Daewoo forklifts are proving their mettle among the giant furnaces, grinding bays, sandblasting units and spray booths of Rolls-Royce's Bergen engine foundry in Norway.

Diesel forklifts from 3.0 to 10 tonnes and electric 2.0 and 3.0 tonne forklifts are used indoors and outdoors, in a 24-hour, three-shift system that runs five days a week.

Daewoo Truck Norway spokesman Tore Bjǿlverud said the environment at the foundry was very demanding.

"Dust and debris from the castings are inevitably going to impact on truck performance yet the Daewoo trucks have survived where a raft of competitor trucks have failed."

Rolls-Royce marine maintenance supervisor Lars Jǿrgen Sandal believed the "simplicity of the Daewoo truck is the key to the tough capabilities".

"We asked operators in various sections what they wanted. Did they want a change, what were their requirements? Some wanted battery trucks, some diesel, some with compact bodies. When diesel was chosen to work inside, we fitted catalytic converters and special guards to protect the filters," Sandal said.

"A lot of them wanted Daewoo," Sandal said. "We've tried a lot of trucks and had a lot of troubles ... One of the oldest trucks we have is a Daewoo from 1995 - that's old for a foundry!"

Rolls Royce Plc is a global manufacturer for the civil aerospace, defence, marine and energy markets. It has annual sales totalling around GBP6 billon (USD11.4billion).