Port of Sunderland has taken delivery of its second Konecranes forklift from Cooper Specialised Handling.

One of the UK's largest municipally owned ports is strengthening its partnership with Cooper Specialised Handling as it enhances its materials handling capability.

Port of Sunderland has taken delivery of a new Konecranes 32-1200C, its second heavy-duty forklift from Cooper, as part of its investment into redevelopment and new equipment. Both the new truck and existing Konecranes 32-1200B, which is already well-established as a vital resource within the port, will be serviced and maintained by Cooper's engineers.

The port, which covers 106 ha, is looking to grow its extensive trade portfolio comprising imports of forest products, non-ferrous metals, steel, aggregates and refined oil products, as well as exports of agricultural limestone and chemicals. With a reputation for achieving rapid turnaround times while also delivering a high quality service, improving its cargo handling capabilities is key to maximising business development opportunities.

The partnership with Cooper helped the port to find the most appropriate and cost-effective way to upgrade its equipment fleet to achieve this aim.

Ian Craig, engineering manager at Port of Sunderland, says: "When it comes to reliability, we know from experience that Konecranes forklifts will serve us well. However, a reliable piece of equipment is only part of the solution.

"The expertise and high level of service that we receive from Cooper Specialised Handling is key to making sure that our fleet operates at peak performance, especially so as we see our handling figures rise each year, and, with the addition of this latest machine, we look forward to strengthening this important business relationship."

The new Konecranes 32-1200C features a powerful, low-emission Euro 4 Volvo tad-871-ve engine and ZF transmission and has been specified with a 5 m mast to improve versatility and facilitate easy handling of a wide range of loads. It is also equipped with an individual fork positioner, since the ability to hydraulically change fork position and carriage width from inside the cabin plays an important role in speeding up the loading/unloading process, thereby helping to improve productivity.

The new Konecranes truck is an important addition to Port of Sunderland's fleet of forklifts, which range in capacity from 4 T to 29 T. It will be put to work at the port's East Quay site on the North East coast.