Teresa Hands (right) and Wilmat staff with the last batch of trucks to be completed for the client.

Materials handling equipment manufacturer Wilmat Ltd has just finalised one of its largest-ever orders.

The company has delivered 30 Bulldog powered pedestrian counterbalance trucks in 12 weeks to save its customers tens of thousands of pounds.

Managing director Teresa Hands explains that a trade customer placed the order with Wilmat on condition that the trucks were made quickly.

"Their client, a leading wholesale retail chain, had recently invested in a new fleet of lorries and their existing equipment was not compatible," Hands explains. "This incompatibility had disrupted the unloading of goods at the stores, incurring significant additional costs."

Wilmat claims the Bulldog PDCB5 truck is one of the most compact 500 kg (1,102 lb.) trucks on the market and can be operated inside lorry containers, reducing the time taken to unload goods at the client's 29 UK stores.

The value of the order is confidential.

The truck is one of the company's best sellers, with more than 500 delivered to a wide range of customers over the past 10 years.

"For its size, the Bulldog packs a punch with its robust construction and many innovative features like electronic steering, tilt operation and electronic braking," Hands says. "It is also very flexible, with lift heights ranging from 840 mm to 4,660 mm (2.8 ft. and 15.3 ft.) and capacities of 300 kg to 2,500 kg (661 lb. to 5512 kb.), making it suitable for a wide range of applications."

Wilmat Ltd designs and manufactures bespoke, pedestrian-operated materials handling equipment. Its products include industrial forklifts, tow tractors, scissor lift tables, stackers, pallet trucks, prime movers, cranes, mould/die handlers and platform trucks. All products are made at Wilmat's Birmingham plant.