Powerlift will no longer distribute Nissan

Unicarriers is expected to announce the end of its relationship with Powerlift, as NTP takes over Nissan distribution.

The change will take effect on 8th October, although none of the parties would confirm the impending change to Forkliftaction.com News.

Wayne Adams, managing director of Perth-based Allied Forklifts, says he was advised by Powerlift in June that its relationship with Unicarriers was coming to an end.

"Since this time, no-one at Powerlift, NTP or Unicarriers has formally advised us of any new or workable process," he says, adding that the only official communication was a notice about changes of warranty arrangements.

The switch of distributor represents the end of the line for Nissan at Allied, which has entered into a formal agreement with MLA Holdings to be a non-exclusive dealer for Mitsubishi Forklifts in Western Australia.

In October last year (FLA #688), Powerlift switched from retail to wholesale, selling its Nissan Forklift dealerships.

Allied Forklifts acquired the Nissan Forklift operation in Western Australia, while Lencrow took over Powerlift's Nissan Forklift retail operations in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Adelaide.

At the time, Powerlift CEO Nino Pala told Forkliftaction.com News Powerlift Material Handling would revert back to wholesaler on behalf of Unicarriers in Australia and NZ, distributing the full range of Unicarriers products including the Nissan Forklift range.

Lencrow was not able to comment ahead of any official announcement, and it's not clear what the change will mean to the business.

Adams, meanwhile, is walking away from the Nissan brand. "I founded this business in 1996 and our clients deal with us because of our level of service - not because of the brand of forklift we sell. Yes, we did buy Powerlift's WA Nissan operation and it pains me knowing that we obviously paid too much. However, Powerlift had several good and loyal customers and we are extremely happy that they continue to deal with us and are accepting the high quality of the Mitsubishi," he says.

Forkliftaction.com News approached all involved parties for comment, and expects to know more next week, when the change becomes official.