2009 sees worst-ever decline in the West European trailer market

The last severe downturn in the trailer market was in 1993 - this one will be worse. In 92/93 the demand for trailers fell by 31% or 37,000 trailers. In 2008/9 the fall will be 37% or 77,000 trailers.

Back in 1993 the peak demand for trailers before the downturn was 120,000 units. This time the market reached 208,000 in 2007 and is forecast to fall to 131,000 in 2009. This is serious enough for the trailer manufacturers, the leading three of which are the German firms of Schmitz, Krone and Kögel, but it is also horrendous for the more familiar names of the component manufacturers that supply them.

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New plus points when weighing with RDS

RDS Technology recently gave the new Liftlog 100+ its industry launch at the SHD South West Regional Show. The Liftlog 100+ is the latest addition to the successful line up of cost-effective, affordable and easy-to-use onboard weighing systems for forklift trucks.

Following in the footsteps of the popular Liftalert and Liftlog 100, the Liftlog 100+ expands on the functionality of the range by 20, offering a load-totalising feature in addition to the weighing and overload 20 monitoring functions. This makes the Liftlog 100+ ideal for use in vehicle loading or unloading applications 20 where multiple pallets are to be check weighed or where weight limits are to be respected. Negating the need to travel to a floor-mounted platform scale often sited in a remote part of the warehouse, the Liftlog 100+ provides a time efficient means of check weighing.

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UKWA’s new look

The United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) chose the occasion of its annual Awards to reveal a new brand identity.

Roger Williams, the Association’s chief executive officer, comments, “We believe our new logo is modern, fresh and inspired. The logo is a symbol for our organisation and because UKWA is changing we felt that we needed a different symbol.”

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New Flexiprobe deflection Switch by Trolex has no limits

Trolex has just launched a brand new version of its proven Flexiprobe multi-purpose limit switch which has extensive applications in the materials handling and process engineering industries.

With its tough heavy-duty specification, the new Flexiprobe has been carefully value-engineered and at around £150 is about half the market price of similar devices currently available, and hence is likely to be in great demand.

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Usdaw turns up the heat

Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is turning up the heat on the debate on workplace temperatures. The Union is campaigning for a maximum temperature to be enshrined in law, to protect thousands of Usdaw members during the summer months.

A minimum temperature law already exists, but employers are only obligated to keep workplaces to a 'reasonable' temperature, meaning that many employees are forced to work under sweltering conditions that can prove damaging to their health.

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ShD puts MHE under the hammer

A new online auction site for materials handling equipment is set to go live this summer. Materials Handling Exchange, in association with ShD, will offer buyers and sellers a marketplace where new, used and surplus equipment can be bought and sold. A unique aspect of the auction is that it offers for sale goods from a variety of brands across numerous industry sectors.

The Materials Handling Exchange will offer a global marketplace for a wide assortment of warehouse handling equipment, from fork lift trucks and racking to scissor lifts and conveyors. Bi-monthly online auctions – the first of which ends on 23rd July – allow buyers to place bids and purchase equipment from anywhere in the world.

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Clark: Young at heart

Sung Hak Baik is a name in Europe that is known only to those familiar with the forklift sector. But in South Korea, it is associated with a genuine corporate legend. The 70 year-old owner of the forklift manufacturer Clark, has every reason to look back with pride in 2009. This is because Baik's South Korean conglomerate Young An, which took over Clark in 2003, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Elegant, and yet modestly dressed. With a winning friendliness. And always ready to discuss the latest developments in materials handling technology in fluent English with interested parties, customers and partners of Clark Europe GmbH. This is how Sung Hak Baik came across at the Clark stand of the 2008 logistics trade fair CeMAT in Hanover. Yet only a handful of his business contacts are aware of Sung Hak Baik's meteoric rise to become chairman of an international corporation.

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Traka’s secure key cabinet system is bulletproof

Even though manufactures of industrial vehicles are now building significant levels of safety equipment into their machines, they can be rendered ineffective should an untrained or unauthorised operator climb on board. Traka’s solution to restrict or prevent access to potentially dangerous equipment aims to ensure accidents can’t happen.

Established in 1995, Olney, Buckinghamshire-based business Traka was formed as a result of keys going missing at BA. The airline’s ground support vehicles are critical to its efficient operation, but keys were often not where staff expected them to be. A solution was devised, the software behind it developed, and Traka was born.

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Watch out for flt health and safety issues says Wakefield Skillcentre

Accidents involving fork lift trucks are a regular occurrence in the workplace and account for one fatality on average every six weeks. John Green, managing director of Wakefield Skillcentre, examines the health and safety issues regarding forklifts.

Recent figures show that in the UK alone there are reportedly over 8,000 accidents involving the use of fork lift trucks every year, with an average of one fatality every six weeks. The majority of these accidents are caused by insufficient operator training and can often involve pedestrians walking in or around an area where a folk lift truck is being operated.

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Big Ass Fans ceiling fans installed at McQuay International’s warehouse

Newly-installed ceiling fans by Big Ass Fans at McQuay International helped provide a low cost summer cooling solution coupled with the ability to reduce the building’s footprint in cooler months.

Regulating warehouse comfort is no easy task. High ceilings, vast floor space, lack of insulation, and bay doors opening and closing throughout the day make it difficult to maintain a consistent temperature. McQuay International, the world’s second largest heating, ventilation and air conditioning company, experienced this exact dilemma, for which it needed an immediate solution. After installing numerous Big Ass Fans, McQuay was able to get back to the business of cooling.

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DHL heads the hit parade

Transport Intelligence recently announced its annual rankings of the largest contract logistics operators on a global and regional basis.

DHL Supply Chain, recently re-branded from DHL Exel Supply Chain, is once again the largest player in the market. In 2008 it generated revenues in excess of 12 billion Euros, some considerable distance ahead of its nearest rival CEVA. In third position is Swiss-based Kuehne + Nagel, meaning that the line-up of the top three is unchanged from the year before.

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Well done Darius

Daruis Januskevicius of third party logistics provider Century Logistics was a worthy winner of the Warehouse Person of the Year Award at UKWA's recent annual awards ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel. Hailing from, as he put it, Lithuania's "seventh-biggest city", 'Darek' cut an impressive figure as he strode up to the stage to collect his award. His smart appearance and cultured manner stands him...