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 |  |  | | | It’s been one month since the Marketplace was launched. We would like to thank all dealers for their interest in participating in our free trials. We do appreciate the interesting feedback we have received. In our experience, listings with more photos attract more enquiries so we would like to remind you to add photos to your listings. You can also email us your photos and we will add them for you.
The popular Forkliftaction.com caption competition is back again! Check out our new photo and rack your brains for the funniest and wittiest caption to email us. |
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Caterpillar to open Russian parts centre
PEORIA, IL, United States
Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc (Cat Logistics), a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc, will open a new parts distribution centre near Moscow, Russia, next year.
The new centre is expected to serve the five Caterpillar dealers within the Russian Federation from mid-to-late 2006 onwards. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) dealers currently receive parts through the Grimbergen, Belgium, distribution centre.
Cat Logistics president and chairman Mary Bell said the new centre would strengthen Caterpillar’s “world-class capabilities for distributing Caterpillar parts throughout the world”.
A company statement said Caterpillar had worked closely with dealers to “gather the voice of the customer” and jointly develop a parts distribution solution in the CIS.
The new centre would enable dealers in Russia to receive next-day emergency order service and significantly reduce stock order delivery times.
“The investment in this new facility demonstrates our support of the dealers’ mission to serve Caterpillar customers in Russia and our continued commitment to excellence in product support,” Bell said. |  |
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Shiga facility to make TCM forklifts only 
ADELAIDE, Australia
TCM Corp is upgrading and consolidating its Japanese manufacturing facilities to meet growing international demand for its forklifts and wheel loaders.
The announcement follows the April 2005 decision by Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd (HCM) to increase its stake in TCM from 30 per cent to 46 per cent, making HCM TCM’s single largest shareholder (Forkliftaction.com News #209).
TCM general manager for marketing Masa-aki Sumida said the company’s Shiga facility in Omi-hachiman city, 50 km west of Nagoya, which currently makes forklifts below 10–tonnes capacity, would be transformed into a dedicated forklift manufacturing plant in October.
The Ryugasaki facility in Ryugasaki city, around 50 km northeast of Tokyo, which makes wheel loaders and forklifts with load capacities of 10 tonnes and above, will soon produce wheel loaders only.
Sumida, who was in Australia at the end of May to brief the company’s national distributor, NTP Forklifts Australia, on the significance of Hitachi’s increased shareholding, said the plant upgrades would enable wheel loader output capacity to rise from the current 1,500 machines a year to 2,500 a year. Similar growth was expected for forklifts.
“TCM’s strong brand position as Japan’s first forklift manufacturer and its pioneering work in materials-handling technological development now enjoys the added financial clout of the global Hitachi Corp, of which HCM is a subsidiary,” he said.
HCM’s interest in TCM dates back to 2000 when it recognised the need for a wheel loader to complement its line of extractor products. HCM identified TCM as the preferred partner, entered into a manufacturing agreement and took an initial 10 per cent stake in the company.
Growth in worldwide demand for TCM forklifts and wheel loaders saw the stake increase to 30 per cent in April 2003 when HCM purchased the 20 per cent held by Hitachi Shipping (an independent company not part of the Hitachi Corp). | |
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Doosan Infracore’s US subsidiary changes name
SUWANEE, GA, United States
Daewoo Heavy Industries America Corp has changed its name to Doosan Infracore America Corp following the name change of its parent company, Daewoo Heavy Industries to Doosan Infracore.
On April 29, Doosan Heavy Industries & Machinery Ltd officially completed the purchase of a controlling interest in Daewoo Heavy Industries & Machinery Ltd in Seoul, South Korea.
With the completion of the acquisition, Daewoo Heavy Industries changed its name to Doosan Infracore Company Ltd (Forkliftaction.com News #210).
According to the Doosan Infracore America website, the North American subsidiary will continue to manufacture, market and sell its products under the Daewoo name.
Doosan Infracore Company Ltd general manager for overseas marketing JY Moon, said the notice on the website was outdated.
“We were supposed to use “Daewoo” brand only at the beginning of the acquisition but we finally adopted “Doosan-Daewoo” brand on our forklifts during the transition time,” he said.
Doosan Infracore America Corp, the North American subsidiary of Doosan Infracore Company Ltd, headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, is responsible for North American sales, service, and technical support of all Daewoo machine tools, construction equipment, lift trucks, skid steer loaders and mini-excavators.
Its products are sold exclusively through a network of independent distributors in the US, Canada and Mexico. | |
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**ANNOUNCEMENT**Forkliftaction.com's Caption Competition is back!
One of Forkliftaction.com's most popular initiatives, the caption competition, returns this week.
For those not familiar with the contest, readers are invited to submit captions to Forkliftaction.com's photo. The competition will run for a month, with the winner's caption being included in the newsletter.
The instructions are simple: click on the headline above to see the competition's photo. Look at the photo, think of a funny caption, and email your suggestion to us.
If you are not yet a member, click here to complete your free registration and to get access to our website. | |
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South of the Border: Rolf Slobotzky
MEXICO CITY, Mexico
Construction equipment theft often attracts press coverage in Mexico but no, not forklifts. This is due to the fact that construction equipment is costlier than forklifts.
Around 10 forklifts get stolen in Mexico each year but not a single one was ever reported in Mexican newspapers.
Hence, when on Sunday, May 29, Mexico’s highest circulating, national daily Reforma published a condensed report on its front page and a full page article in the main section that mentioned forklifts being stolen, it was a rare incident indeed. According to the article, headlined “Heavy Machinery Theft”, more than USD60 million of equipment are stolen every year and insurance companies reported 930 items of equipment, including forklifts being stolen in 2004.
The forklift and construction dealer association (Asociación Mexicana de Distribuidores de Maquinaria) is toying with the idea of equipping machines with a chip that would locate a stolen unit but it is very costly. As long as there are are forklift buyers there will be forklift thieves. The situation is particularly difficult in Mexico due to police and judicial corruption. Maybe prayer is the answer.
Website: The Mexican Association of Machinery Distributors | |
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Terex’s first quarter net income up 78%
WESTPORT, CT, United States
Terex Corporation’s net income for the first quarter of 2005 increased 78 per cent from 2004’s first quarter result of USD17 million to USD30.3 million.
If “special items” were excluded, net income for the first quarter would be USD30.8 million. There were no special items during the 2004 quarter.
Special items for the first quarter of 2005 included investigation costs related to the company’s internal review and the restatement of its financial results for fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, and charges connected with the closure of certain Terex Utilities branches (Forkliftaction.com News #192)..
For the first quarter, net sales increased 38.8 per cent from USD1,043.8 million to USD1,448.9 million.
Terex chairman and CEO Ronald M DeFeo said the company continued to be encouraged by its performance in the first quarter.
“Although the first quarter still reflects an imbalance between input costs and pricing to customers, we are confident we are doing the right things to improve this situation,” DeFeo said.
“We have taken pricing initiatives that should be more evident in the second quarter and clearly the demand for our products is strong.
“We appreciate the patience our stakeholders have shown as we have diligently pursued historical intercompany imbalances and related issues. While the issues were deeper and more complex than we initially expected, we believe we are nearing completion of our review.
“Although the ultimate outcome is not yet finalised, we continue to expect that the total impact to our 2003 stockholders’ equity value will be immaterial. We have learned a lot in this process that will make our company better and stronger in the future and we are moving on implementing these improvements. In the meantime, business conditions remain strong,” he said.
The company has not completed its audited financial statements for 2004 but does not anticipate financial results for the period ended March 31, 2004, will be restated. | |
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Separate JCB sales companies for growing market
ROCESTER, United Kingdom
JCB’s UK dealers are establishing separate sales companies to concentrate on JCB’s compact equipment.
JCB’s compact equipment range of 43 models includes mini and micro excavators, compact Loadall telehandlers, tracked and wheeled Robot skid steer loaders, tracked Dumpsters, the Mini CX, 1CX backhoe loaders and compact loading shovels.
More than 50 dealer salesmen will now be dedicated to selling JCB compact equipment.
The dealers, Greenshields JCB Compact Equipment, Gunn JCB Compact Equipment, Holt JCB Compact Equipment, Scot JCB Compact, TC Harrison JCB Compact and Watling JCB Compact, will create separate compact equipment showrooms at selected depots covering England, Scotland and Wales.
They are also investing in special tow-and-show vehicles so the range of compact equipment can be taken to customers for demonstration.
The dealers’ expansion follows a decision this year by JCB to establish its own compact equipment sales division for Europe.
JCB Sales MD Françoise Rausch said: “JCB’s UK dealer network, with its 43 nationwide depots, is already the strongest in the construction industry and the increased focus on compact equipment will build on that strength.
“JCB now has the biggest compact equipment range in the business and the scope to further grow our share in the important UK market is huge, not just in the construction sector, but also in other applications including ground care and amenities.”
The UK equipment manufacturer has invested heavily in research and manufacturing facilities for its compact range in recent years.
The company said the UK compact equipment market had tripled in the last decade and was now worth GBP225 million (USD410 million), with around 15,000 machines sold annually. | |
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Workers’ compensation board reviews seat belt use
VANCOUVER, Canada
The British Columbia Workers’ Compensation Board is reviewing the use of seat belts on forklifts after an accident in which a forklift operator and his forklift fell off a barge into the frigid waters of Vancouver’s port.
The Canada Business News Network reported Curtis De Coste, 24, backed his forklift over the edge of a barge while unloading recyclable glass from a cruise ship on May 21 (Forkliftaction.com News #210).
“I put a pallet down, probably too close to the edge, because when I went to take the forks out from underneath the pallet, I ran out of room,” De Coste said.
He said it was fortunate he was not wearing his seat belt at the time.
“I think wearing a seat belt on a barge [is] probably a bad idea. If I had been wearing my seat belt, I’d have had to fight to get it off when I reached the bottom [of the port waters],” he said.
Gary Prosser, owner of All Lift Truck Training, in St John, New Brunswick, said seat belt use for mobile equipment on barges or wharves had come up in the past.
“It’s not your normal tip-over or falling situation … you’re entering the water and your forklift is a 6,000lb to 8,000lb or greater anchor that you would be anchored to.” | |
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Forklift raises maypole in old English village
WEST YORKSHIRE, United Kingdom
Hoisting a maypole into place used to be the work of ladders, ropes and strong men but materials-handling equipment has provided assistance in a village in West Yorkshire, UK.
The Yorkshire Post reported a crane and a forklift helped hoist an 86 foot (26 metre) maypole into place in Barwick-in-Elmet, a village on the outskirts of Leeds, West Yorkshire.
It was the first time the maypole had been raised in six years.
Concern over health and safety regulations had threatened to make 1999 the last time the May Day affair would be held but organisers decided to revive the event this year.
The Barwick-in-Elmet maypole is the tallest in the UK and the one used in the ceremony this year was worth GBP1,400 (USD2,537).
According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, Barwick-in-Elmet, together with the Scholes-in-Elmet and Sherburn-in-Elmet villages, are associated with the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet.
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia - http://www.wikipedia.org/ | |
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**ANNOUNCEMENT**DEALERS add your used forklift listing now!
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Post your listing and start a SIX WEEK FREE TRIAL, no commitment or obligation, on http://www.forkliftaction.com/marketplace/listingadd.asp
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Sign in now to access the 438 wholesale listings currently available to dealer members only! | |
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AEM'S “MEASURES OF SUCCESS” MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS.
MILWAUKEE, WI, United States
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is now accepting entries for its 2004-05 “Measures of Success” marketing communications awards.
The annual awards, sponsored by AEM’s Publications in Construction and Agriculture (PICA) group, recognise outstanding marketing communications in the off-road equipment manufacturing industry.
There are separate categories for magazine ads, product literature, direct mail and press kits. Entries will be judged in two divisions, based on company sales revenue, to encourage participation.
Materials must have appeared in 2004 or 2005. Entries are due on November 1, 2005. Entry forms and rules are available at www.aem.org. Agencies may submit entries on behalf of AEM member or member-eligible clients.
A panel of industry and academic marketing communications professionals will judge entries based on criteria that include overall effectiveness, how well stated objectives were achieved, clarity of message, visual impact and production values.
Off-road equipment manufacturers and industry service providers (construction, agriculture, forestry, mining and utilities) that are AEM members or are eligible for membership are welcome to participate in the awards.
For more information, contact AEM’s Tom Purdy (+1-414-298-4147, tpurdy@aem.org or visit www.aem.org.
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1. CVS FERRARI's first machine in Belgium
CVS Ferrari, the Italian manufacturer specialised in container handling, has obtained its first success in Belgium, where it sold one unit of its F258 reach stacker model. The successful transaction was conducted jointly with CVS Ferrari’s Belgian partner, Jan De Wacker N.V. Industrial Equipment. The CVS Ferrari F258 will be delivered to Antwerp Tank Repair (ATR). ATR is part of the Group Van Loon and it offers the complete solution for tank and bulk container repair. It holds depot for empty and loaded containers and is recognised as a customs warehouse.
For more information:
Contact CVS Ferrari.
Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. | |
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