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 |  |  | | |  Forkliftaction.com would like to thank Albury Asset Rentals and De Lage Landen for contributing to our feature article. We are sure you will find part 2 of our 'financing your forklift' feature interesting and enlightening. Different countries may have different customs and practices but when it comes to financing forklifts, they do share common ground.
Don't forget that our Discussion Forums are open if you would like to discuss any news stories we have for you this week. |
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UK and Europe: Rent or Own?
It’s the use of equipment in a business that produces benefits, not ownership. In Part 2 of our financing your forklift feature, we look at the UK and Europe. What financing options are there? Forkliftaction.com News reporter Christine Liew spoke to financial experts from two competing companies for insight into the two different markets. Read more |  |
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Nacco’s ‘ambitious program’ targets market share 
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH, United States
A Nacco Industries Inc subsidiary has embarked on “an ambitious program” to gain market share and showcase its ability to manufacture products for specific applications.
Alfred Rankin, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Nacco Material Handling Group (NMHG), told a March 17 conference call with security analysts the program was “far and away the most ambitious we have undertaken”.
During 2004, NMHG invested USD50.8 million on product design and development, which helped support work on the new forklifts.
The new forklifts are initially being produced in the Berea, Kentucky, US plant.
Trucks in the initial launch have internal combustion (IC) engines, cushion tyres and lifting capacities of 4000lbs (1800kg) to 7000lbs (3150kg).
Over the next few months, NMHG will introduce three additional series of Hyster and Yale forklifts in 2000lbs (900kg) to 4000lbs (1800kg) IC cushion and pneumatic models and in 4000lbs (1800kg) to 7000lbs (3150kg) pneumatic versions.
NMHG said the new entries had better reliability than competitors’ products, industry-best cooling performance and better adaptability to specific customer applications and requirements.
"The transition to the new products in the Americas and Europe will affect operations in the first and third quarters of 2005," Rankin said.
"The costs will pressure Nacco's profit potential, especially in the first quarter ending March 31.
"The pressure should be alleviated by the end of 2005 as manufacturing locations move into full production of this first wave of new products," Rankin said.
Product introductions under the NMHG program were projected to extend into 2008 and involve forklifts with lifting capacities up to 16,000lbs (7200 kg).
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Japanese companies hike domestic prices
TOKYO, Japan
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and TCM Corporation have increased their Japanese domestic price lists, effective from April 1.
According to both companies, the price hike of raw materials, in particular steel, has influenced the change in domestic price lists.
Mitsubishi Heavy’s prices will increase one per cent to eight per cent, depending on the model, and TCM’s prices will increase five per cent across the board.
Forkliftaction.com News’s news source speculated Toyota would repeat last July’s price increase following price hikes by steel suppliers in April.
“Implementing severe exhaust emissions requirements will surely put pressure on companies to increase prices as well,” he said.
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Oz plans international standards harmony
SYDNEY, Australia
The Australian Industrial Truck Association (AITA) council discussed adopting harmonised international standards for materials handling equipment at a recent meeting.
The council received updates from its engineering committee, chaired by NACCO Materials Handling Group’s Mark Fritzen, on progress made by International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) committees on developing global standards for forklift design.
Chair of Standards Australia Committee ME-026 and a key member of AITA’s engineering committee, Stan Palmer, has represented Australia at ISO meetings in London, Hamburg, New Orleans and Sydney.
AITA believes adopting harmonised international standards in Australia is essential for a safe, efficient materials handling industry.
AITA represents all major suppliers of forklifts and ancillary equipment in Australia. It meets as a full council three times annually, usually in Sydney.
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Kalmar introduces RTGs to Asia
STOCKHOLM, Sweden
Kalmar Industries has received orders for its rubber-tyred-gantry cranes (RTGs) from China.
The China National Technical Import & Export Corporation has ordered three units for delivery in August 2005.
The machines, which will be one over five high and 6+1 wide, will be delivered to the Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port project.
The project involves construction of a hub terminal on two islands 30km from Shanghai.
Yangzhou Yuanyang International Ports Co Ltd, a major port on the Yangtze River, has ordered two RTGs for delivery in September 2005.
The units will also be one over five high and 6+1 wide.
Kalmar Asia president Ken Loh hailed the two RTG orders as particularly important achievements because relationships between customers and suppliers were “perhaps more crucial in China than anywhere else in the world”.
“Obviously this is an excellent opportunity for Kalmar to introduce its RTGs to the Asian market on a wider scale,” Loh said.
“But it is also a positive development for the customers. They are looking beyond traditional suppliers and focusing on procurement of products and services to more efficiently serve the massive trade growth – and consequent facilities’ expansion – being experienced across Asia and most notably in China,” he said.
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Manitou forklifts updated
ANCENIS, France
Manitou will showcase its “totally updated” range of truck-mounted forklifts for transport companies at the Solutrans trade show next month.
In 1995, Manitou launched the first Manitransit truck-mounted forklift with an aim to offer a goods-handling service to transporters.
The truck-mounted forklift is a three-wheeled truck with arms that project forwards so the load is carried within the wheelbase, not cantilevered out like a traditional forklift.
The Manitransit truck has a telescopic boom and built-in sideways motion. The boom offers 360 degree vision and enough forward reach to unload a truck from one side only.
According to a company press statement, the new range will meet five major objectives:
• Reduced machine weight
• Increased machine stability
• Increased machine crowding power
• Improved machine design, and
• Optimise the number of models in the Manitransit range.
The updated range is expected to be available to transporters in May 2005.
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Con-Expo, Las Vegas a success
LAS VEGAS, United States
More than 124,220 industry professionals from around the world attended CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2005 and the co-located IFPE 2005 trade expositions in Las Vegas, US, from March 15 to March 19.
The shows at the Las Vegas Convention Centre featured the latest equipment, product innovations and technological advances of the construction, construction materials and power transmission industries.
Both trade shows covered more than 45 acres (18.5 hectares), equivalent to more than 29 soccer fields. CONEXPO-CON/AGG’s 1,968 exhibitors took up more than 1.88 million square feet (174,730 square metres) of exhibit space while IFPE used the remaining space.
International attendance was at a record high of 21,220, which was 17 per cent of total attendance. The visitors hailed from 130 countries.
In addition to leading US manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, the show floor included 13 international exhibits highlighting products and services developed outside the US.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG hosted eight of them – two from China and one each from Finland, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain and the UK.
Hotel occupancy by show attendees and co-located association conventions reached more than 104,000 cumulative room nights. The shows brought an estimated USD180 million-plus of non-gaming revenue to Las Vegas.
Palfinger North America and Manitou North America Inc were among the exhibitors.
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**ANNOUNCEMENT** MARKETPLACE UPDATE: USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE!
Every day new stock lists are being added to our Marketplace database. Everyone’s busy at the office! Dealers are shown their Marketplace stock lists, information is updated and photos are added.
At the same time the group of testers is growing steadily. All participating dealers can access the Marketplace and search in the listings database.
We thank our participating dealers for their constructive feedback which has further enhanced our Marketplace system.
Keep on sending us your stock lists! If you are a dealer or a business owner with surplus equipment of used forklifts, electric or ICE, telehandlers, rough-terrain, container handlers, reach stackers, dock trucks, port cranes, sideloading container trailers or attachments, email your contact details and stock list to marketplace@forkliftaction.com.
Or ask us to receive a simple template stock list document in MS Excel.
All participating dealers will be offered a free trial period after launch.
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South of the Border: Rolf Slobotzky
MEXICO CITY, Mexico
I attended the TECMA-EXPO Manejo in Mexico City, a four-day exhibition jointly organised by the materials handling (Expo Manejo) and machine tool (TECMA) sectors of the Mexican Association of Machinery Distributors. The exhibition was in the Santa Fe Convention Centre of Mexico City which is the largest and most modern facility of its kind.
Nearly 8000 visitors attended but a mistake in the registration system prevented us from knowing how many came for TECMA and how many because of Expo Manejo.
However, 90 per cent of visitors took advantage of both exhibits. Obviously if you use machine tools, you also need to move or stack your products and vice versa. Among the truck dealers that participated were Hyster, Yale, Raymond, Moffett, Palfinger and SunSoon. I was surprised that all the Japanese brands backed out, some from the start and others at the last minute despite having made prior space reservations. I have no idea why the Japanese backed out. It is a strange coincidence though.
The Expo Manejo is about 20 years old but it has not been held on a continuous schedule. It is sponsored by the materials handling sector of AMDM (the Mexican Association of Machinery Distributors). Sometimes it joins with similar exhibitions. This time it was the machine tools sector and earlier the logistics sector (Expo Logistica).
Currently there are no plans for the next Expo Manejo but it is usually held every two years, so you can expect it again in 2007. The Mexican forklift market consumes around 5000 new forklifts a year.
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Movers & Shakers
Matti Ruotsala has been appointed to lead KCI Konecranes' long-term product and service technology development as senior vice president, Strategy and Technology. He is currently chief operating officer.
KCI Konecranes’s Mikko Uhari, currently the president of Special Cranes, will assume the global responsibility for all crane and component business units in order to capture the synergies across these operations.
Tom Sothard continues as president, Maintenance Services, and as country executive for the Americas region.
Crown Equipment Pty Ltd general manager Brian Hoare has been elected president of the Australian Industrial Truck Association. Hoare replaces Paul Bennett of BT Lift Trucks Pty Ltd.
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Forklift used in Royal Easter Show heist
SYDNEY, Australia
A forklift was used in a brazen heist of two automatic teller machines (ATMs) during the Royal Easter Show at the Sydney Showground.
The Inner-West Weekly reported the theft took place just six hours after the gates opened for the annual show.
Police have spoken to witnesses but are still seeking information to help recover several hundred dollars that was in the ATMs.
"I urge anyone who saw a white table-top truck capable of carrying a car which was used to steal the ATMs, or with information about this incident, to come forward immediately," chief inspector Harry Neyenhuys said.
Police said the men used a nearby forklift to lift the portable ATMs on to the truck before they escaped.
"The men disguised their identities during the theft by covering their faces," Neyenhuys said.
"Witnesses have told police two of the men spoke in an unidentified language during the incident.”
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DAVID HOOVER: IMPROVED SAFETY THROUGH FLEET MANAGEMENT
NEWARK, OH, United States
One thing I love most about being a trainer is the opportunity to observe and work with many different businesses.
One problem I see almost universally is poor management of forklift fleets. If that just meant a loss of productivity, or that forklifts were not quite as comfortable or reliable as they could be, I would not be greatly concerned from a safety trainer’s standpoint. However fleet management has a large impact on safety and training. Some problems I see include:
• Running forklifts beyond their economic and functional lives
• Using too many different manufacturers with different controls.
Click here for the full text of this Safety First feature.
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1. Superior Turret Master – Low priced alternative for high stacking
The Superior Turret Master Attachment is a great alternative to the high priced turret-style trucks on the market today and allows any manufacturer of lift trucks to supply their dealers with a turret truck to call their own.
There are many advantages to choosing the Superior Turret Master Attachment. It can be installed onto most lift truck brands which means that you do not have to stock any parts for a lift truck other than the ones you already have in your fleet, and the Superior Turret Attachments allow work in aisles as narrow as 66 inches storing and retrieving loads from either side of the truck regardless of the direction of entry into an aisle.
Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. | |
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2. Omega Lift presents the MultiLoader
Omega Lift presents the MultiLoader
The Omega Lift MultiLoader series 4DML (4DML) was exhibited at Promat 2005, Chicago, at the company’s booth in January.
Of the two exhibited units, one featured a GM LPG engine version and a duplex mast, while the other truck was equipped with a Perkins 800 series diesel engine, a triplex mast and a 138” wide spreader-bar with outside folding forks. This unit was also fitted with a full cab including heater, defroster, fan, sliding windows and windshield wipers.
Greg Pannia, President of Omega Lift Distributors Inc. and Manfred Kaufmann, U.S. Sales and Marketing, were both very pleased...
For more information, go to: www.omegalift.net.
Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. | |
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3. NEW!!! DURASHIELD *OUTDOOR STORAGE* COVERS For Lift Trucks
NEW!!! DURASHIELD *OUTDOOR STORAGE* COVERS For Lift Trucks With RUST INTERCEPT Inhibitor Protection
Just like our quality TUFF TRUK bags used for shipping protection, DURASHIELD *Outdoor Storage* Bags Will Keep Safe And Preserve Your Lift Trucks, Long-Term, Up To One Year!
DURASHIELD industrial shrinkwrap products come with a rust inhibitor as well as a UV inhibitor additive. These inhibitors prevent corrosion and the sun’s ultraviolet rays from damaging your equipment. Protect your rental fleet, used & refurbished trade-ins as well as new lift trucks that must be stored outdoors due to lack of warehouse space.
In addition to outdoor protection, our shrink bags...
CT PACKAGINGSYSTEMS, INC.
Phone: 1+ (203) 250-1100, In USA 1+ 800-421-7225
Fax: 1+ (203) 250-7700
Email: peter@ctpackagingsystems.com
Visit: www.shrinkfast.com/forklift
Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. | |
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| Jobs | 1. Field Service Technician - Full time
Birmingham, United States
2. Service Manager - Full time
Birmingham - Alabama, United States
3. Forklift Technician - Full time
Atlanta, Georgia area, United States
4. Service Technician - Full time
Allentown PA, United States
5. Territory Sales - Full time
Hazelton, PA, United States
6. Sales Manager - Full time
Omaha, United States
7. Field Service Technician - Full time
Edmonton, Canada
8. Crown Technician - Full time
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
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