Australia's oldest Manitou is still in working order.

Materials handling equipment supplier Manitou celebrates 40 years in Australia, following the discovery recently of its oldest forklift found still operating in South Australia.

The French company, which specialises in rough-terrain and industrial materials handling equipment, sells its products in Australia through a network of importers and distributors. In 2006, it set up subsidiary Manitou Australia in Sydney to provide more support to its growing distributor network and to offer materials handling solutions to new areas in Oceania.

Today, its products are distributed and serviced by more than 40 regional dealers spread over Australia and New Zealand.

Last year, the company introduced a new range of IC forklifts and launched a new telehandler, the MLT840, which was awarded Telehandler of the Year by PowerFarming for its outstanding performance, comfort and fuel efficiency.

The company recently announced it will be releasing a super-sized 40T capacity telehandler, the biggest ever made in the world.