14 March, 2022

Miniclipper founder passes away

Posted on 14 March, 202231 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Miniclipper Logistics’ founder Mick Masters has passed away at the age of 83 in the UK company’s 51st year. His death follows a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Masters founded the business in 1971 by responding to a newspaper advert in the Leighton Buzzard Observer for someone to develop their own parcel delivery service doing daily runs between Bedfordshire and London.

He bought a VW van and Miniclipper was born. The business and fleet grew steadily during the 1970s and 80s built on a foundation of strong customer service led by Mick supported by his wife Janet, who managed the administration as well as driving one of the company’s vans.

The business has remained in the area ever since and now has 450,000 sq ft of storage and over 38,000 pallet spaces across five sites in Leighton Buzzard, Houghton Regis, and Dunstable.

Mick’s son, Peter, took over as MD in 1995, and his daughter-in-law Jayne was appointed as sales director with Mick officially retiring in 2005. They are pictured either side of him. Mick was proud to see Miniclipper reach its 50th birthday in 2021 still as a family business just as the third generation of Masters joined the team.

In 2020/21 Miniclipper celebrated a record turnover through the provision of a range of transport, storage, and warehousing solutions for the medical, construction, print, retail, and food sectors. The business now has 40 trucks and 30 trailers, employs 140 people and is a shareholder member of the Palletline network.

Logistics Business passes its condolences on their loss to Mick’s family, colleagues and friends.

TGW presents new digital services at LogiMAT

Posted on 14 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The TGW Logistics Group is equipped with modern technology for the digital age. The systems integrator will be presenting the full spectrum of its digital services at the LogiMAT intralogistics trade fair (31 May to 2 June) in Stuttgart. Those services cover the entire lifecycle of a system, including everything from planning to implementation to live operation. The spotlight will be on innovations that help companies boost their competitiveness.

“TGW can look back on more than 50 years of experience in the development of mechatronic modules and has successfully implemented hundreds of projects worldwide as a systems integrator. Thanks to our ever-expanding range of digital services, our customers are in an excellent position to face the demands of tomorrow,” emphasises Matthias Stötzner, Director Sales at TGW Systems Integration. “TGW combines expertise in software and systems to offer customised, state-of-the-art end-to-end solutions.”

The TGW booth at LogiMAT applies an open communication concept. In addition to modules, systems and solutions, reference projects for notable customers such as Coop, PUMA, Fource and Engelbert Strauss will also be highlighted.

The TGW Digital Lifecycle’s services and products cover the three phases of planning, realisation and Lifetime Services. More than 600 IT specialists look after over 500 systems around the globe. They develop new applications, implement tools and maintain logistics centres during live operation.

The topics of efficiency, transparency and a short return on investment take centre stage in this context. An integration project’s lifecycle takes place digitally, from the first data analysis all the way to final acceptance. Digital services also ensure optimum performance during live operation. Thus, TGW offers maximum availability and reliability, in keeping with the motto “We keep your business running”.

To that end, TGW uses a variety of both well-established and newly-developed resources. Examples of digital tools for system design include 3D layouts, simulations and intelligent data analyses. In the realisation phase, TGW employs agile implementation, emulation and performance checks. In regard to operation, customers profit from virtual testing environments, remote services, proactive monitoring and more. The multi-award-winning picking robot Rovolution boasts a digital twin: a complete digital representation that grows alongside the physical installation and is connected to it in real time.

Companies that put their trust in TGW also have the advantage of receiving everything from a single source. Unlike software providers, the systems integrator plans and implements systems, produces the mechatronic components and also handles the complex software integration. This enables TGW to gather data from all applications, products and solutions and evaluate, visualise and optimise them in a uniform system.

The use of modern technology such as artificial intelligence is becoming more and more important in this context. Future scenarios can be modelled with the help of self-learning algorithms. “Interconnected intra-logistics systems that are capable of learning and self-optimisation will play a huge role in the very near future. Our customers profit greatly from these advantages,” affirms Johann Steinkellner, CEO Central Europe at TGW.

New Combi-MR4 features Dynamic 360° steering

Posted on 14 March, 202229 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The Combi-MR4 is a 4-wheel electric powered multidirectional reach-truck, which incorporates Combilift’s new Dynamic 360° steering, which provides rotation on each wheel, enabling seamless directional change of the truck while on the move. The system allows this extremely agile forklift to work in forward, sideward and crab steer mode, guaranteeing swift operation and excellent manoeuvrability. Hence the full name of the new model: the Combi-MR4 Dynamic 360.

Since Combilift launched its first C4000 model in 1998, multidirectional capability has been one of the major hallmarks of the company’s wide range of handling solutions. Twenty-four years and thousands of R&D hours later, its latest product takes multidirectional capability to the next level.

The impetus for the development of this latest addition to Combilift’s portfolio was to develop a multi-directional truck, with a very low platform to maximise storage density within racking. The Combi-MR4 is available in two unique models, with capacity ranges of 2,500kg-3,000kg and 3,500kg-4,500kg respectively, and can operate in aisles as narrow as 2,265mm when guided (based on 1200mm deep material). To maximise all storage space in racking systems the wheel configuration of two drive wheels at the rear and two sets of smaller dual front wheels provides a platform height as low as 380mm, allowing otherwise redundant areas towards the floor to be used.

In keeping with Combilift’s common overall design ethos, the highly versatile Combi-MR4 can handle long loads as well as palletised goods with ease, and can load and offload from delivery trucks. Driver comfort and safety are also major considerations, and this new truck definitely delivers the goods from an ergonomic point of view: a high visibility operator cabin, multi-function control joystick, AC-electric power steering and joystick operated hydraulic mast functions all make for a smooth ride and straightforward operation. The articulated rear axle with two rear rubber drive wheels provides optimum traction for outdoor use, while still ensuring nimble and accurate truck placement.

To achieve this level of manoeuvrability, Combilift utilised its newly developed-in-house Dynamic 360° steering. This novel steering concept enables operators to manipulate the truck’s positioning and orientation without the need to stop and change driving mode. Intuitive and easy-to-operate, this is achieved by simply twisting the control joystick right or left to adjust the wheel positions simultaneously – providing crab steering and allowing direction change on-the-go.

Combilift always likes to ensure that any new product has been thoroughly tried and tested in the field to make certain that it is 100% fit for purpose. Following the initial operation of 3,000kg Combi-MR4 units, a 4,500kg model was developed after receiving a request from Combilift’s dealer in the BeNeLux region – Mabo BeNeLux, for a larger capacity unit for their customer TABS (Timber and Building Supplies Holland). One of the Netherlands’ leading suppliers of timber products and building materials, with 104 outlets across the country, TABS has partnered with Combilift and operated its multidirectional trucks for more than 15 years. It now has MR4 trucks at several locations in the Netherlands and is about to take delivery of its 15th and 16th trucks, which will work at its distribution centres in Zaandam and Bleiswijk.

Combilift CEO Martin McVicar: “TABS are delighted with the ongoing successful implementation of their Combi-MR4s and the improved levels of efficiency thanks to the overall design and features such as low platform height as well as the advanced Dynamic 360° steering system. I have no doubt that this new additional electric model will grow Combilift’s customer base. We are looking forward to showcasing the Combi-MR4 to our existing dealers, and potential new customers during the LogiMAT Intralogistics exhibition in Stuttgart at the end of May.”

CLICK HERE to watch a video.

Eye4Storage launches global warehousing marketplace

Posted on 14 March, 202229 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Eye4Storage has launched a new digital marketplace that matches businesses looking for storage and distribution facilities with warehousing operators around the world, a major advance at a time when warehousing vacancies in many markets are at an all-time low.

Dubai-based Eye4Storage is a pioneer in developing tools for on-demand warehousing and warehouses for sale or rent. Its new space-matching platform will boost efficiency and utilisation rates for warehousing operators while shortening search times and lowering overall costs for businesses with storage needs.

Eye4Storage founder Barry Dekkers said: “The Eye4Storage platform addresses the costly inefficiencies and obstacles in the global warehousing market. It gives warehouse operators the ability to find customers for unused space and assess demand before they undertake expensive expansion studies or start construction of new facilities. It gives customers the ability to do market and requirements-specific searches instantly, and lets them compare rates, start negotiations and act quickly to secure the space they need.”

Eye4Storage enables businesses to search for facilities that meet their needs and allows them to look for space that is suitable in terms of location, size, environment, provider expertise, and other options, while also supporting sustainability and green logistics requirements.

“By providing a real-time overview and allowing people to apply a filter to match their needs, we reduce the time spent on finding the perfect facility and lower the amount of empty or under-utilised space,” Dekkers said.

Eye4Storage is an easy-to-use platform that lets warehouse providers list facilities for rent, sale or flexible, on-demand use. Companies looking for storage space submit searches and get listings of available space. The platform connects providers and searchers to allow them to negotiate directly.

The rapid growth of e-commerce and pandemic-driven need for additional inventory in many sectors have led to a shortage of available warehousing space in many markets. Eye4Storage was developed by a team of logistics industry veterans using their combined experience and knowledge of the market to create a technology-driven platform that allows providers and searchers to connect easily, efficiently, and cost-effectively. The company aims to enable the reduction of unused warehouse space across the world and contribute to a sustainable future.

According to research firm Interact Analysis, there were 150,000 warehouses and more than 25 billion square feet of warehouse space globally at the end of 2020. In spite of the global warehousing crunch, there is space available that is not being used or utilised efficiently.

Eye4Storage aims to bring clarity and facilitate both searchers and warehouse providers in this US$245bn market that is expected to touch the $326bn mark by the end of 2024, according to market intelligence firm Beroe.

Toyota achieves EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating

Posted on 14 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

EcoVadis has given Toyota Material Handling Europe the highest possible rating, Platinum, for the third year running. The sustainability assessment body recognised Toyota Material Handling Europe’s exceptional performance and transparency across four key appraisal areas, including labour and human rights, environment, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

More than 90,000 companies have undergone EcoVadis assessment, with Toyota Material Handling Europe ranking in the top 1% of all participants based on its aggregated score across the four metrics, achieving a Platinum rating as a result. Not only did Toyota Material Handling Europe meet the Platinum standard for the third year in a row, it also improved on its score from 2021, with an overall rating of 79 (up from 76).

In a further milestone for the company, 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of Toyota Material Handling Europe’s continuous assessment journey with EcoVadis. This focus on quantifying performance offers Toyota Material Handling Europe customers and partners maximum transparency on the company’s efforts and results across these key areas. This commitment to transparency is further reinforced by the fact that Toyota Material Handling Europe is assessed at both corporate and market level.

“Our mission is to generate a profit while respecting people and our planet,” commented Ernesto Domínguez, President and CEO Toyota Material Handling Europe. “As well as the corporate-level Platinum rating, five of our local entities also ranked in the top 1%, and 15 more ranked in the top 10% of 90,000 suppliers – showing how much responsible business practices are embedded at every level of our company. We will focus on making continuous improvements to retain our Platinum ratings in the years to come.”

Ambition grows in line with progress

Toyota Material Handling Europe has announced several sustainability milestones in the last year, including joining the UN Race To Zero and committing to Science Based Targets to bring its emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target, completing the switch to 100% renewable electricity, and announcing a 29% cut in overall emissions since 2012.

Its latest initiative is to introduce its proven sustainability methods externally with suppliers, using EcoVadis’s recently released carbon action module.

This assessment tool enables Toyota Material Handling Europe’s suppliers to complete their own assessment and receive a carbon rating. This rating is the outcome of a detailed analysis covering Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions management, total energy consumption, and use of renewables.

Once the analysis is complete, the tool allows both the supplier and Toyota Material Handling Europe to work collaboratively to refine their strategies and improve from their emissions baseline.

This is expected to become a powerful tool in Toyota Material Handling Europe’s mission to reduce its Scope 3 emissions, incurred ‘upstream’ in its supply chain.

“Unlike most organisations, we communicated our target to reduce scope 3 emissions by 55% by 2031 at the same time as committing to develop our science-based targets,” said Domínguez. “We set our commitment based on the principle that we fully support the EU Fit for 55% agenda. We now have until October 2023 to work out with our customers, our suppliers and our 12,000 colleagues across Europe just how we will deliver our target to gain approval from the Science Based Targets Initiative.

“We achieve our high ratings through integrating sustainability into every part of our business, and we are looking forward to assisting our suppliers in adopting the same approach and meeting their own ambitious targets in line with ours.”

Fronius to host Open House in May

Posted on 14 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Fronius UK will be opening the doors to its Technology Centre in Milton Keynes to unveil the latest innovative charging technology on offer for intralogistics, as it hosts its fifth Open House on 18th and 19th May 2022.

This is a real opportunity to explore the world of Fronius and to see up close the most recent advances in charging technology. Fronius has put together a wide variety of demonstrations across its range of products, solutions and applications and a programme of talks from specially selected guest speakers and industry partners. The event promises to be informative, hands-on and packed with fun, and whether you are looking to review your intralogistics processes, wanting to save on energy costs or simply find out what’s new, this is just the event for you.

When it comes to your warehouse and logistics operations, you are reliant on the availability and reliability of your MHE for the movement of goods. Essential to this is battery life, and this is largely defined by the charging process – a process that is often overlooked – but optimising it can save companies huge sums of money. With their unique and intelligent ‘Ri’ charging process, Fronius guarantee to save you on your energy costs across your forklift fleet – by up to 30%. With energy prices at an all-time high, if there was ever a time to review the efficiency of your charging operation, it’s now.

What’s new?

Higher power categories for heavy-duty applications – Fronius has recognised the increasing demand for electric forklift trucks for challenging heavy-duty applications. The battery charging specialist is expanding its Selectiva 4.0 product family to include powerful 96V and 120V models in order to help customers switch to sustainable, electric intralogistics systems for transporting high-tonnage goods.

New solutions for Lithium-ion batteries – the role of lithium-ion technology (Li-ion) in intralogistics is becoming increasingly important, and with good reason. Lithium-ion batteries are lightweight, have a long service life, are maintenance-free, extremely energy-efficient and have an impressive charging time of just a few minutes. All major forklift truck manufacturers now offer models with a lithium-ion battery. Fronius SelectION lithium-ion chargers offer a safe, efficient and flexible charging solution. Smart engineering by the highest quality standard ensures easy operations and reduced downtime. Thanks to its intelligent Fronius CAN protocol, a seamless and fast communication between the charger and lithium-ion battery is guaranteed.

Charge and Connect – Charge & Connect allows you to go beyond the limits of conventional charging. Increase the performance and efficiency of your intralogistics operation with this cloud-based software solution that provides real-time data and numerous analysis functions on your charging infrastructure. Combining technologically advanced chargers with a digital connectivity solution, helps you reduce energy costs, increase efficiency and minimise potential risks of downtimes.

So why not take advantage of this event to come and talk to Fronius and see some of the solutions it has on offer, whilst enjoying a schedule of entertainment, a hot lunch and refreshments throughout the day?

“The Open House is an ideal opportunity for people to visit our facility and gain an insight into the most advanced solutions available on the market.” Ross Adams, National Sales Director at Fronius UK comments, “We welcome visitors to bring their operating costs on the day and our team will be able to show them the potential savings available for their forklift fleet. We offer full solutions from single battery chargers to total system solutions including multiple charging modules and complete charging rooms, all complete with system monitoring.”

The days will also incorporate the company’s other two business units: Solar Energy and Perfect Welding. With the imminent energy price hikes, take the opportunity to look at the company’s industry leading solar products and services including its hybrid solar inverter that recently won first place for efficiency in the Energy Storage Inspection 2021 and its new powerful yet robust, project inverter for high yields, the Fronius Tauro. Fronius will also be demonstrating many of its manual, automated and robotic welding systems at the absolute forefront of welding technology.

Due to the success of its previous Open Houses, the company has made the decision to spread this year’s event across two days to allow everyone the time and space to observe demonstrations safely, provide time to speak to experts and try out products where possible. Fronius UK will welcome guests from 9:30am until 3:30pm on both days.

CLICK HERE to register to attend

Peruvian logistics firm adds reach stacker to fleet

Posted on 14 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

SAVAR, a leading logistics company in Perú, has accepted delivery of a new Konecranes reach stacker for its Los Ferroles site N°50 at the Port of Callao, in the capital Lima. The order of the equipment, distributed and supported by Trex, a leading lifting solutions company in in Perú, was booked in August 2021 and started operation in December of the same year.

With a total of eight facilities and around 1,000 employees in the Lima area, SAVAR runs a wide range of supply chain services, including customer brokerage, freight forwarding, temporary warehousing, transportation, loose cargo storage, distribution, last mile and most recently, e-commerce. Its maritime warehouses, customs warehouse and special projects require reach stackers to move containers and goods. As growth in international trade has significantly increased transit volume, it decided to expand its operational capabilities with an additional lift truck, and it felt that Konecranes could meet its requirements.

“We already had two Konecranes reach stackers lifting five containers high and a third one lifting six. Our figures clearly show that they’ve improved our efficiency,” says Javier Kuoman, Logistics Manager and co-owner of SAVAR. “With the new truck, we anticipate at least 15% increase in productivity as it also stacks six containers high, helping us to make the most of our available warehouse space. With a total of four Konecranes reach stackers working for us, we have the flexibility to serve every customer need.”

“This new delivery illustrates SAVAR’s trust in our ability to maintain consistently high quality over time as we adapt to their changing requirements,” says Andrés Ramirez, Sales Manager Latin America for Konecranes Lift Trucks. “Local agent Trex has been a close partner in the region for many years to us. Their outstanding after-sales support and knowledge of the market, together with the reliability and productivity of the Konecranes portfolio, have helped to build a strong relationship with SAVAR. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with both companies long into the future.”

The new reach stacker in Los Ferroles is a Konecranes SMV 4632 TC6H, a sturdy 46t machine that can stack up to a height of six high cube shipping containers. In addition, it is the first unit of this model to be manufactured in the Konecranes Markaryd factory. It was delivered in parts for easy transportation, and Trex Peru assembled and commissioned it on-site. Trex will provide SAVAR with specialised product support.

The truck features an OPTIMA cabin for comfort and visibility, a strong box-type chassis and a wide drive axle with a long wheelbase for high stability and safe handling. A low-emission engine, reduced fuel consumption and low noise levels minimise environmental impact. Smart systems integrate with TRUCONNECT Basic, allowing a remote and almost real-time view of truck usage and easier maintenance planning.

Seasonality returning to troubled timber sector

Posted on 14 March, 202229 July, 2025 by David Priestman

There are early signs of wood availability returning to established seasonal patterns, according to the Timber Packaging & Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) – although significant challenges in the market remain.

The independent AFRY index reported the price of home-grown pallet timber decreased by a further 0.1% in February 2022. Historically, prices traditionally come down during Q1, before rising again as demand for fencing timber grows towards the summer – due to the series of powerful storms in February this market has already started to see demand increasing.

However, supply chain difficulties continue to impact on the sector, including strong demand for timber from competing markets; higher raw material costs; widespread shortages of staff; rising energy costs; fuel costs – not helped by the cessation of the use of red diesel throughout the sector; availability of nails; and ongoing severe availability and price issues in the shipping industry.

The developing conflict in Ukraine has created further instability, as detailed in a recent release from the European Federation of Wooden Pallet & Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB).

TIMCON President John Dye said: “After the past two turbulent years, the signs of more seasonal trade flows and predictability in the market are welcome. However, we are aware that the trading climate remains difficult, with ongoing pressures affecting the supply of timber.

“The tragic events in Ukraine have added a further challenge, with closed sawmills and generally disrupted trading with this source country impacting on usual wood supplies into Europe. Meanwhile, economic sanctions will have a significant effect on Russia and Belarus.

“TIMCON is monitoring this complicated and evolving situation and will continue to keep its members informed about the latest developments affecting timber pallet and packaging businesses.”

Global challenges and developments are among the topics that will be discussed in the forthcoming TIMCON general meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Manchester at the end of March.

Organisations confirmed to present latest timber sector developments at the event include COILLTE and CONFOR. The agenda will also cover the industry’s role as a leader in sustainable practices, as supply chains increase their emphasis on recovery and reuse of pallets.

“During the pandemic, TIMCON has demonstrated to its membership how vital it is for our sector’s businesses to be part of a strong industry association, which keeps them informed and equipped, and represents them on the national, and international, stage,” said Dye. “The excellent programme we have lined up for our general meeting is yet another part of our ongoing essential service to the sector. We are really looking forward to hosting it and discussing with members how we can support them further in the months and years to come.”

TIMCON retained close to 100% of its membership during the pandemic and it expects further members to join, particularly from the packaging segment of the industry.

Ambition grows in line with progress

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