Month: June 2022

Businesses can now easily fine-tune a forklift to match their specific industry and application needs with the new scalable Hyster A Series lift truck series.

With A+ Logic, the Hyster lift trucks can be configured with a range of features to help overcome common materials handling challenges across industry, while delivering a low total cost of ownership.

“For example, in construction materials applications, lift trucks will often be used outside in dirty or dusty environments with poor ground conditions,” says Robert O’Donoghue, VP Marketing and Solutions EMEA for Hyster. “A+ Logic with the Hyster A Series lift trucks offers several adjustable features that can help optimise trucks everywhere, from concrete manufacturing operations to those handling bricks and blocks.”

Dust can result in wear to parts and components. The Hyster A Series features sealed electrical connectors to help manage this but selecting oil-immersed brakes, tilt cylinder boots, and mud guards may provide some applications with additional support. Heavy-duty air intake can also help reduce service intervention requirements.

Where debris is an issue, on-demand cooling includes a reversing fan feature to blow debris out of the engine bay, helping to minimise radiator and engine bay cleaning.  Debris on the floor can also be tackled by choosing a belly screen option and string cutter, helping to optimise uptime.

The Hyster A Series also provides a 2-year / 4000-hour warranty as standard in regulated EMEA markets, giving tough applications peace of mind.

Optimising driver awareness

“In finished metal goods applications, lift trucks will typically be operating indoors in production areas and warehouses,” says O’Donoghue. “In this environment, noise and other distractions can often represent a risk, especially if the truck is working in the vicinity of pedestrians.”

For these applications, a Hyster A Series lift truck can be built with features to support driver awareness. For instance, blue and red spotlights, red line awareness lights, and/or a visible alarm can be chosen to help indicate to pedestrians where a truck is, and that it is moving or working.

The Hyster A Series lift trucks also offer excellent all-round visibility, giving operators the ability to see their surroundings quickly and clearly. With a new mast design, the A series provides through-mast visibility to help improve awareness of the environment. Configurations with a cabin can also benefit from a high-strength laminated glass roof for an unobstructed upwards view. The truck can also be fine-tuned with mirror and camera options to meet application-specific needs.

The mast design also provides excellent fork tip visibility when handling loads, and a fork laser level line can help increase visibility and productivity further.

Operator comfort

Timber storage and distribution centres will commonly comprise in/out operations. For example, unloading a trailer parked in a yard and bringing the load inside, or moving loads from one building to another across a yard or outdoor area.

To maximise comfort for operators, wood applications can opt for their truck to be built with a suitable cabin option for hot or cold climates. For instance, a full weather-proof cabin may help keep operators comfortable and productive in outdoor areas in colder or wetter climates,” says O’Donoghue.

Full cab options include front, top, and rear screens as well as wipers and steel side doors, plus heating, air conditioning, or heated screen options. Sunshades can also be selected with A+ Logic.

Finally, to help meet environmental objectives in many different applications, the new Hyster A Series lift trucks also help deliver reduced emissions, leading to lower costs.  The H2.0-3.5A diesel trucks consume up to 13% less diesel than leading competitor models, and LPG trucks use up to 9% less fuel.

The first ‘Distinctly Hyster, built for you’ models available in the A Series are the H2.0-3.5A IC lift trucks, for handling loads up to 3.5 tonnes.

CLICK HERE to watch the A Series during an Extreme Environmental Conditions Test in Germany.

The industrial truck manufacturer Baoli EMEA, part of the KION Group, aims to become one of the top suppliers in the entry-level segment in all 53 countries where it is currently represented with its products. That is the plan. At present, however, the markets are still developing very differently.

While Baoli is already very prominent in Italy, its market share in France and Austria is still modest. Olivier Le Bozec, Baoli country manager in France, and his counterpart in Austria, Roman Tahetl, talk about how the brand is developing in their markets.

Q: How has the market in the entry-level forklift segment developed in your area of responsibility in the recent past?

Olivier Le Bozec (OLB): In France, this market in particular is growing very dynamically. According to my estimates, the entry-level industrial truck segment has at least doubled in the past 12 months.

Roman Tahetl (RT): In Austria, the total market for industrial trucks rose from 8,473 to 11,922 vehicles last year. The Asian suppliers, who mainly cover the market for entry-level industrial trucks, grew by around four percent last year.

Q: What do you estimate is Baoli’s percentage share of these markets?

OLB: We currently have a market share of around 0.5%. At first glance, that does not sound like a very significant share, but it is a very respectable figure for France. After all, Baoli has only been seriously in business there for four years and development is still in its early stages. But I am pretty sure that we will grow very quickly in France.

RT: In Austria, we will soon reach a market share of 1.5%. That is very impressive considering that we only entered the Austrian market with Baoli in January 2022. In just a few months, we were already able to demonstrate impressively that the “Baoli model” works very well in Austria.

Q: How has the Baoli dealer network in your country developed over the past 12 months?

OLB: We have acted very stringently in the past months and trained our dealers and their sales staff very intensively. Fortunately, we have succeeded in winning six new dealers for Baoli in France.

RT: We were also very successful in acquiring dealers in Austria and are now working successfully with eight dealers. After starting from scratch at the beginning of 2022, this positive development is very, very pleasing.

Q: How many new dealers do you want to acquire for Baoli in your country in the next 12 months?

OLB: We still have a great need, and I hope that at least 12 new dealers will join us in the next few months. Demand is very high, especially in the north of France. Benoit Pasquier, a new sales professional, is currently working on developing the material handling market for Baoli.

RT: We would like to start our business in Austria with 10 dealers to begin with – so we still need two more – and then to observe whether this will be sufficient. In addition, we will take a close look at the regions and analyse where we have further demand.

Q: In your opinion, what are the reasons for dealers in your country to decide to work with Baoli?

OLB: Baoli’s clear structures, loyalty and consistency are certainly the most important reasons for a positive decision.

RT: In Austria, all dealers want to have one brand under contract if possible. In this way, we gain small dealers in particular, who are enabled by this contract to build up their own fleet. But the price and discount structure are also important for this decision. All dealers receive the same discount from us and a sufficiently large sales area. As all dealers in Austria know each other very well and constantly exchange information, there is no significant competition or price war among them.

Q: Is it important for your dealers that Baoli is part of the international KION Group?

OLB: In my experience, the reputation of the KION Group plays an important role in the dealers’ decision to choose our company. For example, KION offers the guarantee that spare parts will be available for more than a decade. In addition, the umbrella organisation guarantees very comprehensive quality control.

RT: I can only confirm that: Being part of the KION Group is an important argument for most dealers to work with Baoli. There are corresponding guarantees – and that is a very important factor in my eyes.

Q: How do your dealers react to the new Baoli vehicles?

OLB: In France, the dealers are first positively surprised by the high-quality of the vehicles manufactured in China, and then very impressed by the trucks. They keep telling us that Baoli vehicles have a very good chance of being successful in our market – the entry-level industrial truck segment.

RT: Unfortunately, we are not yet that far along in Austria. Our dealers are still very cautious in their assessment of the vehicles and want to examine and test them extensively first. However, I am also firmly convinced that we will develop BAOLI into one of the leading brands in the entry-level segment in this country.

Q: So, your dealers are primarily convinced by the quality of the components installed?

OLB: They definitely are. Especially because we use proven components that are used by many forklift manufacturers. The Doosan engines which BAOLI installs, for example, underline the very high-quality standard of the brand. With these high-quality supplier products, our forklifts need to fear no comparison.

RT: Unfortunately, my answer to this question is not as clear as that of my French colleague. As we have only been active in the Austrian market for a few months, I think it is still too early to make a realistic statement here.

Q: Do you consider the current supply of Baoli vehicles to be sufficient?

OLB: At the moment, the range can certainly be expanded to cover all conceivable requirements. However, since Baoli is planning an extensive expansion of its product portfolio, this situation will quickly improve significantly.

RT: I would answer this question in exactly the same way. I, too, am of the opinion that the current range of vehicles will not be sufficient in the long run and should be supplemented – but that has already been planned.

Q: How do your dealers rate the price/performance ratio of Baoli vehicles?

OLB: Our prices have increased over the past year and a half due to the well-known import costs and raw material costs increase because of the worldwide economic situation. However, we must always keep one thing in mind – and we also communicate this to our customers: Baoli forklifts offer significantly more quality and service in the entry-level segment than other suppliers. Anyone who buys a Baoli forklift always buys a comprehensive after-sales service as well.

RT: In Austria, the price/performance ratio of Baoli forklifts is considered very positive according to my experience so far.

Q: Do you see any approaches to optimising cooperation with Baoli dealers?

OLB: Improvements are always possible. The Baoli vehicles could be presented more prominently in the showrooms of our partners in order to anchor our brand even more firmly in the minds of our customers.

Q: Mr. Le Bozec, Mr. Tahetl – thank you for this very interesting interview and for your assessment of the markets in which you operate.

Clark has expanded its product range in the area of pallet trucks with another lift truck. The new WS10Mi is a high-lift truck with mono-mast and initial lift.

The WS10Mi is one of the entry-level models in the world of high-lift trucks. Thanks to its mono-lift mast and its maximum load capacity of up to 1000kg (1200kg initial lift), the areas of application of this nimble warehouse helper are many: The vehicle is suitable for transport over short distances, for stacking applications up to a lifting height of 1955mm or also as a mobile, ergonomic work table. The WS10Mi comes into its own especially when used on uneven floors, smaller ramps or weighing equipment, as the WS10Mi effortlessly overcomes inclines thanks to its initial lift (115mm).

The compact design of the high-lift truck also allows it to be used in space-critical work areas, for example in narrow racking aisles. The length of the truck including the back of the forks (l2) is just 600mm. Only a small amount of force is required to steer the manoeuvrable lift truck. This conserves the operator’s strength and relieves him of his workload. Due to the low vehicle weight of 520kg (including battery) and the resulting lower ground load, the vehicle can also be used on intermediate levels.

Safe and ergonomic load handling

The handle-optimised vehicle drawbar enables precise operation of all travel and lifting functions. In addition, the mono-lift frame offers the best possible view of the fork tips. The operator always keeps an overview and can position the unit safely and precisely as well as thread it unerringly into pallets. Like all models in the WS10 range, the WS10Mi has a low-slung vehicle frame to protect the operator’s feet and those around the vehicle.

The WS10Mi is equipped with maintenance-free block batteries and a built-in charger. This allows the battery to be recharged at any 230v socket. This increases availability and simplifies handling. The vehicle display informs the operator about the battery charge level as well as the operating hours driven.