Permatt's Mark Percy

CAT dealer Permatt has won a six-figure contract to supply a fleet of new machines to JDR Cable Systems (JDR), the leading supplier of subsea umbilicals and power cables.

The deal is the largest single contract win in the history of the 37-year-old North Tyneside company, which is the regional dealer for CAT Lift Trucks, and "the timing couldn't be better, coming at the start of our new financial year", says Mark Percy, managing director of Permatt Forklift Trucks.

The deal covers nine machines to be used at JDR's Hartlepool site in Teeside and includes Kone, Aisle Masters and CAT machines, Percy tells Forkliftaction News.

Ian Mallett, UK operations manufacturing manager at JDR, says the company went to the market to replace its forklift fleet and opted for CAT and Konecranes machines from Permatt.

The fleet of new vehicles includes trucks capable of lifting up to 37 T, the largest-ever supplied by Permatt.

Permatt became the exclusive dealer for CAT in the area late in 2017 and covers the North East and Cumbria, with branches in Tyneside, Penrith and Middlesbrough.