Goldman Sachs and the private US equity firm KKR announced recently that a joint holding company they own is selling its 10.8 percent share in KION, the world’s second largest manufacturer of forklifts after Toyota. The announcement comes on the heels of the 2012 purchase of a 25% stake in KION by Weichai Power, an … Read more
Brian Butler, president of Linde Material Handling North America, was recently installed as chairman of the board of the Washington, D.C., based Industrial Truck Association, a forklift and materials handling industry group. Butler’s term as CEO will last two years. He also is one of the trade group’s six executive committee members.
Forklifts and other materials handling vehicles are enormously powerful machines that can weigh upwards of several tons. As a result, they have the potential to be one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment in any warehouse, manufacturing facility or industrial setting. According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there are approximately 35,000 forklift … Read more
BMW, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, has recently partnered with a New Jersey company to improve the safety, efficiency and security of its UK forklift fleet through the use of keycards. The keycards are used to restrict access to forklifts and other industrial vehicles to trained, authorized users. They are part … Read more
Safe operations is everybody’s business. Not only does it create a healthier and more productive work environment, but it also can result in fewer accidents, employee injuries, and workmen’s compensation claims. That means higher profits, which is the aim of every business. Business seeking to make their warehouses and manufacturing facilities safer need look no further … Read more
Cascade Corporation — a manufacturer of forklift accessories based in Portland, Oregon — was recently awarded the “WINovation” award from the Wine Industry Network for their innovative wine barrel handler forklift attachment. The wine barrel handler simplifies the barrel handling process and makes it easier for wine companies to move their products. It can handle … Read more
A Chicago-area battery manufacturer has launched a program aimed at convincing forklift fleet owners to convert all of their vehicles to electrical power. EnerSys –which is based in Romeoville, Illinois, just southwest of Chicago — said it will launch the first phase of its new “Convert to Electric” program starting in the Chicago area then … Read more
A British trucking company has been fined $146,700 after a 59-year-old British worker had his leg crushed beneath a six-foot-wide fish tank that had accidentally slipped off the forklift that was transporting it to one of the company’s directors’ offices. The incident occurred June 1, 2010, at Alloy Bodies Ltd., in Manchester, but the fine … Read more
KION, Europe’s leading manufacturer of forklifts and other materials handling vehicles, is now focusing on an even larger marketplace: China. Company CEO Gordon Riske said that although the German company has been present in Asia for nearly two decades, it is now poised to aggressively pursue the materials handling market in China, the world’s second … Read more
Volvo Construction Equipment, a division of the Swedish automobile manufacturer, has announced that it is purchasing the truck division of US heavy equipment manufacturer Terex for $160 million. Terex — based in Westport, Connecticut — will include its Motherwell, Scotland, plant and its off-highway grid articulated product range and articulated haul trucks line as part … Read more
