Rocla hand pallet trucks.

Two Rocla subsidiaries will merge with parent company Rocla Oyj in a bid to improve business efficiency and cut costs.

Rocla Rent Oy, a Finnish forklift rental business, and Rocla Robotruck Oy, an automated guided vehicle manufacturer, are part of the merger plan adopted by Rocla Oyj’s board of directors on July 19.

In a statement this week, Rocla Oyj’s board said the planned registration date of the merger was December 31.

Rocla shareholders were entitled to request a general meeting to decide on the merger but requests must be filed in writing no later than September 8.

"Should no requests be made, the board will implement the merger process in accordance with the merger plan," the board’s August 14 statement said.

Rocla Oyj spokesperson Mia Sipilä-Heikura said the company was aiming for synergies in the "total value chain".

"Transport, purchasing and supplying, R&D, inbound and outbound logistics and all these functions … advantages can easily be found by pulling the operations together," she said.

Sipilä-Heikura said the merger would result in a "more complete" solutions and services provider and add value for customers.