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Dear reader, WELCOME TO FORKLIFTACTION.COM, MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE. This is issue #358 - 01 May 2008 of the weekly newsletter for industry professionals. |
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 “Linde brings fast-fill technology to US” |
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Dealers fight for ‘free trade’  IRVING, TX, United States A leading US heavy equipment vendor is calling for industry backing in a battle against the giant Caterpillar Inc. corporation. Texas-based Hoss Equipment Company, a leading independent global dealer of new and used heavy construction and mining equipment, is waging a campaign asserting that Cat is “subverting the US government into unwittingly restraining free trade”. And Hoss is not on its own. The Washington office of national law firm Bryan Cave LLP is handling a legal defence for Hoss Equipment, together with Alex Lyon Auctioneers, Yoder and Frey Auctioneers, World Tractor and Equipment and Worldwide Machinery. According to Hoss president Gregg Hoss, the dispute centres on an action brought by Caterpillar in 2006 seeking to stamp out parallel importation of its products. The Independent Equipment Distributors Association (IEDA), a trade association dedicated to issues affecting independent equipment dealers, has been closely monitoring the action. It notes that Caterpillar Inc. filed a complaint under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 with the US International Trade Commission in Washington DC, seeking to halt all future imports of used “grey market” Caterpillar hydraulic excavators that are not imported by Caterpillar itself. The terms “grey market” or “parallel import” refer to the practice of importing items from a source other than their distributor in the local market. The complaint also seeks to prevent the respondents from future sales of used Caterpillar excavators that have already been imported into the US. The request for a ban stated that the used excavators imported by the likes of Hoss were “materially different than US-built units and cause confusion and pose safety issues to the consumer”, even though Hoss points out that they have EPA-certified engines. The used equipment dealers reject the safety argument, asserting that the ban is soley intended to control the distribution chain for Caterpillar’s products, and they believe the action will spread to eventually cover all “all foreign-built Caterpillar products”. This argument is supported by Hoss’ claim that Caterpillar, through Caterpillar Remarketing Services and its authorised dealers, has been the largest single importer of these units. “It seems now that they want the whole pie, not just the lion's share,” Hoss says in a letter to the industry, seeking financial backing for the court case. To date, he claims to have spent in excess of USD2.5 million in legal expenses to fight this matter, and estimates that the challenge could cost another USD2 million. Initially, a far larger group of dealers was targeted. However, 13 have settled with Caterpillar, while three others have “failed to properly participate in the proceedings”. The hearing has been beset by delays, the first of which was triggered by the resignation of the assigned judge just six days before the trial was scheduled to begin. There have also been evidentiary hearings and Luis Mocete, a spokesman for law firm Bryan Cave, expects the matter to finally go to court on June 9. The vendors are still trying to get their hands on vital correspondence between Caterpillar and its lawyers, and while Mocete claims the courts have ordered the giant to hand over documents, “Caterpillar still refuses to hand it over”. “So, we have filed another complaint with the judge who should be ruling shortly,” he says, adding that details of the complaint are confidential and can’t be discussed. Caterpillar was approached for comment for this story, but has not responded. Forkliftaction.com News has gained some insight into the issues surrounding the case by speaking with an equipment exporter in Japan. He blames the dispute on Caterpillar’s international pricing policy, under which different retail and wholesale prices are applied in different markets for the same products. “You cannot have a standard 30 tonne Cat 330DL excavator with a list price in Japan for around JPY22 million (USD210,000) and basically a very similar machine in the US listed for around USD350,000,” he says. The exporter, who asked to remain anonymous, notes corresponding discrepancies in prices for used equipment which have prompted Caterpillar to attempt to regulate exports out of Japan. “Caterpillar Remarketing Services almost certainly would be the largest single importer of Japanese-built Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Products,” he explains. “There is a directive in Japan that any used Caterpillar seeking a boat ride and owned by Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi or its dealer network must be offered first to Caterpillar Remarketing Services.” The exporter claims that after the product has been held in stock for six months, it is then able to be exported outside of the Caterpillar system. “I know quite a number of independent Japanese dealers who are furious that they cannot get their hands on some of this stock,” he adds. Equipment dealers fear a court decision in favour of Caterpillar may encourage the manufacturer to ban imports of all its products, and encourage other manufacturers to clamp down on grey imports. The peak industry association for the sector in the United States, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) vocally supports free trade. The Association will not comment on individual cases, but Washington spokesman Nick Yaksich tells Forkliftaction.com News “trade is not meaningful unless it's free and fair”. “AEM member companies are very much aware of the effects of liberalised trade and open markets and are responding through an aggressive trade strategy which includes new products and thinking globally,” he adds. The IEDA has set up a fund to collect donations to help Hoss Equipment and the other respondents defray the mounting legal costs. More information can be found on the group’s website, www.iedagroup.com.  Doosan scores Port of Singapore mega-order SEOUL, Korea, South Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has been awarded a USD120 million contract by the Port of Singapore for the supply of 79 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes. Doosan says it beat “world renowned” companies in an international bidding competition to supply container cranes to the Pasir Panjar Terminal Phase 2, commissioned by PSA Corp Ltd (PSA). The RTGs can bear loads up to 40 tons and, according to Doosan, are safer than their competitors because they are equipped with 16 wheels for enhanced stability. Yong-Gyun Chung, vice president and head of Doosan’s materials handling equipment business unit, says the competition for Port of Singapore contracts is “accordingly fierce”. “The Port of Singapore boasts the highest cargo volume in the world. That’s why there is such a high demand for port cranes,” Chung explains. He adds that fuel efficiency and the RTGs’ green credentials helped seal the deal. With the first order of 45 RTGs in 1993, Doosan set a record by supplying all the RTGs operating at the Pasir Panjang Terminal, installing 42 units in 2004, 80 units in 2005 and 79 units in 2006. The latest order will be delivered in December 2009. As PSA expands the port to cope with increased shipping volume flowing from South East Asia and China’s economic boom, Doosan expects to win more crane orders from the port operator. Doosan has been manufacturing RTGs since the late 1970s and a spokeswoman identifies Chinese, Japanese and European manufacturers as its competitors.  Omni acquisition expands rental fleet CARENCRO, LA, United States Omni Energy Services Corp has acquired all of Industrial Lift Truck & Equipment Co Ltd (ILT)’s outstanding common stock for USD16.25 million in cash and USD4.0 million in promissory notes. The promissory notes will accrue 5% per annum interest and mature at various dates over three years. ILT was required to have at least USD1.5 million of excess working capital. Omni chief operating officer Brian Recatto says the acquisition enables the company to add complementary rental items to its land-based portfolio. He explains that ILT has a 34-year history of “outstanding customer service” supporting the oil and gas industry. “We believe the incorporation of ILT’s impressive fleet of specialised rental equipment affords us a number of organic growth opportunities without the need for additional infrastructure costs,” Recatto says. He adds that with locations in many prolific oil and gas regions, the combined company can offer ILT’s rental services to its expanding national client base. Ronald Mogel, Omni’s chief financial officer, says the acquisition is expected to be “immediately accretive to earnings” and will boost the company’s revenue, earnings and market position. ILT general manager Jim Ortego will continue in his role. ILT, headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, employs about 30 people and operates from an additional rental and service facility in Lincoln, Texas. For the year ended 31 December 2007, ILT’s revenues were about USD13.8 million. Omni, headquartered in Carencro, Louisiana, has environmental, equipment leasing, transportation and other services divisions that support the oil and gas companies operating in south Louisiana, east Texas, the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico. Impact buys Apollo in multi-million pound deal NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom Impact Handling has bought Apollo Plant, the Nissan forklift dealer for the East Midlands and East Anglia, in a “multi-million deal”. The acquisition marks a further investment in the UK by Impact’s South-African based multi-national parent, the Imperial Group. Its UK interests include automotive and specialist parts distribution and inventory management. Impact managing director Terry Kendrew takes on the additional role of managing director of Apollo, replacing Bob Haunch. Haunch and the other directors, Ian Merry and Melvyn Neale, remain until mid-May to ensure a smooth transition. Kendrew says the acquisition is ideal for Impact as a group. “Both Impact and Apollo have a very similar business model, with regional sales and localised service. As a group, the move gives Impact far greater scale and we are delighted to have achieved the major benefit of the Nissan Forklift franchise.” Apollo’s centres in Boston, Market Harborough and Norwich will remain, while the Nottingham branches will be integrated into Impact’s headquarters at Long Eaton to become a Nissan forklift dealership. The Apollo name and the company’s management and structure will remain. “There is tremendous value in the Apollo name and its long association with the Nissan Forklift brand,” Kendrew says. Customers can expect improved service through an increased work team and a highly-developed information management system. The enlarged sales team is anticipated to increase Impact Handling’s market share. “We are particularly excited by the new relationship with Nissan Forklift. At a time when so many names and businesses in the materials handling industry are consolidating, the move is a massive vote of confidence in us by our parent and by Nissan,” Kendrew adds. Impact Handling also represents Kalmar, Combilift, Lancer and Toyota forklifts. The Apollo business is expected to increase the company’s annual turnover to around GBP50 million (USD98.7 million). The Imperial Group has interests ranging from car and car hire dealerships, commercial vehicles, leasing of transport ranging from aircraft to barges, and new ventures in quarrying and mining. It operates in 32 countries with 40,000 employees and has GBP3.8 billion (USD7.5 billion) of assets.  Konecranes expands in Spain and Ukraine HYVINKÄÄ, Finland Konecranes acquired a Spanish crane and service company and a Ukrainian service company this month. The acquisition values for both companies were undisclosed. Spanish company Ausió Sistemas de Elevación SL (Ausió) specialises in manufacturing, sales and service of industrial cranes and hoists. The company employs 100 people and had net sales of EUR17 million (USD26.5 million) last financial year. Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Vic, north west of Barcelona. The company produces about 600 cranes a year. Sales and service are handled through its service outlets and sales network. Pekka Päkillä, Konecranes’ standard lifting president, says Ausió and another recently acquired company, Eydimen 2000 SL, give the group good access to Catalonia and the Basque region, Spain’s important crane markets. “Following this acquisition, Konecranes will be able to market its entire product portfolio in Spain,” Päkillä says, adding that the acquisition complements the group’s marketing network. Ukrainian service company Craneservice Ukraine, headquartered in Odessa, has 140 employees and annual sales of over EUR5 million (USD7.8 million). It operates in the major ports of Ukraine like Mariupol, Iljichevsk and Odessa, servicing and modernising all crane brands in the region. The company has a skill set both in mechanics and electronics, and has also entered the market of maintaining Electrical Overhead Travelling (EOT) cranes. The acquired unit will strengthen Konecranes' position in Ukraine, especially in port crane maintenance, says Seppo Hoppu, Konecranes’ director, East Europe. Craneservice will also serve as a base for skilled technicians and form a support unit for Konecranes' activities in Russian-speaking areas. Linde brings fast-fill technology to USA MURRAY HILL, NJ, United States Gases and engineering company Linde is bringing technology to North America that will make it faster and easier to fill up vehicles with hydrogen. Mike McGowan, Linde North America’s head of hydrogen solutions, says Linde’s 700-bar fast-fill technology, developed for European hydrogen refuelling stations, is industry-leading. “The technology enables us to completely fill cars in as little as three minutes,” McGowan says. “Expanding our vehicle refuelling capabilities in North America gives customers greater access to our strong hydrogen supply network and world-class engineering expertise.” Linde sold its forklift business to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners in 2006 to focus on its gases and engineering business (Forkliftaction.com News #285). It has equipped over 70 hydrogen refuelling stations in 15 countries and amounts supplied range from a few hundred cubic feet of compressed hydrogen in cylinders to thousands of tons of liquid and gaseous hydrogen delivered by pipeline or tanker truck. “Linde has partnered with a variety of manufacturers, including automotive, forklift and battery makers on multiple projects. This experience combined with our global size and scale enables us to execute projects safely and successfully,” McGowan says. Experts from Linde North America and Linde Gas GmbH in Vienna presented at the National Hydrogen Association’s 19th annual conference held from 30 March to 3 April in Sacramento, California and the Compressed Gas Association’s annual hydrogen seminar that was part of the conference. Linde employs around 50,000 people in 100 countries and achieved sales of EUR12.3 billion (USD19.2 billion) in the 2007 financial year. It divested its forklift business shortly after taking over British gas group BOC plc.  Raymond and Ballard to research fuel cell GREENE, NY, United States and VANCOUVER, Canada Raymond Corp has signed a joint development agreement with Ballard Power Systems to develop a forklift prototype powered by the next generation of Ballard’s Mark9 SSL fuel cell product. James Malvaso, Raymond’s president and CEO, says the company is committed to demonstrating the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell technology to the materials handling industry. “This partnership will further enhance our research into fuel cell-powered forklifts and help uncover additional value related to the merging of these technologies.” John Sheridan, Ballard president and CEO, says the success of the partnership could mean an important first step towards purpose-built fuel cell forklifts. Steve Medwin, Raymond’s manager of advanced research, says Ballard’s role in the latest research program entails providing expertise in fuel cell stacks and fuel cell systems, and application knowledge. Raymond started a three-year research program on hydrogen fuel cells in January 2007, using its Greene manufacturing site as a “living lab” (Forkliftaction.com News #294). The research includes using hydrogen fuel cell-powered Raymond forklifts in real applications including an indoor, fast-fill hydrogen refuelling system. Fuel cell products were provided by Nuvera and Plug Power and Hydrogenics. Fuel cell solutions have longer runtime and consistent power compared to batteries. They also produce no emissions and remove the need to handle and dispose of lead acid batteries. “At Raymond, we are beginning to research integrated fuel-cell powered forklifts with the goal of developing a prototype. As we progress in this project over the coming year, we will have a better idea of the commercial timing,” Medwin says Antalis chooses Atlet forklifts MOLNLYCKE, Sweden European paper supplier Antalis reviewed its forklift operations at the end of 2006 and introduced a competitive element to its forklift supply process by choosing two forklift suppliers for its UK sites. One of the suppliers is Swedish warehouse equipment specialist Atlet AB that was recently acquired by Nissan Motor Co Ltd (Forkliftaction.com News #326). Robert Potter, Antalis’s central distribution and service manager, says among the suppliers, Atlet offered the “best fit” and suitable product and service at a good price. In 2007 Atlet supplied 35 trucks for Antalis’s central distribution centre at Interlink, almost half the total number currently on site. The fleet comprised low- and mid-level order pickers, powered pallet transporters and a customised battery changeover solution. An additional 36 trucks were supplied to other UK sites. Most of the forklifts have been supplied on a seven-year lease but Atlet has allowed Antalis to change heavily used trucks like powered pallet transformers more frequently. Several items are supplied on secondary leases to provide additional temporary capacity and to allow procurement to be made according to business needs. “Atlet provides value for money,” says Potter. “They have been attentive to our needs on delivery schedules and supplied trucks at the precise times we stipulated.” Potter adds that Antalis is happy with the routine and scheduled maintenance tasks performed by Atlet and has not received any negative feedback from any of its sites. When a piece of equipment is scheduled for renewal, Antalis approaches both potential suppliers asking for suggestions. When the forklifts in Scotland needed replacing, Antalis assumed both suppliers would propose a like-for-like switch for the low-level order pickers and pedestrian pallet transporters. Atlet suggested powered pallet transporters to cover the entire operation to provide uniformity in terms of operations and service and hence lower overall costs. “Atlet has been very creative in tailoring the fleet to our needs and challenging the existing solution,” Potter says. “In Scotland, Atlet was prepared to do itself out of some potential business by suggesting the solution that was best for us,” he explains. Antalis is a leading European supplier of communications material including print and office paper, visual communication, packaging & promotional products. The company has 19 sites in the UK including its 250,000 square foot (23,226m²) head office and central distribution centre at Interlink, Coalville, and facilities in Leeds, Livingston and Dartford.  Toyota dealer celebrates renovations with green party NEW BERLIN, WI, United States Over 100 visitors attended Badger ToyotaLift’s celebration of the completion of renovations to its New Berlin, Wisconsin facility with an open house event on Earth Day. Mark Stoughton, the dealership’s marketing director, says the facility “badly needed” extra space for continued growth and efficient operations. “[We also wanted] to give a new look to the facility that incorporated our new name and logo,” he explains. Badger ToyotaLift was formerly Badger Material Handling. The 32,000 sqft facility houses Badger ToyotaLift’s sales and administrative departments and parts and service departments. It is also a warehouse storing used equipment and rental fleets. The back of the building was expanded for added storage space. The technicians’ locker room was moved upstairs to free up space for the service department, while the conference room was expanded. Celebration attendees enjoyed a buffet with an Earth Day theme. The food and beverages were served with plates made from biodegradable sugar cane, cups and forks made from compostable corn starch and napkins from recycled materials. Movers & Shakers McCONNELLSBURG, PA, United States JLG Industries Inc has promoted Rick Alton to the position of vice president and general manager of JLG’s Caterpillar Alliance Group (CAG). Alton started in JLG in 1996 as a product specialist. Since then, he has held a variety of positions including regional sales manager and global sales and product support vice president for the CAG. SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom Bac2 has appointed Dr Ashok Vaidya as a non-executive director. Vaidya is a chartered physicist with a PhD in superconductivity and has an MBA from Henley Management College. He has held executive positions with EMI Central Research Laboratories and Thorn EMI New Business Ventures. OLATHE, KS, United States Systems Material Handling Co has promoted Jerod Newcomb to new product development manager. He will be responsible for the R&D department in the Olathe and Grayslake facilities. Newcomb started at SMH in 1999 in the warehouse department and was most recently product manager. Briefs Crown customers can do it online NEW BREMEN, OH, United States Crown Equipment Corp could be the first forklift manufacturer to offer online sales. Customers interested in buying a hand pallet truck, Crown’s PTH 50 Series, can now complete the transaction online at the company’s website. “More and more customers are seeking the convenience, speed and ease of online shopping for business transactions,” says Matt Logan, Crown’s director of marketing. Iberlift represents Teletruk ROCESTER, United Kingdom JCB has appointed Spanish forklift dealer Iberlift SA to distribute the JCB Teletruk range of telescopic counterbalanced internal combustion forklifts. Iberlift is part of the Alfaland Group. It has 200 mobile service personnel and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The dealer will exhibit Teletruk at the Sil exhibition in Barcelona from 3-6 June. Doosan sponsors Joe Gibbs SEOUL, South Korea Doosan Infracore is stepping up its sports marketing in the US by sponsoring the Joe Gibbs Racing Team. Doosan Infracore America president Lee Hwa-seok says supporting a “first-rate” team for a sport loved by the Americans will contribute to the enhancement of Doosan’s corporate image. The team entered the NASCAR Nextel Cup Nationwide Series Mexico 200 race in Mexico on 20 April, using the No. 20 Toyota Camry with Doosan Infracore’s logo. It won by a margin of 0.79 seconds. Special forklift pulls Tara’s strings SHANGHAI, China A forklift was used to manipulate an eight-metre marionette that was shipped from South Korea to China to promote a textile and apparel show. “Tara” was equipped with joints in her legs and arms and a pair of movable eyeballs. Shanghai Daily reported it took 10 people pulling ropes and a “10-metre high forklift” to make her walk. She performed at the ShanghaiMart for three days. Click here to see Tara and the special forklift.
 Selling used equipment in Asia? List all your forklifts for US$40 a month! Forkliftaction.com is announcing a massive sale on used equipment classifieds in our busy Marketplace. Dealer packages are now available for US$40 per month* for unlimited listings. This price includes:
* New customers only, conditions apply. Offer expires 30 June 2008.  Selling used equipment in Europe? List all your forklifts for 50 Euro per month! Forkliftaction.com has an amazing offer to attract new used equipment dealers to the busy Marketplace. Advertise all of your used machines with us for 3 months for only 50 Euro per month. This price includes:
For more information please contact Stephen or Rodger on +61 7 3369 9090 or info@forkliftaction.com. Selling used equipment in the United Kingdom? List all your forklifts for 33 GBP per month! Forkliftaction.com has an amazing offer to attract new used equipment dealers to the busy Marketplace. Advertise all of your used machines with us for 3 months for only 33 GBP per month. This price includes:
For more information please contact Stephen on +61 7 3369 9090 or info@forkliftaction.com. Used equipment in demand overseas: export while the dollar’s down. Would you like to sell more used forklifts, warehouse forklifts, telehandlers and container handlers? Due to strong performance by overseas economies, and a weak US dollar, we are seeing a huge increase in demand for used equipment from the USA. Forkliftaction.com’s Marketplace is used by dealers and buyers in markets worldwide, and demand is there now. Let us put the tools in place to get you into the export market this week. Click here if you want to reach export markets. Click here if you want to reach US domestic markets. Or write to info@forkliftaction.com, phone +61 7 3369 9090 or fax +61 7 3369 9096 Forklifts find fruit faster WELLINGTON, New Zealand Australian RFID innovator Peacock Bros. has just completed its first full installation at a fruit distribution warehouse in New Zealand, resulting in a vastly improved turn-around of product for the distributor which handles over a million pallets of fruit a year. The project involves the use of RFID-equipped forklifts to pinpoint the tracking of pallets, in combination with the indoor positioning system developed by US warehouse asset tracking provider Sky-Trax. The combination of the two technologies has resulted in a system that not only tracks the position of forklifts used in the warehouse, thereby keeping track of the productivity of each driver, but also ensures exact location of the inventory as well. “You can leave a RFID pallet of stock in the middle of the floor and it will display the pallet’s exact location. Pallets can be stored up to six pallets high and 20 pallets deep with complete visibility. Missing stock becomes a thing of the past as accurate stock rotation is no longer a problem,” explains marketing co-ordinator Craig McKenzie. He tells Forkliftaction.com News that through the use of RFID tags on the pallets and installation of readers on the forklifts, the huge costs involved in equipping a warehouse with RFID readers were avoided. Using a patented optical image reader called Sky-I mounted on the top of the vehicle and pointed upwards, this tracking solution can determine the position, speed and direction of the forklift by references to roof-suspended Sky-Markers. The Sky-I optical reader communicates with a vehicle-mounted mobile computer such as an Intermec CV30 or Motorola VC5090 connected to any WIFI wireless network. The solution developed for the 26 forklifts used in the warehouse is completely wireless and has full RFID functionality. The backrest of every forklift is self-powered and connected to the mobile computer via Bluetooth. A location, direction and speed tracking Sky-I connects directly into the mobile computer without additional power supplies and antennae. Peacock Bros. developed these upgrades which have increased the efficiency and reliability of the vehicle tracking system and also perform additional inventory tracking functions due to the RFID component including position tracking of RFID-tagged pallets. Sky-Trax is completely independent with no ongoing access costs and can be fitted in dark, cold, hot or even exposed warehouses without any interference in operational accuracy. It can manage a single vehicle or an entire indoor fleet. Included OPSman software tracks the movements of all indoor vehicles and generates reports on operational efficiency, downtime, heavy traffic areas and hazard zones. An additional “breadcrumb” feature highlights the areas of the warehouse that receive the most traffic so that work areas can be adjusted for maximum efficiency. Constant real-time monitoring without errors ensures that the operation can track and trace vehicles and stock at any time and control operations as the events occur. New telehandler range for rough terrain DANDENONG, Victoria, Australia Haulotte Group Australia has added a new telehandler range to its suite of access equipment. The new Haulotte Top Lift (HTL) range of telehandlers incorporates features such as compactness; low levels of environmental pollution; operator comfort and safety; reliability; and ease of use and transportation. With lifting capacities of up to 4 tonnes and lifting heights as high as 17 metres, the telehandlers are designed and built to make driving them as simple as possible. The range boasts hydrostatic transmission, power-assisted steering and a manoeuvrable joystick. The load sensing-flow sharing hydraulic system guarantees flexibility and power in all movements. The inching slow approach pedal allows for smooth, precise manoeuvres and flexible braking. The handlers claim excellent stability, regardless of the terrain surface. This lateral stability is the combined result of the automatic locking of the rear deck rotation, the progressive movement deceleration system for limiting rearward travel, and the lateral tilt corrector. The two forward stabilizers reinforce this stability in all working configurations. Their independent operation allows them to rapidly adapt to all types of ground at any time. As a result, blocking is possible up to a mast angle of 20°. Thanks to its high ground clearance, the telehandler can traverse the roughest terrain. Top sales performers honoured SYDNEY, New South Wales, Australia Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) hosted an awards function earlier this month for its top sales performers. Over 30 winners received awards in various categories, with each winner receiving a cheque and a commemorative watch and plaque. Overall winner, Paul Allen from Toyota Material Handling’s Queensland branch, took the Top Gun Award for excellence in sales. TMHA had a record sales year in 2007 with over 6,000 units of material handling equipment sold including its forklift, skid steer loader and tow tractor ranges. The company also secured the world number two ranking for total retail sales across the entire TMH Group globally (excluding Japan). Selling used equipment in Australia? List all your forklifts for $240! Forkliftaction.com is announcing a massive sale on used equipment classifieds in our busy Marketplace. Dealer packages are now available for $240 inc. GST* for unlimited listings. This price includes:
* New customers only, conditions apply. Offer expires 30 June 2008. Another forklift fatality Kwinana, Western Australia, Australia WorkSafe WA is investigating the work-related death of a 19-year-old forklift operator at Kwinana last week. The man is believed to have been operating a forklift at a fertilizer plant when he became caught in the forklift’s mechanism. There have been four deaths involving forklifts in WA over the past 10 years (14 over the past 20 years). Ahead of this week’s Safety in Action Conference taking place in Melbourne, Associate Professor John Pead of the Australian Centre for Post-traumatic Mental Health has cautioned that counselling after workplace tragedy could do more harm than good. He recommends that employers should consider alternatives to routine counselling following a workplace death or near miss. "The traditional debriefing following traumatic events is ineffective and possibly harmful," says Pead. "It has the potential of creating sick role expectations that only add to the likelihood that someone will develop a psychiatric condition. After a traumatic event, up to 80% of people will recover on their own with the support of their family and workplace. Pead says the new Australian Guidelines for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder recommend a staged approach to mental health treatment. "If they're not getting a lot better within three to four weeks of the trauma, that's the time to consider therapy and the best-placed people to make that judgement are family members and peers, not external professionals. Workplace supervisors need to be trained in 'mental health first aid' so that they know what mental health looks like and can be more confident about looking after the person who's been affected. "It is possible to identify people who will not readily recover from the mental health consequences of injuries less than six weeks after the incident and there should be early screening by health professionals like GPs and claims staff." Pead says that, even then, family and workplace supervisors should be proactive about the choice of counselling. "There's a tendency for employers to think that once someone's in the hands of a psychologist, their role in looking after that person is over," he says. "The reality is that, firstly, ongoing workplace support is essential and, second, too few health practitioners offer effective mental health interventions." "Unlike routine supportive counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy, and some pharmacotherapies have proven effectiveness in treating post-traumatic mental health problems. A drift towards mediocrity for mental health care is a particular risk when the consumer lacks knowledge and often does not pay for the service. We need to inform insurers and mandate evidence-based practices." VBS improves turnaround at port AUCKLAND, New Zealand Ports of Auckland’s Vehicle Booking System (VBS) continues to deliver efficiency gains, with the week of 31 March to 6 April culminating in the best-ever average turn-around time since the system was introduced - just 20 minutes. During the month of March, more than 14,200 trucks and 20,500 containers were processed via VBS. The average turn-around time was 22 minutes 13 seconds, a massive improvement when compared to the March 2007 average of 42 minutes. Work to introduce the system at the Axis Bledisloe terminal road office is now under way.  Send this newsletter to an associate
SAMCY FORKLIFT will be attending CeMAT Having just celebrated its 50th anniversary, SAMCY FORKLIFT will be attending CeMAT Hannover, Germany from 27th – 31st May 2008. We will be located at Hall 12, Stand G30. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. Systems Material Handling Promotes Jerod Newcomb to New Product Development Manager Systems Material Handling Co. (SMH), a world-leading manufacturer and distributor of quality replacement parts and accessories for the material handling industry, recently promoted Jerod Newcomb to New Product Development Manager. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. Join Forkliftaction.com at CeMAT - Hall 25, stand no. C26 Forkliftaction.com will return to CeMAT with a stand in Hall 25. We’re keen to meet up with members and advertisers, and anyone planning to attend this international event from 27 – 31 May in Hannover, Germany is welcome to drop in at our stand no. C26. Click here for the full text of this release, including pictures. 
Protect your largest warehouse investment, the Racking! Click here for more information on this product, including pictures. Hu-Lift releases new products Click here for more information on this product, including pictures. KEYTROLLER, LLC. introduces new VANGUARD (World’s most accurate hydraulic forklift scale) Click here for more information on this product, including pictures. 
FLTA website gets a facelift ALTON, United Kingdom The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) has revamped its website, making it easier for users to navigate and to search for useful information. Click here for the full Fork Talk feature. 
Joseph Hrinik: Operating a forklift while using a cell phone Waters, MI, United States Joseph Hrinik lives in Michigan (USA) where he retired after 40 years of diversified occupational health and safety experience in both the private and public sectors. He is currently researching regional and national forklift safety legislation and forklift training programs. Click here for the full Safety First feature, including pictures.
Keith Bailey, Maybury Material Handling EAST LONGMEADOW, MA, United States Click here for the full Industry Profile feature, including pictures.  |
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