specialising in providing stevedoring, storage and the re-handling of bulk and general cargoes.