UK Cat Lift Trucks importer Impact Handling has bought Melksham-based Western Mechanical Handling, enabling it to expand into the South West of the UK.

The acquisition price is confidential.

Western Mechanical Handling, established over 30 years ago, had previously received a number of approaches to acquire it. The company, however, approached Impact Handling with the opportunity to buy it after two of the three major shareholders - Roger Bolton and Elaine Woodcock - announced their retirement. The third shareholder, Karen Law, will remain with the business, as will all of the company's staff.

Bolton explains: "We'd had approaches from other companies in the past, but it was a completely different story with Impact Handling. They wanted to buy us lock, stock and barrel: safeguarding jobs and ensuring product consistency for our loyal customers, many of which have operated Cat (forklifts) for the last 20 years. Put simply, we wouldn't have it any other way."

An Impact Handling spokesman tells Forkliftaction.com News that product consistency was important to Western Mechanical Handling, which has been supplying Cat machines to its customers for about 20 years. "Impact Handling is the official importer of Cat Lift Trucks into the UK, and Western was a strategic dealer partner for Impact Handling already. This meant that any takeover would enable Western to continue supplying its customers with the same brand of lift truck, ensuring product consistency."

The deal, according to Impact Handling, is a key part of the company's strategy to maximise its geographic footprint as the sole distributor for Cat Lift Trucks in the UK and Ireland.

Terry Kendrew, managing director of Impact Handling, explains that the South West is a strategically key growth area for the firm. "By absorbing Western Mechanical Handling into our network, we are strengthening our proposition to customers and are well on our way to providing 100% coverage of the UK."

The new (Western Mechanical Handling) site in Wiltshire is the eleventh Impact Handling depot and follows the acquisition of Birmingham-based materials handling company Abex in 2013 (Forkliftaction.com News#637). Impact Handling also opened a brand new depot in Manchester at the start of 2013.

"Our sole focus throughout the acquisition process has been to deliver a positive customer experience. We've ensured that customers will still deal with the same Western staff they know, and from the same location," Kendrew says.

"At the same time, we're confident they'll start to see the natural benefits which come from being part of a much larger business, with greater resources, an expanded product range and direct links to the Cat Lift Trucks factory."

As part of the acquisition, Western customers will have access to the full Impact Handling short-term hire fleet and the company's parts store will also merge with that of Impact Handling, enabling quicker access to a wider range of original equipment and all-makes spares.

Besides offering the complete range of Cat forklifts and warehouse machines, Western Mechanical Handling will offer Impact Handling's full line of complementary products; including Kone and Carer heavy-duty forklifts, Mafi distribution tractors, side loaders, and industrial cleaning and access equipment.