 The TVH stand in IMHX 2007, Birmingham. |
More than 18,000 people visited the International Materials Handling Exhibition (IMHX) from March 13 to March 16 at Britain's National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.
Among 336 exhibitors that filled the show's 45,000 square metre footprint were Doosan Infracore, Toyota, Briggs Equipment UK, Combilift Ltd, JCB, EnerSys Motive Power, Kalmar, Jungheinrich, Linde, BT, Narrow Aisle Ltd, Clark, Still, JLG Industries, TVH UK Ltd, Aisle-Master, Pyroban, Mobicon, Nexen Lift Trucks, Translift Bendi and Hubtex.
British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) president Steve Hodkinson said:
"I'm delighted with the exhibition. The quality of stands has been matched by the quality of visitors and the VIP parking has been extremely effective."
IMHX was jointly held with The Cleaning Show. An IMHX statement said there was an "excellent crossover" of visitors between both shows.
The slogan for the show was "Inspiring materials handling excellence".
Matt Dawson, a former England rugby union player, helped Doosan Infracore launch its diesel, gas and electric Pro-5 series forklifts. Dawson signed rugby balls for fans who visited Doosan's stand, which displayed 11 of the Pro-5 series trucks.
Toyota showcased its "most popular forklift", the Generation 7 internal combustion forklift, which has sold more than 250,000 units worldwide. Also on display was Toyota's fuel cell hybrid forklift prototype FCHV-F, first exhibited at CeMAT 2005.
BITA president and Toyota Industrial Equipment UK managing director Steve Hodkinson said the company was delighted with visitor response to the stand.
"The feedback we've had from visitors to our stand has been very positive. They sense the power of the brand and understand our environmental credentials."
Barloworld exhibited the largest forklift at IMHX, the Hyster RS46-36CH, which has a 46-tonne capacity. The forklift was shown for the first time in the UK and the exhibited machine was sold at the show for about GBP250,000 (USD490,274).
Forklift parts supplier TVH UK Ltd displayed a Sonatic kit for reliable LPG level measuring. Using a "unique ultrasonic technique", the kit provides accurate measuring even when the forklift is in motion.
Explosion proof specialist Pyroban treated visitors to its suitably named "Flashpoint" bar. Pyroban spokesperson Darren Boiling said: "The quality of visitors has been good for us. Many have been existing users but we also had lots of new inquiries."
IMHX 2007 was the first trade show for Germany-based Clark Europe GmbH. During the show, an order for nine forklifts to fulfill a long-term rental contract was placed by one of its newest dealers, Aberdeen, UK-based Bear Handling Ltd.
Irish articulated forklift maker Aisle-Master made its IMHX debut this year. Aisle-Master exhibited its 20S LPG machine and 20SE electric forklift.
Click here to view Forkliftaction.com's IMHX 2007 photo gallery.