Manufacturer: Onboard charger use rising
ASCHAFFENBURG, Germany

Onboard charging systems are growing in popularity among European forklift users, according to Linde Material Handling.

The manufacturer says since it introduced electric counterbalanced forklifts with integrated battery chargers a year ago, the optional design is now ordered for one in five electric Linde forklifts in the 1.2-2.0 tonne (2,646-4,409 pound) load category.

Linde claims it is the only forklift manufacturer to offer an integrated battery charger for its electric counterbalanced forklifts. Jungheinrich AG offers onboard battery charging for “smaller trucks”, a spokesperson confirmed, while Toyota Material Handling Europe “is able to provide” the option if a customer requests it.

Linde spokeswoman Heike Oder says an onboard battery charger, located in the counterweight and similar in size to a forklift battery, does not in any way compromise the truck.

The control unit now integrates directly in the new compact axle, creating space for the onboard battery charger.  A temperature sensor ensures the battery is recharged at a rate conducive to optimum battery life. The battery’s high-frequency charging technology allows for fast charging and energy savings.

“The flexibility associated with an onboard charger is another advantage,” Oder says. “It enables the battery to be recharged at any available power outlet whenever convenient or necessary.”

She adds that operating errors occurring from connecting to the wrong charger are also eliminated. The option is only suitable for a single-shift operation.

Another benefit of the onboard charger is the space saved by the absence of fixed charging stations that then provides a bigger loading area.

Oder explains that the inspiration behind the onboard charger came from a simpler version available with Linde pallet trucks.

“So far this new technology is only available on counterbalanced forklifts made by Linde.

“The advantages such as independence from fixed charging stations or operating errors caused by selecting the wrong charger speak for themselves. Even shocks [from driving on uneven surfaces] do no harm to the onboard battery charger.”

NER to spread waived deductible program
NEW YORK, NY, United States

The National Equipment Register (NER) hopes waived insurance policy theft deductibles through equipment registration with the company’s national database will eventually become an industry standard.

Lexington Insurance Company, a member of the American International Group (AIG), is the latest insurance company to partner with NER in waiving its contractors’ equipment policyholders’ policy deductibles of up to USD10,000 if the equipment is registered on NER’s HELPtech database before the theft.

NER marketing and sales director Stacy Kaufman says other insurance companies are “working towards” offering the waived deductible.

“There are currently five insurance companies offering the waived deductible. Once the largest companies offer this program as a standard benefit, smaller companies will follow.

“We hope that eventually registration with NER and waived deductibles will be standard in the industry.”

Steve Silverman, Lexington’s product line manager for inland marine, is enthusiastic about the program.

“[We] are excited to be teaming up with the NER team, law enforcement agencies throughout the country and the construction industry to help reduce the financial consequences of construction equipment theft.”

Lexington joins four other insurance companies, CAN, Hanover, CHUBB and Fireman’s Fund, in teaming up with NER to waive excesses on claims.

Kaufman explains that NER is primarily supported by the insurance industry.
“We have contracts with 364 insurance companies, which … agree to compensate us if we recover a piece of equipment for them. We typically recover the equipment after the claim has been recovered.”

Established in 2001, NER manages a national database of heavy equipment thefts and ownership records to assist equipment owners, the insurance industry and law enforcement to identify and recover stolen equipment.

Through HELPtech (Heavy Equipment Loss Prevention Technology), owners pay to register an item or a fleet with NER. Equipment owners are sent a 4” by 5” (10.2cm by 12.7cm) decal that marks the item as registered on a “national database accessible to law enforcement” and would-be purchasers of the equipment.

To date, NER has worked with law enforcement to recover over USD15 million of stolen equipment. In its 2006 Theft Report endorsed by the FBI-LEEDA, NER claims eight out of the “top 10” US construction equipment insurance companies are its clients. Its database consists of 14.9 million ownership records and nearly 90,000 theft reports.

Based on 4,858 theft reports submitted to NER in 2006, 3% of stolen equipment was lifting equipment.

FBI-LEEDA, the FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, is a non-profit association aiming to advance the science and art of police management and administration worldwide. It originated at the FBI Academy, in Quantico, Virginia.

French telehandler maker opens Middle Eastern subsidiary
L’HORME, France

New telehandler player Haulotte Group is expanding in the Middle East with a subsidiary in Dubai officially opening this month.

Haulotte Middle-East FZE, in the Dubai Airport Free Zone, is being established as part of the group’s “engaged service” policy, according to the group’s statement.

Haulotte says its engaged service policy includes “being close to customers to better understand their expectations and to provide them with adapted solutions”.

Arthur Danelian, Haulotte Group’s sales manager for the Middle East for the last four years, will manage the new subsidiary which covers the Middle East, Maghreb and African countries.

Danelian has “actively promoted and introduced Haulotte brand in this sector” and has extended the distributor network, the statement says.

His tasks include defining sales strategy and marketing the entire Haulotte range in the area. Haulotte has over 50 models in its aerial work platform range, the Multijob full-rotating backhoe loader range and the recently-launched HTL telehandler range.

The HTL telehandlers, with lifting capacities up to 4 tonnes (8,818.5kg) and lifting heights of 14 metres (45.9 feet) and 17 metres (55.8 feet), are manufactured in Santander, Spain (Forkliftaction.com News #324).

Access International magazine reported Haulotte’s entry into the telehandler market was influenced by its AWP (aerial work platform) customers’ demand for telehandlers. The HTL range will be on show at the Big 5 PMV exposition at Airport Expo Dubai from 25 to 29 November.

Haulotte Group CEO Alexandre Saubot was named 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Rhône-Alpes area in August (Forkliftaction.com News #330).

New Products

Compact warehouse vehicles
ASCHAFFENBURG, Germany
Linde Material Handling has introduced the L12L, L14L and L12LHP double deck loaders and the P30C and P50C electric platform tractors to the global market.

The double deck loaders that come in 1.2 tonne and 1.4 tonne lifting capacities have compact designs making them easy to manoeuvre and turn in tight spaces. The tractors are powered by 3kW three-phase AC motors and designed for narrow gangways.

The warehouse vehicles are manufactured in Châtellerault, France.

Detector tells load’s on board
NEW CASTLE, DE, United States
Sky-Trax Inc has launched the Sky-Trax Pallet Detector.

It provides an electronic signal indicating a pallet is onboard a forklift and is used mainly by automated systems requiring digital verification of a load.

The Pallet Detector also ensures drivers correctly place pallets on forks where visibility is restricted.

TVH does its part for skills shortage
WAREGEM, Belgium

The TVH Group held two “open company days” for management staff and technical school and college teachers last month after numerous requests for visits during the schools’ teacher training days.

After TVH employees showed the visitors the group’s operations at Waregem, they discussed collaboration opportunities to tackle the shortage of skilled technicians.

Gerd Bellemens, TVH personnel manager, says despite TVH’s efforts, there remain “insufficient technically schooled” candidates to fill the group’s vacancies.

“Motivation and willingness to work are decisive for us. The company always provides sound training for new staff.”

TVH and the technical secondary schools and colleges from East and West Flanders discussed co-operative efforts that included apprenticeships, company visits for students and teachers, specialised training for teachers, recruitment fairs in schools and the presence of a TVH stand on school open days.

TVH says it is “always open to new co-operation projects”.

Movers & Shakers

BELL GARDENS, CA, United States
Dan Crowley has joined Industrial Forklifts as general manager. Crowley will be focusing on Heli, Mast Explorer and Donkey forklift sales, service and parts opportunities. He has 25 years of experience in sales and management in the materials handling industry.

CARLISLE, PA, United States
Flight Systems Industrial Products (FSIP) has added Pam Jones and Mike Shively to its sales team. The addition of Jones and Shively will see the company continue on its growth path and focus more on the equipment industry.

Search 4176 listings in the MarketplaceSample of used equipment for sale:

Linde	E 12 324	1998	Germany	EUR 4300	Details
BT	CBG 25	2002	Germany	EUR 5950	Details
Kaup	1.5T413G	2000	United Kingdom	GBP 2100	Details
Mitsubishi	FD70	1985	Australia	AUD 20000	Details
Nissan	APH 02 A 20 U	1989	Germany	EUR 3300	Details
Crown	WP2000	2003	France	EUR 1250	Details
Linde	H 25 T-03 351	1998	Germany	EUR 7600	Details
Komatsu	FB15RL-5	-	Australia	AUD 7000	Details
Linde	H25D-03	2000	Netherlands	EUR 11750	Details
Hyster	H 3.20 XML	2001	Germany	EUR 7800	Details
Moffett Mounty	M2403W	1995	Australia	AUD 33000	Details
Toyota	02-6 FD 25	1998	Germany	EUR 7700	Details
Lull	6K37	1998	United States	USD 32500	Details
Yale	GLC040	2000	United States	USD 7000	Details

and thousands more...
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Komatsu increases equipment sales
TOKYO, Japan

Komatsu Ltd’s consolidated net sales for the six months ended September 30, 2007 was JPY1,080 billion (USD9.533 billion), 21.6% higher than the JPY888.5 billion (USD7.843 billion) of the previous corresponding period.

Consolidated net sales of industrial machinery, vehicles and other operations jumped 10.6% to JPY165.6 billion (USD1.462 billion) from 2006’s corresponding period.

The growth, Komatsu says, reflected expanded sales of large presses and higher forklift sales by Komatsu Utility Co Ltd.

Komatsu strengthened its forklift sales and service capabilities in fast-growth markets like Asia and the Middle East, implemented “aggressive sales” of electric forklifts and launched a hybrid battery model in Japan during the six months in review.

Demand for Komatsu’s construction and mining equipment declined in Japan and the Americas but grew substantially in Europe, China, Asia and Oceania. Infrastructure development in the Middle East and resource development in Africa contributed to growth in those areas.

Check out these featured businesses!

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Have a look at these featured businesses:
Australia - Attachments and battery handling equipment
UK - Fork Protection Equipment
USA - manufacturers of cylinders and component parts on 3 continents
Malaysia - Used Forklift Distributor
Australia - Specialists in Fleet Management Systems and solutions for industrial vehicles
Italy - Equipment Manufacturer
USA - Dismantles Forklifts everyday
Taiwan - Forklift Truck Manufacturer
Australia - Australia’s leading independent supplier of replacement forklift spare parts
Netherlands - Forklift Dealer
USA - Indiana Dealership
Taiwan - Forklift Truck Manufacturer
Australia - The largest marketer and distributor of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Australia
Italy - Container Handler Manufacturer
Chile - 70 years a dealer in Chile
Korea - Forklift Truck Manufacturer

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Another fleet under administration
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia

Another Australian forklift fleet operator has been placed in voluntary administration.

Smeaton Forklifts Pty Limited, which trades as Budget Forklifts NSW, is under the administration of Peter Hillig of Smith Hancock.

Details about the circumstances leading to the VA are unclear at the stage, but it’s believed the administrator intends selling the business as a going concern.

Smeaton’s assets are listed as 118 forklifts, its business name and goodwill.

The administrator is seeking expressions of interest from would-be buyers, with a deadline of November 13 for offers.

It's not clear whether the New South Wales business is affiliated with the national Budget Forklifts brand, a 30-year industry stalwart which specialises in sales, hire and service of the Yale forklift and materials handling range.

The collapse of the NSW business comes just weeks after administrators took over control of Brisbane-based Independent Forklift Services.

Expression of interest for IFS, which includes IFS (QLD), IFS (NSW) and IFS (NQ), closed last month, and it’s believed Andrew Fielding and David Whyte of PPB (Qld) could announce developments with regards to a sale within days.

IFS, which owes millions of dollars to secured and unsecured creditors, (Forkliftaction.com News #329 ), continues trading and has significant assets, including a large forklift fleet.

Moving freight into the future
ADELAIDE, SA, Australia

The ICHCA Australia Limited (IAL) conference held in Adelaide last month featured a range of speakers sharing their perspectives on how freight is changing and what is driving it to 2020 and beyond.

SA Minister for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure Patrick Conlon summed up the positive developments taking place across Australia by stating that “moving freight efficiently is at the heart of economic success”.

Billions of dollars and hundreds of millions of tonnes of freight are likely to be generated to 2020 and massive investments will be taking place in the five port organisations which presented at the conference, namely Flinders Ports, Ports Corporation of Queensland (PCQ), Port of Darwin, Newcastle Port and Port Kembla.

The common theme through the conference was the confident outlook expressed for growth in mining, wine, seafood and defence.

Investment in the mining industry and the freight logistics challenges faced by BHP Billiton with its massive Olympic Dam project in South Australia are immense.

The expansion potential of Olympic Dam is in the order of 500,000 tonnes per annum of copper and 15,000 tonnes per annum of uranium, requiring a 40 million tonnes per annum open pit mining operation. To support the project, 350 million tonnes per annum of overburden will need to be removed, a new ore processing plant constructed, a new 103 km rail line built, a new Boeing 737-capable 24/7 airport developed, a new desalination plant and 320 km pipeline built and the doubling of Roxby Downs’ population.

The logistics challenge involves transporting about 800 massive haul trucks and other over-dimensional plant and equipment. A range of options is being explored including establishing an unloading facility south of Port Augusta in SA connected to Roxby by a dedicated freight corridor. Heavy lift transport trailers being considered for the operation include one that has 500 wheels and 125 axles – the like of which has not been seen in Australia before.

In the wine industry, exports have topped $3 billion and over 800 million litres per annum and imports have reached 34 million litres. Australian wine exports to China are predicted to grow 24.7 million litres to 36.7 million litres by 2010-11. The conference was told that with “Food Miles” becoming an issue in Europe, we are likely to see more wine exported in bulk and lighter bottles used for bottled wine. This will reduce emissions for the transport task by about 35%.

In seafood, Australia produces over 241,000 tonnes of product annually, valued at over $2 billion. Exports represent $1.6 billion annually and it is expected that there will be major growth internationally in aquaculture to not only overcome the seafood volume reduction but also to grow it. The Yellowtail King Fish aquaculture industry based in South Australia is a good example of this. It expects to increase its production fourfold in the next five years from 2,000 tonnes per annum to over 10,000 tonnes by 2012. On the near horizon is the production of aquaculture-bred tuna. If successful, tuna aquaculture production is likely to be over 10,000 tonnes per annum within 10 years, with first shipments starting in 2012. This is double the annual wild catch quota.

In the area of defence, SA expects to see a doubling of the sector’s contribution to gross state product to $2 billion and an increase in the defence workforce in SA from 16,000 to 28,000. Major projects currently under way in SA include the $8 billion Air Warfare Destroyer Project; $1 billion Coastwatch coastal surveillance project; the AP-3C Orion Alliance; the multi-billion dollar Collins Class Submarine project and the establishment of a 1,200-soldier army battle group involving $650 million in capital facilities at Edinburgh, Adelaide.

Meanwhile, ABB Grain outlined its rapid transformation from an organisation that was once solely focused on barley, to one with significantly diversified operations stretching across the entire supply chain and beyond. It is an excellent case study of integrated logistics.

ABB Grain trades in excess of 6.5 million tonnes annually of various grain commodities both domestically and internationally. It has supplied about 40 countries around the world with up to 20 different grains, seeds and related products.

The operations of ABB Grain also include grain accumulation, malt production and processing and grain cleaning and processing. It also extends to the provision of financial services, fertiliser and agchem sales, wool and livestock activities, as well as research and development support.

ABB Grain’s storage network extends through SA, Victoria and NSW and it has logistics responsibility for land and sea transport of bulk and containerised grains.

Locally, ABB has invested over $110 million in a state of the art storage and bulk handling facility located at the Outer Harbor (SA) and capable of servicing Panamax- and Cape-size vessels. It is fully automated and designed for multiple product handling with a capacity to expand to handle minerals and woodchips. It is due for commissioning in mid-2008.

Other presentations at the conference were on shipping and stevedoring, air cargo, airports, international logistics and land transport – road, rail and inter-modals.

Setting the forklift free
FORSTER TUNCURRY, NSW, Australia

Rotacaster Wheel Limited of Forster Tuncurry, New South Wales has developed a new generation multi-directional wheel that provides an alternative to the traditional caster wheel.

“It rolls rather than swivels,” explains senior account executive Dale Sharp, adding that this has major benefits for occupational health and safety within the warehouse and freight environment as it does not have the typical handling constraints associated with a swivel caster wheel.

Other advantages include: direct sideways (lateral) movement which is great for tight areas; greater directional control including on inclines; improved rotational and load stability; precision positioning capability; strength and durability; corrosion resistance; minimal space requirements; and simple mounting alternatives.

Designed and developed in Australia, the product is manufactured from tough polyketones and polyurethane, using an injection moulding process which produces a monolithic wheel structure with seamless rollers and no pins or joints.

The multi-body configuration of the wheel provides it with enhanced rotational and lateral movement capabilities, which enables it to move substantial loads with ease, leaving a forklift free to continue with other duties.

“In most cases, a rotacaster wheel solution can provide an ideal partner to forklifts by allowing packed pallets to be moved out of the way and work to continue while waiting for a forklift.  It takes the dependency off a forklift for movement, providing efficiency and better deployment of resources by leaving the forklift to continue with the heavy loading or lifting.”

He tells Forkliftaction.com News that purchasers will find the product very competitive with upper quartile casters, especially as it delivers versatility superior to top line swivel casters. “In addition, its fixed mounting combined with its robustness will yield significant savings in maintenance costs.”

Typical applications include dollies, trolleys and carts, hand and platform trucks, conveyor transfer tables, mobile benches and shelving, and mobile stands and gantries.

The company has secured contacts overseas to distribute through resellers and distributors in the USA.

Urgent Expressions of Interest Required – Sale of Budget Forklifts NSW

In regards to the sale of Smeaton Forklifts Pty Limited (Administrator Appointed) T/as Budget Forklifts NSW, Peter Hillig as Administrator of Smeaton Forklifts Pty Limited, is seeking urgent expressions of interest by the closing date, for the sale of the business and assets of the company, including - Fleet of Forklifts (118 units) - Business name - Goodwill (including 1300 number) - Annual t/over to 30 June 2007 $660,000 approx.

For an Information Memorandum, please contact: Mr Wayne Marshall, Email: waynem@smithhancock.com.au

Closing on Tuesday, 13th November 2007 at 5.00pm.

Unique product for forklift industry
KINGS PARK, New South Wales, Australia

Recoila, an Australian hose and cable reel manufacturer, believes its product is unique within the forklift industry and offers an ideal solution for managing forklift recharging cables.

According to national sales and marketing manager Mike O'Shannessy, overheating cables and poor recharges occur when cables are damaged, usually caused by being left lying around.

The Forklift Cable Charging reels are an extension of a large variety of electrical cable and hose reels manufactured locally and exported globally.
The reels are spring rewind making them very easy for an operator to use. They come complete with 5m of twin cable and connection plugs with amperage ratings of 50, 175 and 350 amps.

“Installing a recharge reel will not only increase the life expectancy of the cables and connectors but will make the operation of recharging more efficient and offer a safer, tidier work area,” he tells Forkliftaction.com News.

Report on container stevedoring released
Australia

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission last week issued its ninth annual monitoring report covering revenues, costs and profits of container terminal operations in Australia's major ports for 2006/7.

"In general, the results of the report show an industry that has expanded capacity (and) become more efficient and productive", says ACCC chairman, Graeme Samuel.

"However, these results also show that Australian stevedoring continues to report returns on assets which can only persist where price competition can be largely avoided. This underlines the ongoing importance of competition as a factor for port managers and state governments to consider as they plan for the expected increase in container volumes over the next decade."

The report also notes some progress in improving the efficiency with which containers are moved between the terminals, trucks and trains.

It shows that at Australia's largest container terminals, average revenues and costs for stevedoring activities fell, while productivity levels improved. This contrasts with a trend over recent years of rising unit revenues and costs and falling productivity. Stevedoring margins continued to increase in 2006/7 to record high levels as the fall in unit costs was proportionately greater than the fall in unit revenues.

Record employment levels
Australia

Jobs growth has hit record levels, new figures show.

The Olivier Internet Job Index, which records the number of jobs advertised online, grew by 4.31% in October for a growth of 50.07% for the 12 months to October 31.

Overall demand was driven by engineering and mining jobs, which increased by 11.65% in the month.

The strong Australian dollar did not deter jobs growth in the hospitality and tourism sector - which was up 6.49% in October.

Advertisements for builders and construction workers increased by 1.87% in the month.

The multimedia, internet and graphics sector rose by 5.04% in October and ads for IT and telecommunications jobs rose by 2.29%.

Queensland recorded the biggest growth of new job ads nationally - up by 6,000 - powered by trades and services.

Dealers wanted – Microlift is looking for dealers world wide.

Microlift Co. Limited, a leading manufacturer of high-quality forging forks and rolled bar forks, is looking to expand it's dealer network.

Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures.

The Safety Show and Sydney Materials Handling continue to grow

The Safety Show Sydney and Sydney Materials Handling confirmed their status as NSW's largest workplace safety event, when they drew 10,276 visits over their three days in October – more than a 10 per cent increase on 2006 attendances.

Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures.

Aisle-Master’s New Website

Aisle-Master Ltd, the Irish specialist manufacturer of the Aisle-Master articulated forklifts has launched a newly redesigned website, so for a fresh look at the products and advantages of the company’s range of versatile electric and LPG forklifts visit www.aisle-master.com


Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures.

Equus Gauges from SMH

Equus gauges are now available from Systems Material Handling (SMH), Olathe, Kansas. Equus uses superior components in all of their gauges. Their mechanical gauges use solid brass bourdon tube meter movement and their electric gauges feature electric air core meter movement to ensure durability and accuracy. These high quality durable gages are made to last.

Click here for more information on this product, including pictures.

Hytsu’s release new products to meet the world market

Hytsu Group is a professional manufacture in material handling equipment field. Both at home and abroad, HYTSU's products have been well recognized by our clients. With certificates of CCC, CE and UL our products have been exported to more than 70 countries and regions globally and the brand HYTSU and T&U has also been proved to be one of the most valuable names in material handling industry. HYTSU is proud to announce the release of four new products.

Click here for more information on this product, including pictures.

OSHA issues new combustible dust instruction
WASHINGTON, DC, United States

The US Department of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a new safety and health instruction detailing its policies and procedures for inspecting workplaces handling combustible dusts.

Click here for the full Fork Talk feature, including pictures.

Dave Hoover: Do your thing and don’t sweat the rest
NEWARK, OH, United States

Too much debate can lead to analysis paralysis. So make an informed decision and roll with it.

Click here for the full Safety First feature, including pictures.

Komatsu Forklift Europe
LAINATE, Italy

Komatsu Forklift Europe was set up within the Japan-based Komatsu Group to produce forklift trucks that met European directives. The main head office is in Lainate, near Milan, and is structured around sales, marketing and after-sales services.

Click here for the full Industry Profile feature, including pictures.

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