From left: Sally "Traffic" Boazman (Radio 2), Peter Vanvuchelen (Cat Lift Trucks), Nigel Darke (GNB Industrial Power).

Every year the Forklift Truck Association (FLTA) in the UK holds its famous FLTA Awards for Excellence to highlight the most eye-catching improvements and achievements in the materials handling industry. During the gala event of last Saturday, 12th of February,
the Active Sway Control (ASC) of the Cat^® High Level Order Picker was awarded with the "Archie" for Ergonomics.

Better Ergonomics

This prestigious materials handling's award recognizes the great contribution of this new feature to the operator's working comfort. The new Active Sway Control (ASC), featuring hydraulic pressure sensors and specially developed software, calculates and applies the necessary counter-movement to minimise sway increasing ergonomics. It eliminates the uncomfortable feeling of the mast swinging excessively each time he/she brakes or accelerates. In addition, with ASC applied, delays are halved - increasing productivity by 6% in typical applications while the operator feels at ease in his workplace.

Cat^®Lift Trucks Product Manager, Jan van den Elsakker says: "when we designed this software based solution, we all felt we were significantly improving the operator's ergonomics and daily performance. And we reckon we can eliminate up to 25 minutes of lost output per shift. This "Archie" is a fantastic reward for our engineers. This award, would have not been possible without all the people that have voted for our ASC. We are very grateful to all of them."

Nominated also in the category of Innovation, the ASC is a new approach to solving sway and is an industry-first innovation that brings increased productivity to the area of order picking.

During this gala event, the exclusive dealer of Cat Lift Trucks in the UK, Impact Handling, was recognized for their "Silver Anniversary" in the industry. According to Terry Kendrew, managing director of Impact Handling, "our 25th Year Anniversary is another milestone in our company's history and a reflection of our customers' loyalty and the dedication and commitment of our employees. Impact has grown into a national business from its original beginnings in Hull. Nevertheless our business is focused on delivering local support and customized solutions to all our customers. We at Impact, look forward to the next 25 years"

"Awards 2011 has been another resounding success," says FLTA Chairman Martyn Fletcher. "By shining a spotlight on all that is good in materials handling industry, we have helped - for more than 17 years - to encourage throughout the fork lift truck industry... and beyond".
"In responding to the real issues facing fork truck users, each of our 'Pick of the Year' finalists and winners represents a significant advance in ensuring materials are moved more safely, more efficiently and with less impact on the environment. It was a celebration in so many ways, with a genuine party atmosphere reflecting a renewed optimism in our industry" said Fletcher.

For more information about the ASC check: www.catlifttruck.com

More information on the FLTA: http://www.fork-truck.org.uk/awards


For further information regarding the Active Sway Control,
please contact:

Monica Escutia, Sr. Marketing Communications Coordinator.
t: +31 (0)36 549 4328 / e: info@catliftruck.com
www.catlifttruck.com