Month: July 2019

Curtis Instruments Inc. has announced the establishment of the Curtis UK Engineering Centre (UKEC). The UKEC is a new Research & Development Engineering facility that will be located in the Newcastle / Sunderland area of England, a region that is rapidly developing into a high-technology hub.

The UKEC aims to expand Curtis’ industry-leading position as an expert electrification partner to OEMs and EV system suppliers. The UKEC will also significantly strengthen Curtis’ ability to provide first-class systems engineering services to the major UK & European vehicle and mobile machinery manufacturers.

This new engineering facility will work closely with existing Curtis global engineering teams in California, New York, Switzerland, and China, deepening the company’s powertrain electrification competencies. Ties with local colleges and universities will provide opportunities at the vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The UKEC will be a business unit of Curtis Instruments UK Ltd. in Northampton, England. Founded in 1974, Curtis UK is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and operates as the sales, technical support and logistics hub for Curtis in the UK and Ireland.

Curtis is now actively recruiting innovative and capable engineers with mobile electronics experience to join the UKEC team. Further information on the opportunities available can be found in the careers section on our website www.curtisinstruments.com

Germany, France and the Benelux states are feeling the effects of the global economic slowdown. So say the current numbers on the Timocom transport barometer which the IT company uses every quarter to document the development of transport offers and requests on Europe’s largest freight exchange.

The number of freight offers made on the market via Timocom from the beginning of April to the end of June 2019 was 20 percent lower than in the same quarter last year. “The US government’s protectionist economic policies are hampering global trade, which in turn reduces the amount of goods exported. Export oriented countries such as Germany, France and the Benelux states are suffering the worst effects,” says Timocom Business Analyst David Moog.

In total, the freight smart app, which companies can use to place and manage their freight transport offers on the freight exchange, hosted 21,817,810 offers in the second quarter; the number of offers for the same period last year was 27,565,605. Moog reports that the decline is largely affecting the transport of industry and investment goods, from the supplier industry among others.

The impending Brexit is also taking its toll. “After transport to Britain increased in the first quarter as companies increased the amount of goods in stock, we are now seeing a market downturn,” reports Moog. For example, the number of exports from Europe to Britain in the second quarter decreased by 56% in comparison to the same quarter last year, according to Timocom.

This despite the export developments in Southern Europe. Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece transported significantly more goods to other European countries this quarter than in the previous year, with a growth of 21%. Moog: “The fruit and vegetable season in these countries is in full swing.”

The transport barometer is an instrument used by the IT company to analyse, per quarter, trends in transport offers and demand as found on the freight exchange, part of the Timocom Smart Logistics System. With more than 130,000 users and up to 750,000 international freight and vehicle offers daily, Timocom is the largest digital system for road transportation of goods in Europe.

Doosan, the leading manufacturer of robust high performance forklift trucks, is to create six industry zones on its huge 658 sq m stand at IMHX 2019 (Hall 19, Stand 19G80).

Set to be one of the largest stands at the show, each zone – spanning Manufacturing, Construction, Agriculture, Transport, Warehousing and Aviation – will display Doosan’s best-in-class solutions specific to the sector. The machines on show will be kitted-out with attachments appropriate to typical industry applications, offering visitors the chance to see the optimum handling solutions for enhancing performance in each industry.

The very latest counterbalance and warehouse truck models will be available to see, from the new feature-rich B15R-7 three-wheel and B45X-7 four-wheel series of electric forklift trucks, right up to Doosan’s powerful, heavy-lifting diesel and gas models – including Doosan’s giant 25 tonne capacity counterbalance forklift, the DV250S-7, which will be hard to miss. However, there will be more than just counterbalance trucks to see.

In advance of the highly anticipated launch of its new range of warehouse trucks, Doosan will be offering a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come by debuting three new models in the walkie and stacker powered pallet truck range – the BPL18/20S-7 with lateral drive, the BPM20S-7 with middle drive, and the BDL13S-7(H) double stacker. All three pedestrian operated trucks reflect Doosan’s renowned design characteristics of compact functional form, high maneuverability, durability and rugged, reliable performance.

Also making its debut at IMHX in September will be Doosan’s new versatile, 1,500kg capacity electric pallet truck – the BPSC15E-7 lateral drive, which has a built-in charger, long-life batteries and a compact chassis for extra maneuverability.

As a rapidly growing part of Doosan’s UK business, Rushlift GSE – the specialist airport ground support equipment subsidiary – will have a strong presence on the Doosan stand in the Aviation zone. Representatives from the Rushlift GSE team will be available to discuss both long and short-term rental and leasing arrangements for airport ground support equipment.

In the Future Zone, visitors to the Doosan stand will be given the opportunity to see the future of materials handling, with a large-screen video display highlighting some of the transformational technologies Doosan is working on to drive productivity in the warehouse and in the yard. Automation and lithium-ion power are just two aspects of a journey of discovery that will highlight the scale and scope of Doosan as a $21 billion global engineering business, involved in everything from power plants, engines and construction equipment to consumer goods.

Electric power may be gaining wider acceptance in heavy-duty applications, but diesel is set to remain a significant power source for heavy handling tasks for some time to come. Demonstrating Doosan’s commitment to clean diesel performance, the company is to show, for the first time in the UK, its new Euro Stage 5 engine – designed by Doosan to comply with the latest stringent EU emission standards.

Visitors to the stand will also get the opportunity to see, first hand, Doosan’s new B15R-7 Series advanced 3-wheel electric counterbalance truck, with a capacity range from 1.25 – 1.6 tonne. The compact and versatile truck is particularly well suited to the diverse needs of the small business – and being battery powered, offers the clean handling performance demanded by the Food & Drinks sector.
As a tough all-rounder, durability for outside duty is assured with a rugged rear-drive axle, IP65 rated Curtis controller and IP20 PAL brushless AC motors – offering maximum resilience to water and dust. It has a tight turning circle, smooth and responsive acceleration, and a conveniently placed direction switch on the hydraulic control lever for switching direction of travel quickly and easily.
Doosan’s powerful new range of four-wheel electric counterbalance forklift trucks – the B45X-7 Series – will also be available for close inspection on the stand. The new model offers greater durability, enhanced productivity, increased visibility and an extensive range of safety features as standard.

With four new models covering a capacity range from 4.0 – 5.0 tonne, businesses across a broad spectrum of industry – from manufacturing, wholesale distribution and food & drink to engineering, building supplies and transport & warehousing – will benefit from the improved capability, power and performance of Doosan’s latest mid-range electric trucks. The versatility of electric power is now available in a durable and reliable vehicle, built for working long-shifts outdoors in wet or dusty conditions – making it a viable alternative to increasingly regulated IC Engine equivalents.

Brian Grady, Sales and Marketing Director at Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK Ltd, says: “This year at IMHX, we hope to demonstrate to our fast-growing UK customer base that Doosan has an established and rapidly expanding portfolio of materials handling equipment, designed and built to drive performance in just about every industrial sector. IMHX gives us a valuable platform to display our latest product advances, and allows visitors to see first-hand, the strong design features that make Doosan products the robust, reliable, high-performance workhorses favoured by a broad cross-section of industries.”