Hyster Europe managing director Jean-Pierre Guerand is optimistic about the company's prospects in 2002.

Hyster was benefiting from prolonged investments in manufacturing, product development and global purchasing, and was set to capitalise on these this year, he said.

Despite a world economy "which has teetered on the edge of a recession" and the unstable political situation since September 11, Hyster had continued to make excellent progress, Mr Guerand said. Some European dealers had reported their highest start-of-year orders for some time.

Hyster has developed a range of new warehouse trucks since 1999, enhancing standard key components with innovative features, such as the Hyster tiller head, to established itself in the warehousing market.

Last year's H8.00-16.00XM Big Truck series, produced at Hyster's Nijmegen plant in the Netherlands, was also successful, with sales exceeding expectations. The Big Truck division is currently working with specialist manufacturer Elme to produce two new spreaders for its empty container handlers.

Hyster last month launched a new reach forklift to branch into a market Mr Guerand said had been "somewhat closed" to the company.

"This is a significant development both for Hyster and this market (the reach forklift) because it will challenge the hold of our competitors and mark Hyster's arrival in the big league," he said.

Hyster has also strengthened its European dealer network with the appointment of Zeppelin in Germany. The Zeppelin/Hyster link is a significant move into the German materials handling market.