Udo Schmidt

Udo Schmidt was recently named as managing director for Cascade Europe following the retirement of Charlie Mitchelson. Schmidt has been with Cascade since 2003 and has held various important positions, including managing Cascade Germany's MHP and Forks group and, more recently, leading the European Fork Division and OEM Sales team.
He shared some views on the industry with Forkliftaction News.

FLA: Prior to your new appointment, what has been your biggest achievement?
US: Prior to assuming the managing director position with Cascade Europe, the project I am most proud of has been leading the European OEM sales group. We have grown Cascade's OEM business in Europe by establishing strong relationships with major European OEM customers. I also had the opportunity to play a key role in the internal introduction and development of Cascade's global engineering standards for fork products, which surpass industry standards.

FLA: What excites you most about the materials handling industry?
US: The materials handling industry is constantly evolving. The variety of products and areas of application keep growing, with technology continuing to be the largest driver of change. What's exciting is that new technology is greatly enhancing the design of modern forklift attachments. For example, more digital tools are being implemented on common attachments for increased functionality, such as load sensing and mobile weighing. These smart attachment solutions are using camera and sensor technologies to provide operators with more precise handling, reducing damage to products. Others enable automatic data collection and analysis to further inform and optimise operations.

FLA: What is the most significant change you have seen in the industry in your time?
US: With over 20 years in the industry, I've seen many changes - from the globalisation of manufacturing to the rise in new technologies such as battery power in electric forklifts and automated solutions. The growth of e-commerce, along with an increased focus on health practices, has accelerated automation and is replacing manual labour for certain tasks. These new workflows require attachment providers to adapt and meet this changing environment with specific functionality. Cascade is on the forefront of developing products that adapt to meet the needs of automated warehousing environments, offering all-electric attachments that integrate seamlessly with automated guided vehicles (AGVs). These electric solutions, including multiple load handler and sideshifter offerings, provide high levels of energy efficiency, eliminate the risk of hydraulic leaks, and result in lower total system cost with reduced or eliminated hydraulic components.

FLA: What are the biggest challenges and opportunities that you see in your new role?
US: Technology and technical development are changing so quickly in both traditional hydraulic attachment solutions and all-electric AGV solutions across a wide variety of applications. Adaptability is key. As customer needs evolve, Cascade will bring new ideas to the table to meet these changing requirements and rapidly develop new technology to ensure high productivity and complete customer satisfaction.

FLA: Can you share one piece of information about yourself which would surprise our readers?
US: I enjoy travelling and learning about different people and cultures, which is the perfect combination with my professional life as I often have the opportunity to travel globally. In my free time I enjoy playing guitar - classic, Spanish, blues and rock are some of my favourite music genres to play.