A Mitsubishi order picker

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has welcomed a group of UK agricultural students for a guided tour of its manufacturing centre at Almere in the Netherlands.

The 34 land-based technology students from Reaseheath College in Cheshire observed all stages of forklift production at the plant.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks UK's technical support manager, Dean Young, says the students and their lecturers were impressed by the plant's operations.

"Everything in the factory ran like clockwork, and the whole process seemed tremendously efficient. Seeing the quality of work that goes on there brought home to us the importance of good training."

Young says the visitors were particularly interested in the plant's features that sped up production and reduced fatigue, like the ability to rotate the forklifts on the line to give easy access to their undersides.

They were also shown the factory's training school and the custom shop modification area where forklifts are adapted to meet specific customer requirements.

"The students from Reaseheath are currently learning about hydraulics, mechanical engineering and electronic controls very similar to those used in our industry.

"If jobs in the agricultural engineering industry are in short supply, we may just have encouraged some young people to join the forklift business instead."

Industry members say the ageing forklift engineering workforce in the UK is a major problem. Alton-based Fork Lift Truck Association has collaborated with the City of Bristol College to promote forklift engineering as a career choice for young people (Forkliftaction.com News #260).

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks UK enjoys a reciprocal relationship with Reaseheath College, using its facilities for its own training.