Steel prices affect Belgium
BRUSSELS, Belgium
Belgian forklift importers are including the rising cost of steel in their prices, says SIGMA, the representative body for Belgian forklift importers.
The first nine months of 2004 saw steel prices increase by 55 to 77 per cent.
Before this, SIGMA members and forklift manufacturers had accounted for the effects of rising costs in their long-term contracts.
But the contracts only gave notice of an average increase of four to six per cent annually, on top of inflation.
A SIGMA bulletin said: "The whole sector is influenced by this global phenomenon. There is little to no manoeuvring space for individual companies to go against it."


Airtrax appoints Canadian distributor
HAMMONTON, NJ, United States
Airtrax has appointed The Vision Company as its exclusive Canadian distributor.
Under the terms of the five-year agreement, The Vision Company must buy at least 250 Airtrax units in 2005 to retain exclusive rights. The deal begins on January 1, 2005.
Airtrax chief executive Peter Amico said the partnership would give the company immediate access to the Canadian market.
"We believe this is another significant step towards building our global distribution network and the internationalisation of our sales process," he said.


Child killed by forklift
ALEXANDRIA, LA, United States
An 18-month-old boy has died after a forklift accident at a warehouse in Alexandria, Los Angeles.
The Alexandria Daily Town Talk newspaper reported the child was left in an office but wandered into the warehouse unnoticed.
Police said the forklift driver claimed he did not see the boy.