Around 800 exhibitors and delegates attended ProMat 2009

An upbeat atmosphere hid elements of market and economic uncertainty for 800 exhibitors and attendees at ProMat 2009 last week in Chicago. North American bureau chief Roger Renstrom compiled this collection of comments and observations:

Brett Wood predicts there will be some consolidations at the dealer and OEM levels. "The landscape at the end of 2009 will be different than it is now," says Wood, president of Toyota Material Handling USA Inc (TMHU) of Irvine, California.

John Sneddon says: "The market is uncertain, and we are looking to see what happens." Sneddon adds with a smile, "The question is: what do we use as the basis for our Industrial Truck Association guesstimates?" Sneddon is president of Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp of Richmond, Virginia.

Gerry Anderson notes "more momentum from our customers". Anderson is chief financial officer with energy-solution and fuel cell integrator Plug Power Inc of Latham, New York.

Jim Hogan, general sales manager for TCM Distribution USA Inc of Swedesboro, New Jersey, accepted more than 200 ProMat leads for possible dealers and customers. Hogan acknowledged the slow time for the forklift industry might extend to the end of 2009. TCM Corp is based in Tokyo and, among manufacturing assets, fabricates forklifts in Columbia, South Carolina.

For James Doran, manager of business development with radio frequency identification (RFID) system provider M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, Massachusetts, leads were up 200%.

Paul Gilson observes, "We have had lots of activity at ProMat." Gilson is director of sales and marketing for Schaeff Lift Truck Inc, a unit of publicly traded Manitex International Inc in Bridgeview, Illinois.

ProMat observers expect 2009 to be a "down year" for the US forklift industry. The market declined to about 135,000 units last year from 170,000 in 2007.

A report from ProMat organiser Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) of Charlotte, North Carolina pointed to market contraction during 2009.

"New orders are forecasted to decline in the range of 18% to 20% for 2009, with recovery to begin late in 2010," says John Nofsinger, MHIA chief executive officer. Materials handling equipment "shipments are forecasted to contract about 15% in 2009 and 3% in 2010".

By contrast, new equipment orders in 2008 grew 2.3%, and shipments in 2008 increased 6.9%, Nofsinger conveys.

Electric powered forklifts continue to gain, accounting for 59% of all forklifts sold in the US last year versus 57% in 2007, according to industry reports.

State of Ohio officials proclaimed a materials handling and logistics week co-inciding with the 26-29 April 2010 North American (NA) trade show, which the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) sponsors. Steve Schoeny, Ohio strategic business investment director, delivered the NA 2010 proclamation to MHIA CEO Nofsinger during ProMat 2009.

Environmental greening-including eventual "elimination of fossil fuel forklifts"-will drive the materials handling business in the US marketplace, says Robert E Quinn Jr of Lexington, Kentucky. Quinn, a manufacturers' representative and consultant, foresees advances in electrics along with "fast (battery) charging, fuel cells and technology in the laboratories today (as) the driving forces in the forklift industry over the next five years". Quinn notes, "The US Environmental Protection Agency regulators will be the watchdogs, and drivers for change will start in California."

Here are reports from a variety of ProMat 2009 exhibitors:

Primary equipment suppliers

Next-generation electric sit-down forklifts from the Yale and Hyster brands of Nacco Industries Inc's materials handling group made initial market appearances at ProMat 2009.

Development work occurred over four years, trials started in late 2007 and the forklifts will be available to customers in April, says Mark Estock, manager of Americas' marketing for Class 1 forklifts in Greenville, North Carolina. Each truck may cost from USD18,000 to USD26,000.

Yale says its ERC-VG model has created a generation gap in forklifts with application-matched performance, intuitive design and comfort and Yale industrial-grade critical components. The result is a forklift with the performance of an internal combustion engine without the emissions. Yale says the organisation is investigating advanced battery chemistries and technologies to further reduce energy consumption and increase productivity.

Hyster says its E45-70XN series offer quality and ergonomic advantages making them among the most operator-friendly battery-powered forklifts on the market. The operator module has 20% more floor space than a previous model and uses a relocated heads-up multifunction display for better visibility and pallet control. The Hyster unit uses AC motors and transistor-controller technology for all traction and hydraulic systems.

US distributors for Anhui Heli Co Ltd of Hefei, China introduced a Class 1 four-wheel AC-drive forklift and a Class 3 AC-drive pallet truck.

"We have an opportunity in a down market with those customers who do not want to pay a premium" for material handling equipment, says Bruce Pelynio, president and chief executive officer of Memphis, Tennessee-based Dobbs Imports LLC, which trades as Heli Americas. In trials, customers tested Heli equipment and, in 90% of the cases, followed up to purchase the unit. Heli Americas has 23 dealers in its 31-state territory and may add eight more outlets during 2009, Pelynio notes.

Southwest Equipment Sales (SWS) of Denver, Colorado has 19 dealers in its 19-state Heli territory and may add six more this year, says John Faulkner, SWS president.

SWS parent company FMH Material Handling Solutions Inc reduced its headcount to 168 from 200 in October, according to Faulkner. In addition to Heli, FMH represents, among others, the Caterpillar, Clark and Doosan brands.

Jungheinrich Lift Truck, the US subsidiary of Jungheinrich AG, introduced its ride-on EZS 350XL tow tractor to the US market. Now in its third generation of design, the tugger has been available in the European market for many years. The tugger can tow trailers with up to 11,000 pounds (4,950 kg) of cargo and is suitable for indoor, warehouse and distribution applications for automotive suppliers, manufacturers and vendors. Electric steering, programmable curve control and bump-absorbing solid pneumatic rear tyres are standard features.

Jungheinrich displayed a conceptual energy-efficient ride-on pallet truck that is different in appearance from a traditional end-rider pallet truck. Jungheinrich projects the concept vehicle could use 15% less energy than the three-phase AC technology in current Jungheinrich trucks.

Jungheinrich presents its ETM/ETV 214/216 mast-moving AC reach trucks as useful for a customer seeking higher residual capacities at high lift heights in narrow aisles. The trucks insert and remove loads by moving the mast rather than extending or retracting forks via a pantograph mechanism. Greg Mason, Jungheinrich general manager of products and training, notes the absence of the pantograph provides better operator visibility and can improve productivity.

Jungheinrich reports strong demand for three-wheel turrets with RFID transponder readers and an optional state-of-the-art personnel production system. The features can improve productivity and operational safety in narrow-aisle working environments.

During 2008, reports say industry leader Toyota gained US forklift marketshare, exceeding 20% for the first time, but failed to achieve its 2008 sales volume goals. In certain cases, national Toyota accounts were down and customers were feeling cutbacks in the economy. Even so, Toyota intends to continue investing in research and development because "product is the heart of the line," says Toyota's Wood.

At ProMat, TMHU showcased a hybrid forklift concept that incorporates know-how from the popular Toyota Prius mid-size car. Japan-based Toyota Industries Corp and Toyota Motor Corp collaborated in developing the forklift prototype, which combines features of electric and internal combustion technologies for optimum fuel, performance and emissions efficiency.

The concept and the Prius each have two energy converters in an internal combustion engine and an electric motor and two energy storage systems in a fuel tank and a battery.

The concept targets 50% fewer emissions and 50% lower fuel consumption than competing products.

While the concept was displayed at ProMat, there was no indication of, or timetable for, Toyota advancing the forklift into commercial production.

In addition to the concept, TMHU is exploring various technologies that use hydrogen fuel cells, other existing fuels and alternative energy sources to meet evolving industry needs. Some US fuel cell tests with TMHU customers are scheduled to begin in late January, Wood says.

Separately, in February, the Brantford, Ontario, Canada plant of Toyota sister company Raymond Corp will begin production of a new reach truck for sale through Raymond and the TMHU network. The new model is slated to have some AC power, higher productivity and better ergonomics than competing models.

Most of the Toyota forklifts sold in the US are produced at Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing in Columbus, Indiana. TMHU has been the top-selling forklift supplier in the US since 2002 and operates through 68 authorised dealers with a total of 190 locations.

Linde Material Handling North America Corp of Summerville, South Carolina displayed a hydrogen-powered forklift concept that focused on maximum economic value and minimal environment impact, but the prototype may never reach commercial production. The US entity reports within Linde Material Handling GmbH of Aschaffenburg, Germany, which became part of KION Group GmbH in 2006.

Raymond of Greene, New York plans by mid-2009 to begin shipping the swing-reach truck that will replace an existing Raymond line of EASi-brand swing-reach trucks. Development of the new 9000 series line began in mid-2006, customer trials occurred in late 2008 and Raymond is projecting a price of about USD75,000. Raymond introduced its first swing-reach truck in 1974 and says the capabilities of its swing-reach equipment can triple usable warehouse space.

Raymond also showed the series reach-forklift, which becomes available in April for about USD30,000. A new sit-or-stand configuration is available. A fork tip laser for positioning a load is an option. Development of the 7000 series started in early 2007, and trials in two locations took place during late 2008.

Raymond's iWarehouse fleet optimisation system is gaining traction, now finding use at 12 US locations with a total of 300 units, of which about 25% are leased for a one-time charge of about USD2,500. Raymond received numerous iWarehouse leads from potential customers at ProMat, says Scott Craver, manager of business and information solutions. Users of the system include grocery stores, third-party logistics firms, manufacturers and pharmaceutical houses. Development started in late 2006, and Raymond rolled out iWarehouse at the NA 2008 trade show in April.

Komatsu Forklift USA Inc of Covington, Georgia showed its new four-wheel AE50 series and three-wheel AM50 series of electric counterbalance pneumatic-tyre forklifts for initial entry into the US market in February. Capacities range from 2,000 pounds to 4,000 pounds (900 kg to 1,800 kg).

Komatsu says its design improvements allow performance that nearly equals that of a forklift with an internal combustion engine. Komatsu has more than 195 dealer locations in the Western Hemisphere. Manufacturing occurs in Oyama, Japan.

Mariotti USA of La Vista, Nebraska expects to begin North American distribution of the Mycros-brand AC2 forklift line in January 2010.

Offering quick-change masts, the Mycros AC2 line will replace Mariotti models 8C, 10C and 13C.

Grugliasco, Italy-based manufacturer V Mariotti Srl launched the Mycros AC2 in Italy in July 2008 and elsewhere in Europe in January 2009.

Mariotti forklifts can operate in limited space and focus on the market for lifting capacities of less than 2,300 pounds (1,035 kg).

Manitex Liftking ULC introduced a 40,000-pound (18,000 kg) model to its heavy-cushion-tyred line of Lowry-brand XD extreme-duty-rated forklifts. The retail price: about USD180,000.

Now, the Lowry XD series has four models. The newest is intended for material handling uses in steel operations, canning facilities and heavy fabrication sites.

Manitex Liftking is located in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada and is a business of Manitex International.

Combilift Ltd modified the design of its multi-directional stand-on sideloader in introducing the C6000ST to the North American market, initially at ProMat 2009. An earlier model has been available in Europe for two years.

For North America, "we made the cabin wider, and we installed a flip-down seat," says Gearoid Hogan, vice president of sales and marketing, Northeast, for distribution unit Combilift USA in Greensboro, North Carolina. The seat is useful in driving forward but, flipped up, stays out of the way of a standing operator in a sideways movement.

"We found the market wanted a multi-directional machine as well as a sideloader," Hogan notes.

Clark Material Handling Co is moving manufacturing of its ECX model to Lexington, Kentucky from a plant in South Korea during the third quarter of 2009.

For work on the ECX four-wheel electric sit-down rider, Clark is investing up to USD100,000 for additional manufacturing equipment in Lexington, says Chuck Moratz, vice president of truck operations. The plant employs about 100, assembling the NPR electric reach truck and ESX electric stand-up counterbalanced forklift and "will need to add some" additional workers.

Clark national sales director Bo Maslanyk points out an optional ECX integrated battery-powered five-stage mast retailing for USD15,000. Previously, Clark used a weld to attach the ECX mast.

Also, Maslanyk makes mention of the all-electric GEX four-wheel sit-down solid pneumatic tyre forklift selling in the mid-USD30,000s and reports that dealership Raymond of New Jersey LLC sold 25 GEX units to terminal-operator, stevedore, vehicle-processor Ports America Group of Iselin, New Jersey in early 2008.

Clark has gained marketshare every year since 2003, Maslanyk says.

Landoll Corp of Marysville, Kansas introduced a Bendi B20AC electric articulating four-wheel narrow-aisle forklift, priced from the mid-USD50,000s to USD70,000. The line has four models with capacities of 3,000 pounds (1,350 kg) to 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg). The new Bendi line replaces a DC-powered forklift.

In addition, Landoll showed an articulating LP gas-powered Bendi B40i3 forklift with dual rear-wheel drive, priced from about USD60,000 to USD70,000. Deliveries began in October.

Tailift Group of Taichung, Taiwan introduced the Arctic Hare-brand forklift with a streamlined one-piece structural chassis and suspension shock absorber. Powertrain choices for a user may include either of two Yanmar diesel engines, either of two Nissan gasoline engines or a General Motors LPG engine. Also, Tailift offers six models of electric forklifts. Distributor Tailift USA Co Inc is located in Ontario, California and also markets 10 models of the ASW series forklift from Global-Power Co Ltd of Qingdao City, China.

ZheJiang Noblelift Equipment Joint Stock Co Ltd of Changxing, China introduced for about USD17,000 a battery-powered forklift with rear driving wheel, a maintenance-free three-phase AC motor, a Danaher drive controller and a DMC hydraulic motor controller. Noblelift also featured a new semi-electric SPT 15 series hydraulic pallet jack with a capacity of 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) for about USD2,300. Distributor Noblelift Equipment USA Inc moved in August to Ontario, California from smaller space in Chino, California.

Ningbo Ruyi Joint Stock Co Ltd expanded with multiple new models including at least six forklift, three pallet truck and five stacker lines. The additions include two sizes of explosion-proof four-wheel sit-down forklifts with rated capacities of 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) and 4,400 pounds (2,000 kg). Manufacturing occurs in Ningbo, China.

Shanghai Shangli Forklift Co Ltd of Shanghai, China introduced its four-wheel CDP and three-fulcrum CPDS series of battery-powered forklifts, each incorporating German technology and meeting European standards, and its WP60-13 small-turning-radius electric walkie pallet truck with creep-switch and inner-charger options.

Hu-Lift Equipment Co Ltd of Wuxi, China introduced its RA15S electric pallet jack with a retail price of about USD2,700 and a mini-electric forklift costing about USD700. Equipment distributor Hu-Lift USA is located in Hillsborough, New Jersey.

Chikusui Canycom Inc of Tokyo released its EJ15 electric ride-on scissor lift and EJ20 electric utility cart to the US market through distributor Canycom USA Inc of Bellevue, Washington. The EJ15 can carry an operator with a load of 330 pounds (149 kg) and travel up to 5 miles (8 km) per hour.

A new interchangeable fork attachment can turn the Mule into a mini-forklift for material handling. Stock forks are 18 inches (0.45 m) in length. The Mule from Beyond Products Inc of Milford, Connecticut can lift up to 350 pounds (158 kg) as high as 48 inches (1.2 m).

Secondary system and equipment providers

The North American distributor for RackDeflektor and SpeedShield/Fleetonline products scanned 662 badges and gathered many more business cards from ProMat 2009 attendees. "We had almost two times the response we had at the NA08 show in Cleveland," says Terry Troutman, sales manager for shock-absorbing RackDeflektor and fleet-monitoring SpeedShield/Fleetonline products through Troutman Distribution LLC of Willowbrook, Illinois. Nene Storage Equipment Ltd of Watford Village, England makes the RackDeflektor line of polyethylene-armoured rack protectors, and Automotion Control Systems Pty Ltd of Springvale, Australia produces SpeedShield work safety devices.

Robotics are on the rise

Technology-driven Seegrid Corp of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania sold its first vision-guided GP8 robotic general-purpose pallet truck and believes it is en route to creating an "operator-less" forklift truck. Seegrid introduced the USD65,000 GP8 in December and made the sale to reverse-logistics-provider Genco Supply Chain Solutions of Pittsburgh, says Gregory Cronin, Seegrid executive vice president. The GP8 has a maximum capacity of 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) and top travel speed of 3.5 miles per hour (5.6 km).

Besides the exhibition, the event also included educational sessions

In moving toward a driverless forklift, Seegrid is working on separate voice, warehouse and manufacturing systems that may be ready for the marketplace by the end of 2008, Cronin says. In addition, Seegrid and grocer Giant Eagle Inc of Pittsburgh are developing a case-picking application this year.

An unidentified international manufacturer supplies Seegrid with walker-motorised jacks for integration with Seegrid vision and sensor systems.

Cronin says Seegrid has relationships with 11 US dealers and resellers and may add three or four locations by the end of February.

Jervis B Webb Co of Farmington Hills, Michigan offers an upgraded SmartCart model. The model 300 counterbalanced fork-equipped automatic guided cart (AGC) sells for USD15,000 to USD40,000 depending on accessories and options and extends a SmartCart AGC line that Webb introduced initially in 2002. Webb became a subsidiary of long-time technology partner Daifuku Co of Osaka, Japan in 2007.

Full fuel cell developments make gains

The emergence of the technology was reinforced by the recent deal for Central Grocers Inc to acquire 219 hydrogen-powered Yale reach trucks, forklifts and pallet trucks.

"The (fuel cell) evolution is under way," says Gary Schubak, market manager for material handling with Ballard Power Systems Inc in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

Ballard will supply its fuel cells for integration with GenDrive systems from Plug Power Inc for use in cooperative Central Grocers' new distribution center in Joliet, Illinois.

"We have a mature and stable commercial-ready product, and people are aware of the technology and the possible productivity gains," Schubak notes. "We are focusing on channels to market."

In addition to Plug Power, Ballard supplies fuel cells to Exide Technologies and Raymond.

Hydrogenics Corp of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada reports positive operator ratings from phase 1 hydrogen fuel cell trials with two Hyster forklifts. "The operator rating of the truck was six out of seven and of the refueling system, 6.3 out of seven," says Kevin Harris, Hydrogenics business development and sales director, Americas.

Two-year phase 2 trials began in late 2008 on 19 Hyster forklifts at the Oshawa automotive assembly plant of General Motors of Canada Ltd. Hydrogenics has a strategic alliance with the Canadian subsidiary's parent firm General Motors Corp, which is Hydrogenics' largest shareholder.

Upcoming are fuel cell trials on 20 Crown forklifts being retrofit at the Warner Robins defense depot on Robins Air Force Base in Georgia under a demonstration project for the US Defence Logistics Agency.

In the RFID arena, M/A-COM has an agreement with an unidentified retail customer for outfitting 40 Crown model 5500 and 3000 forklifts with the M/A-COM sensor-based RFID forklift systems, Joseph Doran says.

The customer's trial with the RFID system began in July and involves an acoustic sensor, broad beam antenna and controller logic to identify an RFID pallet tag after it has been loaded onto a forklift.

Future installations of the systems may involve Raymond forklifts, Doran notes.

Cobham plc of Wimborne Minster, England acquired the M/A-COM business in September.

Oncharge battery recharging has a role

Oorja Protonics Inc of Fremont, California launched its OorjaPac model H in January to address line-of-sight issues that customers raised on behalf of shorter drivers.

The new-generation, more-reliable model has the same width and depth as the battery beneath, but it is shorter in height than the existing OorjaPac model SAE. The SAE came onto the market in April 2008 and will be phased out by the end of March 2009.

The methanol-powered onboard unit continuously keeps a battery 30% to 80% charged without surge loading or any need to switch batteries.

Oorja's lease rates vary on volume and range from USD1,600 to USD2,000 per unit including delivery of methanol fuel. Current OorjaPac SAE lessees include Nissan Motor Co Ltd automotive operations, retailer-owned cooperative Ace Hardware and automotive manufacturing joint venture New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.

Oorja equipment competes with providers of fuel cell systems and rapid-charger devices.

Under its PowerFleet brand, ID Systems Inc launched a vehicle-management-system (VMS) concept for forklifts and new vision and secure-communication software tools, says Kenneth Ehrman, founder, president and chief operating officer.

The new wireless VMS for forklifts and other industrial trucks incorporates a combination of flexible software and wireless communication technologies, says Peter Fausel, executive vice president for sales, marketing and customer support.

PowerFleet concentrates on forklift safety and maintenance functions such as access control, electronic checklists and impact sensing and has several modular options.

A new generation of wireless technology, known as SecureStream, includes ID Systems' patented architecture of distributed intelligence, zone-based functions and a combination of intelligent radio frequency and Wi-Fi wireless communications.

Technology from Hackensack, New Jersey-based ID Systems operates now in the US on more than 35,000 industrial trucks including 2,000 models of equipment. Customers include Target Corp, Ford Motor Co and the US Postal Service.