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 |  Welcome to issue #222 of Forkliftaction.com News. This week, our journalist Christine Liew spoke to two leading forklift attachment manufacturers about the forklift attachments that are used in the paper industry. Read our special report to find out more.
Bulgarian forklift manufacturer Sparky AD, is featured in this week’s industry profile column. If you would like more information about this new and exciting marketing opportunity for your company or product, please email the marketing team.
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The Paper Industry: Forklift attachments do the job  Pulp & Paper International magazine’s latest statistics posted on the Finnish Forest Industries Federation website puts the global paper and paperboard production in 2003, at 339 million tons. Forkliftaction.com News reporter Christine Liew looks at the equipment used to handle logs, wood chips, pulp bales, sheeted paper and paper rolls, which are the raw materials and finished products, in this multi-billion dollar industry. Read more |
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Linde surrounded by renewed speculation
FRANKFURT, GermanyFresh speculation that industrial gas and forklift manufacturer Linde could be bought by rivals caused its share price to increase more than three per cent to a six-year high this week.
Reuters reported that by 9:51am GMT, on Tuesday, the stock was up 2.6 per cent at EUR60.80 after hitting an earlier high of EUR61.25, the highest since August 1999. It was also the top gainer in the DAX, which was up 0.5 per cent.
Traders linked the gains to a Boersen-Zeitung newspaper report that said Linde’s main shareholders, Allianz, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, might sell their stakes.
“The story is very vague but it’s enough to renew speculation,” a Frankfurt trader said.
Linde spokesperson Uwe Wolfinger said the German news report was a general story on Linde’s shareholder structure.
“…very old speculations and nothing new,” Wolfinger said.
The media has speculated that Linde could merge with British gas manufacturer BOC and sell its forklift unit ( Forkliftaction.com News #180). | New company short-listed for second award
CANNOCK, United KingdomPalletcap Ltd’s freight-protecting invention has been short-listed in the storage and handling category of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (UK)’s awards for excellence 2005.
The bright yellow cone that warns forklift operators against stacking loads on top of fragile freight, avoiding the need to read labels, is the brainchild of Hayley Shirley, a former business development manager in overnight pallet distribution ( Forkliftaction.com News #219).
Shirley developed the Palletcap when she noticed how much money and time were wasted when pallets were wrongly stacked on top of fragile items.
Just one year after Shirley formed Palletcap Ltd, the company beat Cat, Hyster and Jungheinrich to win the safety category in the Fork Lift Truck Association’s 2005 awards for excellence.
“Things are moving so fast for us, it’s hard to take it all in,” Shirley said. “We’ve quickly established a loyal customer base in the UK, including manufacturers, like WD-40 Company, DDD Pharmaceuticals and Pritchitt Dairies, as well as UK hauliers and pallet networks, like Palletways, Pall-Ex, The Pallet Network and UK Pallets.” |
| Marketplace notes In creating the Forkliftaction.com Marketplace we struggled with a dilemma. We created a Marketplace, which allows dealers to promote their used equipment and permits end users to easily search for their used equipment needs. But which comes first?
Our solution … A well-populated Marketplace equipment wise, is a well-populated Marketplace buyer wise. So after three months, more than 200 dealers and their used equipment now populate the Marketplace. We are fast approaching the stage where we are ready to share the Marketplace with the wider business community – the warehouses, mills, factories and ports! As interest grows, so does patronage.
Soon, participating dealers with substantial stock lists will begin to receive enquiries from traditional forklift end users. If you are already a participating dealer, make sure you add more equipment, photos and prices to your existing stock list. This will guarantee increased viewing and interest from the wider material handling industry. If you are a dealer or fleet manager with used equipment to sell, why not give us a try?
For more information or assistance, contact the Marketplace team on marketplace@forkliftaction.com – Phone: +61 7 3369 9090 – Fax: +61 7 3369 9096.
Have a great week!
The Marketplace team
| Raymond presents cheques for ongoing relief
GREENE, NY, United StatesJim Malvaso, president and CEO of Raymond Corp, has presented cheques totalling USD280,000 to relief agencies working with tsunami victims.
The presentation was made at Raymond Corp’s New York headquarters last Friday.
Raymond and its 35 North American dealers made the contribution by jointly donating USD200 for each electric rider truck and USD50 for each electric walkie pallet truck sold in January and February.
Forkliftaction.com News reported in March that Raymond and its dealer network were donating USD340,000 to Action Against Hunger, International Rescue Committee Inc and the AmeriCares Foundation ( Forkliftaction.com News #200).
Raymond spokesperson Kevin Trenga said the final contribution was less.
“We are not at liberty to disclose the exact number of trucks sold because we do not publicise sales and market share data,” he said.
When asked why the donations came so late, Trenga said Raymond’s intention was to provide ongoing relief efforts in tsunami-affected areas.
“The agency representatives confirmed that much relief work still needs to be done in the areas hardest hit. Some of that work will take years to complete,” he said.
Other materials handling companies, like JCB, Linde and Komatsu, also have contributed aid to tsunami victims ( Forkliftaction.com News #191). | Fantuzzi machines total 99 at Shenzhen
FUJIAN, ChinaYantian International Container Terminal Ltd (YICT), in Shenzhen, has received 15 Fantuzzi FDC25K8 empty container handlers that can stack up to eight-containers high.
Fantuzzi product manager Jimmy Lozada would not disclose the value of the order. The order is for a total of 24 machines built in Noell Crane Systems China Ltd (NCSC)’s plant, in Zhangzhou, and a one-year parts warranty.
“YICT’s team of engineers has inspected the equipment and they are now operating at the port,” Lozada said.
YICT is a joint venture established by Hutchinson Ports Holding and the Shenzhen Yantian Port Group that started operations in mid-1994. The company operates Yantian Port’s phases I, II and III.
Nine more container handlers will be sent to YICT by October 2005, increasing the fleet of Fantuzzi equipment to 99 container handlers. | What will you be doing in 99 years time? At its dedicated hand truck factory in Sweden, BT has continuously invested in improving the quality of its processes and its products.
It is now so confident in the central bearing component of its lifters—the red fork frame—that each one comes with a 99-year functional guarantee!
So, while you may pay a little more up-front for a BT Lifter, your investment will be repaid many times over during the working life of the truck. Properly serviced and maintained, a BT Lifter will perform for decades.
Find out more at: www.bt-forklifts.com
| Forklift lifts North Pole pumpkin
FAIRBANKS, AK, United StatesA pumpkin weighing 752lbs (341kg) beat a US state record at the Tanana Valley State Fair last week.
Tanana Valley State Fair competition exhibit manager Vanessa Spencer said eight men carried the gigantic pumpkin onto a forklift, which lifted it to a weighing scale.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that David Iles, of North Pole, grew the record-breaking pumpkin in his greenhouse using a “top secret” system, combining hydroponics and aeroponics.
Hydroponics grows vegetables with water only, while aeroponics uses neither soil nor direct water, relying on almost 100 per cent greenhouse humidity.
The previous state record was a 707-pound (321kg) pumpkin entered at last year’s Alaska State Fair. | Jungheinrich delivers 100,000th AC truck
HAMBURG, GermanyJungheinrich has delivered its 100,000th electric forklift with three-phase AC technology since pioneering the technology 10 years ago.
AC technology, now in its third generation in some Jungheinrich forklifts, is an alternating current supplied by the regular electricity network. It increases the output of electric forklifts and has the potential to decrease operating costs.
A company statement said a 2.5 ton electric forklift that worked 2,000 hours a year could save up to EUR4,000 (USD4,916) in energy costs with three-phase AC technology.
“Jungheinrich trucks, which have already been fitted with the third generation of three-phase AC drive systems, have very high efficiency ratios in comparison with their competitors,” the statement said.
“Eighty per cent of all two-shift operations carried out with a Jungheinrich electric truck no longer need a battery change. The battery is recharged during the intermediate shift or overnight. It is possible to dispense with an exchange battery and thus also with a battery-changing station with crane.”
Company spokesperson Jan-Abu Kaulfuhs said the technology was used in other manufacturers’ forklifts but Jungheinrich was the first to release it to the market. |
| Briefs Caterpillar finalist for healthcare award
PEORIA, IL, United States
Caterpillar Inc is one of six finalists for the 2005 Medstat innovator award after working with Medstat to initiate a cost-effective health program for its employees.
One project piloted a “step therapy program” for stomach acid drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. Treatment guidelines were established to direct patients and doctors to use generic drugs as a first step in treatment before using brand-name prescriptions.
The award honours companies’ workers’ compensation and benefit programs, and corporate medical departments that improve healthcare quality in cost-efficient ways.
Hyster adds new addition to Fortis line
GREENVILLE, NC, United States
Hyster Company has released the new sit-down, counterbalanced, internal combustion, solid pneumatic tyre Fortis H40-70FT forklift.
With lift capacities ranging from 4,000lbs (1,814kg) to 7,000lbs (3,175kg), Hyster claims the new series reduces operating costs by matching the right engine with the correct transmission for specific application needs. |
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 | CARGO CHAT #4
In this issue we continue the monthly feature Cargo Chat. It is specially prepared for Forkliftaction.com News by ICHCA International, an organisation that represents cargo-handling interests at the international level. Cargo Chat is based on ICHCA’s bi-monthly electronic newsletter and the activities of its International Safety Panel.
Click here for the full text of this Cargo Chat feature.
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| In the Discussion Forums | "When will they pay attention?" " In my experience, if you leave it up to the lift truck operator, they will probably never wear their seat belt. While we generally prefer that the government doesn't force us to do things, the fact is that is what it takes to get companies to pay attention!" InventoryOps, United States"I've overcharged my battery!!" " Is there anyway I can tell how much damage was done to the plates? I have seen ads for additives that help clean the plates inside the battery, are any of these worth it? We use the forklift very little, maybe 4 hours a week tops ..." mark_g, United StatesJoin the debate on :"MCFA relationship strained?" " The only real difference is that there aren't any Cat components on the Cat except for the yellow paint. If you want a Nissan power plant you buy a Nissan not a copy cat. I mean when you go buy a Chev do you request a Ford power plant?
" Gordo, CanadaIs fuel cell cost-efficient? " There was a working hydrogen fuel cell forklift at the last Promat show. Unfortunately, if it can't be competitive purely on fuel cost. I don't think the other benefits will be enough to make a significant change in the industry.
" InventoryOps, United States |
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