FORKLIFTACTION.COM
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE #33 October 11, 2001
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The independent, global newsletter for industry professionals.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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1. TEREX WINS USD30 MILLION MILITARY SUPPLY DEAL
2. STRAP BREAKS FORKLIFT DRIVER'S NECK
3. FORKLIFT DEATHS INCREASING
4. COMPETITION PUTS CHINA ON THE ROPES
5. CATERPILLAR TO PROVIDE GLOBAL EQUIPMENT TRACKING
6. INSIDE FORKLIFTACTION.COM
7. FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE JCB TELETRUK LAUNCHED
8. MANITOU TO DISTRIBUTE DANTRUCK-HEDEN TRUCKS
9. FORKLIFT DRIVER CLAIMS SEX DISABILITY
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1. TEREX WINS USD30 MILLION MILITARY SUPPLY DEAL
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WESTPORT, USA -- Terex Corporation has received production approval from the US Marine Corp for 569 units of its TX51-19M light capability rough terrain forklift.
The USD30 million order includes spare parts and options. Delivery of the first units is scheduled for early 2002, with completion by year-end. Terex chairman and chief executive officer Ronald DeFeo said the company was "very pleased" to have won the contract.
"This is a significant step for Terex, and our people have worked very hard over the last 18 months designing and testing the TX51-19M to meet the high standards of the US Marine Corp," he said. No details of the new forklift could be obtained before presstime.
Terex Americas president Ernie Verebelyi said the order came at an "important time", given the current weak environment for the materials handling industry. "This ... will give us some visibility in production planning for our materials handling business in 2002."
Meanwhile, Terex's Matbro telehandler factory in Tetley, the United Kingdom, is one of 11 of the company's plants being closed as part of a worldwide restructure. The Matbro manufacturing operation would be moved to the Fermec backhoe manufacturing facility in Manchester, according to a Connecting Cranes report.
Terex's move was a bid to reduce annual costs by USD40 million after major acquisition activity in recent years. Four of the 11 facilities to be closed belonged to the recently-acquired CMI Corporation, a manufacturer of crushing and screening equipment.
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of construction, infrastructure, recycling and mining-related capital equipment. The company's 2000 revenue was more than USD2 billion.
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2. STRAP BREAKS FORKLIFT DRIVER'S NECK
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RIO RANCHO, USA -- A forklift operator has died after a length of cargo strapping looped across his chest became tangled in the forklift's tyre and broke his neck.
The US Department of Public Safety (DPS) last month released the results of its investigation into the August 29 death of Matthew Dees, the Albuquerque Journal said. The report said the end of a six-metre length of strapping got caught in the forklift's rear tyre and tightened around Mr Dees as he drove forward.
Mr Dees, 26, was employed by University Mechanical, a subcontractor working on a USD2 billion expansion at an Intel plant in Rio Rancho. A DPS spokesman said no charges would be filed over the accident.
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3. FORKLIFT DEATHS INCREASING
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WASHINGTON, USA -- US federal officials are trying to lower the rate of forklift-related deaths in the USA, which have steadily increased since 1992.
US Bureau of Labor statistics reveal that fatalities in which the primary source of injury was a forklift have increased from 60 deaths in 1992 to 105 in 1999. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has identified no particular cause, but is taking steps to ensure proper operator training and machine maintenance.
Forklifts were used so widely that it was rare that any industrial workplace did not have some form of materials handling equipment, an OSHA spokesman told Forkliftaction.com.
Standard expanding training rules took effect in March 1999, replacing a standard set in 1969, and qualification for operators now included theoretical and practical training, as well a performance evaluation.
OSHA investigates employee complaints, workplace fatalities and situations where three or more people are hospitalised. The OSHA spokesman said that of 1301 violations related to forklifts cited from October 1, 2000 to September 30, 2001, 784 were deemed serious enough to cause serious harm.
OSHA has the authority to fine companies up to USD70,000, depending on how likely violations are to result in serious harm to workers. Employers have 15 days to contest a citation.
OSHA has this year cited companies operating forklifts in disrepair, with 439 citations, including 258 serious infractions, and has targeted companies failing to inspect machines before operation daily, with 360 citations, including 184 serious offences.
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4. COMPETITION PUTS CHINA ON THE ROPES
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BEIJING, China -- China's forklift industry must be more disciplined in a bid to prevent "unhealthy" competition and increase efficiency and development, according to a report by the China Machinery & Electricity Daily.
The China Daily quoted the newspaper as saying the industry had developed quickly this year, and China's largest forklift manufacturers produced 17,870 trucks between January and August, a 34.6 per cent increase on 2000.
China's forklift output increased 13.2 per cent in 2000, and the 16 top manufacturers made up 86 per cent of the total forklift output in China last year. Experts were quoted in the report as saying output would see a larger increase this year.
Production was expected to reach 25,000 units this year, and demand would push the figure up to 28,000 to 30,000 by 2005. While China had a good foundation for forklift development, there were problems in overall management of the industry, the newspaper said.
Competition-driven price reductions among domestic players had caused losses and, while sales had increased, profits had dropped 32 per cent so far this year. Decreased revenue would slow development, the newspaper said, so manufacturers should increase scale through alliances and mergers.
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5. CATERPILLAR TO PROVIDE GLOBAL EQUIPMENT TRACKING
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DULLES, USA -- Caterpillar has announced an extension of its agreement to use the ORBCOMM network to transmit data for its Product Link system.
ORBCOMM owns the world's first low-earth orbit satellite communication system.
Product Link is a wireless tracking and monitoring system that enables two-way data communications between Caterpillar on-board systems and Caterpillar dealers and customers around the world.
Using the ORBCOMM system, dealers and customers have access to engine hours, equipment locations, event and diagnostic information, and status reports to help dealers manage service contracts and provide preventive maintenance. Dealers in Europe, Asia and the Americas already use the Product Link system.
ORBCOMM senior vice-president marketing James Eagan said the network simplified management of Caterpillar's international business.
Product Link can be installed on any Caterpillar machine or engine. When integrated into internet-based software, customers and dealers can manage a variety of product information online.
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6. INSIDE FORKLIFTACTION.COM
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BRIEFLY...
7. FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE JCB TELETRUK LAUNCHED
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ROCESTER, United Kingdom -- JCB will be "pushing the boundaries" of forklift technology when production starts on the access equipment maker's four-wheel-drive version of its Teletruk forklift.
The new Teletruk, launched "in response to customer demand for more compact machines with better traction", will go into production late this year, a statement said. The Teletruk is designed to operate on sloped or uneven ground conditions where a two-wheel-drive machine would struggle.
JCB says the new four-wheel-drive version, with its three-tonne capacity, takes the concept of reach forklifts to new heights, widening the range of applications for industrial forklifts.
JCB said the new forklift would find a niche in contract works, where contractors looked for versatility, as the Teletruk could be fitted with a fork and a shovel, and can be used to load trucks.
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8. MANITOU TO DISTRIBUTE DANTRUCK-HEDEN TRUCKS
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ULDUM, Denmark -- Heavy-application forklift manufacturer DanTruck-Heden has signed a distribution agreement with French all-terrain forklift manufacturer Manitou.
NetPosten reported that under the agreement, Manitou would distribute DanTruck-Heden's six to 12 tonne capacity machines through its network in France, Spain and Portugal.
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9. FORKLIFT DRIVER CLAIMS SEX DISABILITY
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WASHINGTON, USA -- A forklift driver has tried to claim compensation from his former employer, saying injuries sustained in 1995 meant he could have sex only twice a month.
Antonio Contreras's case was dismissed by the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals last month, Associated Press reported. Contreras said he had sex about five times weekly before being injured in 1995. He was fired in 1996 by his employer, Suncast Corporation.
The nature of Contreras's injuries was not revealed, but his claim was that his injuries left him unable to operate a forklift for eight hours at a time, and that the injuries had caused sexual performance problems.
Chief Judge Joel Flaum, in dismissing the case, said Contreras had not produced "a scintilla of evidence that he is significantly restricted ... as compared to the average person".
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