MCFE's Tinneke Bergen and Monica Escutia with Forkliftaction.com sales executive Stephen Burford.

By Christine Liew

More than 25,000 people visited the triennial Logistica, at Jaarbeurs exhibition centre, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from November 14 to November 18.

Show organiser spokesperson Mirjam van den Bogaard said exhibitors secured a high number of sales leads from the show and visitors were satisfied with the program.

"The trade show took place at the right time. The market is attractive. In a few cases, deals were finalised at the show."

A total of 335 exhibitors showcased their products and services in four exhibition halls. New this year was the jointly-staged ICT & Logistiek show, displaying information and communications technology products and services from 110 exhibitors.

At the Toyota Industrial Equipment Netherlands' stand.

Toyota Industrial Equipment Netherlands (TIEN) spokesperson Felice Olsman said Logistica was an "important Dutch trade fair".

"As a supplier of materials handling equipment [in the Netherlands], we consider this our most important fair. Logistica was well organised, with good visitor numbers, including decision makers.

"A lot of customers visited us and we met many new prospects," she said.

Olsman said visitors showed "serious interest" in Toyota's products and services.

"Especially our new fleet management system, Toyota I-site, our sideway battery exchange system that can be used on all our trucks, our newest compact three-wheel truck, the Toyota Triago, and our truck that runs on vegetable oil."

The Toyota forklift that runs on vegetable oil.

TIEN exhibited a prototype of a forklift that runs on pure vegetable oil.
Jos de Wilt, TIEN product manager, said the forklift was part of Toyota's investment in improving the environment.

"The system requires two converted fuel tanks, one holds diesel and the other holds vegetable oil, pressed from canola seeds. It is still being tested," de Wilt said.

Dutch forklift components supplier Van Gent Forklift Parts (VGFP) sales & purchase manager Dave Lam said his stand was so busy he had "zero time" to visit other stands.

"Looking at the many visitors we had and the interest and business we got on our ATIB attachments, it must have been a good show for others as well," Lam said.
VGFP became Italian forklift attachment and mast producer ATIB's official distributor in 2005 (Forkliftaction.com News #194).

Lam said Van Gent received compliments on its stand.

Van Gent Forklift Parts' stand at Logistica 2006.

"Words we heard were 'nice and open' [for the stand's design], 'bar always good' and 'nice product showing', especially the ALU fork positioner. Many stand designers asked if they could use our design."

Stephen Burford, Forkliftaction.com sales executive for Europe, enjoyed his first trade show.

"I was very impressed with the size and activity at Logistica. Feedback from exhibitors was consistently positive about visitor numbers and interest levels, with many saying it is the most important trade show in their calendar."

Feedback to the show organiser indicated one third of the 26,533 visitors came to Logistica with specific investment plans and two thirds were decision makers.

Nearly half the attendees (47 per cent) visited Logistica for the first time. "New blood is essential for a healthy market presence," van den Bogaard said.

Logistica's highest visitor numbers ever were 29,846 in 2003. The next show is planned for November 10 to November 14, 2009.

Click here to see Forkliftaction.com's Logistica photos.