Over a quarter of the UK's top 500 forklift companies are growing at more than 10% per annum and making healthy profits, according to industry analyst Plimsoll.

However, while many of these companies are breaking new ground and leading a sustainable recovery in the market, there are others whose sales growth "masks something much more sinister".

"It makes a nice change to have some positive news to report," says senior analyst David Pattison.

"[These] 134 growing, increasingly profitable companies have either tapped into new, fast-growing revenue streams or are just the best performers in the old ones," he says.

Pattison warns that there are 34 companies achieving good sales growth but their profitability tells a different story. "Essentially, there are two types of growth in the market - good and bad. [These] companies have achieved over 10% sales growth but, in doing so, have seen their profit margin collapse. They are simply overtrading."

About 71 forklift companies in the analysis face "a very bleak future," Pattison warns.

"Losing sales, profits and probably most of their remaining options, these companies have been rated as [being in] danger in our report. Time is running out and only a take-over or a rapid turnaround is likely to redeem their situation," he says.

The new 'Plimsoll Analysis - Fork lift Trucks' gives a performance rating on the top 500 companies in the forklift market and an overview of companies that are ripe for acquisition. Forkliftaction.com News readers who quote reference PR/SD33 are entitled to a GBP50 discount off the report. Call +44 1642 626400 for further details.