Dear reader, WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM, MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE. This is issue #161 - 10 June 2004 of the weekly newsletter for industry professionals. Toyota has founded a new subsidiary in South America for its industrial vehicles operations in Argentina and Brazil.     INSIDE FORKLIFTACTION.COM NEWS 1. JCB wins big plant hire deal 2. Japanese market braces for emission controls 3. MATEX 2004 - Australia's showcase 4. Linde UK looks at safety 5. Discussion Forums popular after launch 6. Toyota establishes subsidiary in South America 7. Forklift going cheep 8. Tub man in hot water over forklift drama SAFETY FIRST: Safety First: David Hoover MEDIA RELEASES 1. Meclift introduces the new variable reach truck ML 1200RP   Advertising with Forkliftaction.com works. Whether it is a short or long-term campaign, Forkliftaction.com can tailor a package to suit your budget and requirements. Here is a message from one happy advertiser: Ian Ogilvie, executive director, Globequip: "Over the years we have advertised in newspapers, magazines etc, but we have never seen a result as strong as from our Forkliftaction.com advertising. Within 24 hours we received six inquiries, and this number doubled in the following week. Inquiries came from all over the world, and from one business nearby. We received orders and have developed two long-term business relationships, plus numerous leads, as a result. I congratulate Forkliftaction.com on your massive industry audience. You can be certain we will use your service in the future." Contact us for more information about advertising on Forkliftaction.com.   1. JCB wins big plant hire deal ROCESTER, United Kingdom Plant hirer Mervyn Lambert Plant Ltd (MLP) has bought more than GBP4.5 million (USD8.2 million) of JCB machinery, including 125 Loadall telescopic handlers. An initial 125 machines, including 75 Loadalls, would be delivered this year, said MLP managing director Mervyn Lambert. "Our telehandlers are predominantly JCB anyway and we are returning to JCB for our backhoe loaders after purchasing from another manufacturer last year," he said. "We responded to customers' requests by buying telehandlers [with] air conditioning." The latest JCB Loadall telehandler range has more than 50 new design features. - JCB website - 2. Japanese market braces for emission controls TOKYO, Japan The Japan Industrial Vehicles Association (JIVA) sees emissions control as the biggest legislative hurdle for the booming Japanese forklift manufacturing market. Ken'ichiro Takase, senior manager with JIVA, said the Japanese government had introduced emission controls on "diesel special motor vehicles", including industrial trucks, for the first time in October last year. The move is part of the government's plan to reduce hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide by up to 85% by 2007. Mr Takase said the industry would work together and with the government to reach the targets. - JIVA website - 3. MATEX 2004 - Australia's showcase SYDNEY, Australia Matex 2004 has been and gone, but Forkliftaction.com was there. A veritable who's who of the Australian forklift and materials handling market attended, but some of the world's largest forklift manufacturers - Yale, Hyster and Crown - were not among the exhibitors. The general feeling from most forklift exhibitors was that, while opening day, June 1, was mediocre at best, by day two, when Forkliftaction.com attended, pedestrian traffic was good, and some companies reported "off-the-stand" sales. Nicholas Tossman, a member of the Matex organising committee, said the response from exhibitors and visitors had been "really positive". While official visitor numbers have not yet been released, Mr Tossman said more than 70% of next year's exhibition space had already sold. "We had a great show. Everyone's looking forward to next year already," he said. Matex was one of several shows being run concurrently at Sydney's Convention & Exhibition Centre as part of National Manufacturing Week. While that meant materials handling exhibitors gained many visitors from other exhibitions, exhibitors agreed the industry wants its own show. "There are too many options, both for companies exhibiting, and industry participants, in Australia right now," one exhibitor said. Certainly the show missed much of the glitz of international events, but that is a standard trend outside the "big three" world shows - CeMAT, Manutention and IMHX. Apart from scantily-clad promotional staff roaming the aisles, and Linde's "stop-go" girls, stands were functional rather than flashy. Materials handling companies present included Red Australia, NTP Forklifts, Westrac, Toyota Industrial, BT Australia, Apex Associates, TVH Australasia, Kalmar Equipment Australia, Adapt-A-Lift, Nomad Lift Trucks, Linde, Flexi-Lift and Fork-Safe International. - Matex website - 4. Linde UK looks at safety BASINGSTOKE, United Kingdom Linde Material Handling (UK) has released "Mobile Equipment - Creating a Safe Working Environment", the first in a planned series of biannual white papers. Linde plans to collate the reports into a larger report covering all aspects of UK materials handling. The first study concludes that "a modest investment in time and training to meet health and safety requirements can pay impressive dividends in terms of efficiency, performance and profitability. "The ramifications of industrial accidents can be far-reaching in terms of bad publicity, fines and lost production. [Health and safety] is an opportunity to involve the entire workforce in an ongoing project to make work a safer experience." Linde Material Handling (UK) sales & marketing director Stephen Moule said Linde was "delighted" to be building a "definitive industry guide". Copies of the study are available from Linde Material Handling. Email andrea.ayre@linde-mh.co.uk. - Linde UK website - 5. Discussion Forums popular after launch Forkliftaction.com's Discussion Forums have taken off with some very interesting discussions. Almost 10,000 people have visited the forums since launch. Have a look and join in! Meet other members, share ideas and find answers to your questions with our forums - www.forkliftaction.com/forum. The forums are the place for discussion; we all know we can do better business with help from colleagues. To participate, all you need is your registered email address and password. Not registered? Become a member. For assistance or a password reminder contact Lyn on info@forkliftaction.com. - Forkliftaction.com Discussion Forums - 6. Toyota establishes subsidiary in South America BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Toyota has founded a new subsidiary in South America for its industrial vehicles operations in Argentina and Brazil. Toyota Industries Mercosur (TIM), in Buenos Aires, would mainly provide forklift sales and maintenance services, the Latin America News Digest reported. TIM vice-president Luiz Carlos Andrade Jr said the company expected to raise regional sales from 530 machines in 2003 to 800 this year. Toyota currently has a 30% share in the market, where it vies with Nissan, Mitsubishi, Caterpillar, Yale, Komatsu and Clark. 7. Forklift going cheep TOLL BAR END, United Kingdom A pair of robins and their brood have made an unlikely home in the housing of a truck-mounted forklift at Coventry-based Moffett-Kooi. Conservation laws prevent Moffett-Kooi moving the family, forcing the company to leave the machine idle on the forecourt. Operations manager Nigel Brooks told the Coventry Evening Telegraph the machine had only just arrived from Holland. The company has had to quarantine the machine and import another one from the Dutch factory. Mr Brooks said: "Well, we're a big company and these things happen, so we just absorb the cost". - Moffett-Kooi website - 8. Tub man in hot water over forklift drama ANNBANK, United Kingdom An indebted businessman has escaped a potential death sentence after lifting and dumping a debt collector's car with his forklift. Bernard Rooney, 46, chased sheriff's officer James McFarlane, who intended to impound a GBP6,000 (USD10,900) hot tub, to his car before fetching a forklift. According to a Sunday Mail report, Mr Rooney lifted the debt collector and his Ford Mondeo and dumped them 40 metres away. Mr Rooney, who sells saunas and spas, had company arrears of GBP4,000 (USD7,300). Mr McFarlane had been sent to recover goods to be auctioned to pay the debt. After the attack, Mr Rooney was charged with "deforcement of messengers", which once carried the death penalty, but he admitted to a lesser charge of driving a forklift culpably and recklessly and with a criminal disregard for the consequences and the danger to Mr McFarlane. He was likely to face a community service order, the report said.   SAFETY FIRST: DAVID HOOVER NEWARK, OH, United States In some ways, forklifts are the same basic machines designed many years ago to help people lift and move heavy loads. They look slightly different, but still accomplish the same purpose. It would be easy to say not much has changed, but that would be incorrect. In recent years, manufacturers have been getting better at building machines to customers' needs, and that includes their safety needs. Reach trucks that force operators to keep their feet inside the compartment and parking brakes with warnings that sound if not engaged are just a few advancements. Aftermarket forklift safety product companies have also emerged. They build cutting-edge products that can be retrofitted to existing units to make them safer and more ergonomic. Almost without a doubt, if you have a forklift safety problem, someone makes a product that can help. Of course only safe forklift operators can ensure safety, but safety products can assist operators to that end. There are several interesting new products on the market. Forklift seats have gone high-tech and are designed with comfort and safety in mind. The latest examples incorporate a pivot that allows operators to swivel to either side to reduce back stress. Special materials are used to reduce shock and low-frequency vibrations to keep operators happier and more productive. Another item is the seatbelt. It is a bright orange retractable belt that is highly visible and links to the lift's electrical system. The concept is simple: if the belt is not buckled the lift will not start. This simple product has helped many clients go from almost 0% seatbelt use to 100%. The prices of these items are very reasonable. Forklift management systems are increasing in popularity. They range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Why would you want one? They allow you to electronically complete pre-shift checks, detect damage and assign it to an operator, track hours of production by lift or person, schedule maintenance, provide a method of lockout, schedule operators for re-evaluations, keep unauthorised people off your lifts, and much more. Information is power, and for those who want to gain control of their forklift operations, the time has come to do it. David Hoover is president of Forklift Training Systems Inc, a US safety company specialising in site and forklift safety training, training trainers, custom program development and cutting-edge forklift safety products. Contact David Hoover   1. Meclift introduces the new variable reach truck ML 1200RP Oy Meclift Ltd, a Finnish manufacturer of variable reach trucks and side reach stackers, has launched the ML 1200RP for jumbo paper rolls. The ML 1200RP is Meclift's response to handling large paper reels. The ML 1200RP has a telescopic twin boom configuration with an integrated multiple arm rotatable clamp. The machine is capable of an 8 tonne lift to a clamp centre height of 5 metres and has an outreach of 1.85 m. Further information: Oy Meclift Ltd tel. +358 20 743 1120 fax +358 20 743 1121 www.meclift.fi Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. IN THE DISCUSSION FORUMS UPCOMING EVENTS TENDERS JOB VACANCIES RESUMES FAST FACTS In the Discussion Forums Here's a novel approach to getting the safe operation message to sink in! Something I found on forklift safety while roaming around the internet. It's quite gory, but I think you'll find it entertaining. Click here It's in German - can anyone give a rough translation? damien_t, Australia Can you help this member? Can anybody provide feedback on available weighing attachments for fork trucks? I am particularly interested in reliability in high usage applications such as LTL/trucking. thomas_r, United States Looks like Bassfisherman's question about Toyota's parts department has been solved by another member! The forums are a great way to find answers. I would like to thank Mr. Roensch. I believe he understands my concerns about deliveries of parts, cost of parts and customers being forced to purchase parts from dealers that they really don't want to do business with. Bassfisherman, United States Bassfisherman passes on some good advice. A little advice for those that do any kind of purchasing. I find it very useful to go online and search public records on the company you are thinking of using and and their owners. There is a lot of information available about a company's history. Bassfisherman, United States What is your local market for forklift drivers like? Whatever newspaper I open to view the jobs available section I invariably find several companies seeking a qualified forklift truck driver. Is the market so large? Jackie, Germany FORKLIFTACTION.COM Discussion Forums >> Upcoming Events 1. ICUEE 2005 (Demo Expo) Louisville, Kentucky, United States September 23-25, 2003. 2. TOC 2004 Europe Barcelona, Spain 16th to 18th June 2004 3. Laadur 11 - Materials Handling and Construction equipment exhibition Tallinn, Estonia 11th June 2004 FORKLIFTACTION.COM Events >> Tenders 1. Gantry Crane Main Drum and Wire Rope Replacement Salt Lake City, UT, United States Closing: 15 July 2004 Contract: 04SI408074 2. 40-ton rubber tire gantry crane Lester, PA, United States Closing: 10 August 2004 Contract: N3258A-04-T-1800 3. Hazardous material locker Mountain Home AFB, ID, United States Closing: 18 June 2004 Contract: FQ489741530200 FORKLIFTACTION.COM Tenders >> Jobs 1. Territory Sales - Full time York/Lancaster PA, United States 2. Service Technician - Full time Allentown, PA, United States 3. Service Technician - Full time Chambersburg,PA, United States 4. Territory Parts & Service Manager - Northeast Territory - Full time Columbus, United States 5. Sales Representative - Full time Atlanta, Georgia, United States 6. Branch Manager - Full time Indianapolis, IN, United States FORKLIFTACTION.COM Jobs >> Resumes 1. SALES MANAGER - Full time Anywhere in UK, United Kingdom 2. SOMETHING IN THE SERVICE OR TECHNICAL FIELD - Full time WILLING TO TRAVEL BUT KEEP MY HOME IN FLORIDA, United States FORKLIFTACTION.COM Resumes >> Fast Facts 1. Rental Service Corporation had reached an agreement with Elk River Inc to sell RSC-exclusive aerial lift kits in its rental stores. 2. Meclift introduces the new variable reach truck ML 1200RP 3. The Concrete Grinding Group of Companies' Asian office, located in Singapore, celebrates 10 years in business this year. FORKLIFTACTION.COM News >>   To tailor your newsletter preferences, click here to access your member account online. Should you no longer wish to receive news from Forkliftaction.com, please click here to cancel your subscription. Forkliftaction.com News is published by Forkliftaction.com PO Box 1439, Milton QLD 4064, Australia – info@forkliftaction.com.