The Linde Cup China Forklift Skill Competition has been called the "Olympic Gala of China Logistics Industry".

Chinese vie for spot in finals Xiamen, China Linde (China) has held nearly 30 trials for the Third Linde Cup Forklift Truck Competition since it was launched in June in Beijing. This month, trials were held in Fujian North and Shanghai, with male and female forklift operators showing off their skills. Trials in Guangzhou, Chongqing and Anhui will commence next. The trials have been held in cities that included Beijing, Nanjing, Xi'an, Shenyang, Tianjin, Changchun, Weifang and Kunshan. Elite forklift operators will battle it out in the national finals held in May 2015. Williams expands line Surrey, Canada Williams Machinery has added Konecranes equipment to its range of equipment. "Being the only dealer in Western Canada, we are proud to add Konecranes to our family of premium products and services," says Dhar Dhaliwal, president and CEO of parent company Wesgroup Equipment. "Carrying Konecranes container handler and lift truck equipment serves our customers in a larger capacity, while still offering the range of equipment that businesses have come to rely on to remain productive and efficient," he adds. Konecranes equipment is fully serviceable by Williams Machinery's factory-trained technicians, and Williams Machinery says its centralised parts distribution centre will deliver Konecranes parts to customers, with the focus on reducing down-time for customers. Manitou wins first place Ancenis, France The Manitou Group has been honoured for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) after winning first place in the Gaïa-Index for the industry sector and third place in the category of companies with turnover greater than EUR500 million (USD623 million). The Gaïa-index is a stock market index composed of the 70 companies that are best rated in CSR, among the 230 companies listed on the Paris Bourse, excluding the CAC 40. The benchmark assesses the degree of transparency and maturity of small and medium-sized companies concerning their CSR policies, practices and performance (governance, human capital, environment and relationships with external stakeholders). Manitou also received a special award from the Inel d'Or jury during the International Animal Products Exhibition (SPACE) for its REDUCE program. The program supports users in reducing their environmental impact and the total cost of ownership of their machines.