Hyundai Material Handling ‘Paint it Black’ for Oil & Gas Specialist

Aberdeen-based Bear Handling Ltd specialises in handling equipment across Scotland. The company also supplies the oil & gas industry and is the Hyundai forklift distributor for the region.

Bear Handling has recently secured a deal with a leading oil & gas operations company, WellGear UK, which has recently taken delivery of an 18-tonne load capacity Hyundai 180D-9 diesel forktruck – the first to be delivered into the region. The compact but powerful machine is powered by a Mercedes Benz 6R1000 209.7 kW engine and has a maximum lifting height of 4020 mm.

WellGear has experienced rapid expansion and has grown from employing just four staff in 2015 to over 150 in just four years within its Holland and Aberdeen divisions.

Murdo MacLeod, WellGear UK Managing Director spoke about their investment in the Hyundai brand and his dealings with Bear Handling, he said, “We were in the market for a new forklift due to business expansion. I got word of Bear Handling via a friend of mine who had worked with the company. I went to see John Maclaren at Bear and was impressed at his pragmatic approach and knowledge of the equipment.

Murdo continued, “In the yard, John had a 16-tonne Hyundai forktruck (160D-9) which I test drove and was really impressed. John said that Hyundai manufactured a larger 18-tonne model, which I decided would be the right machine for the job, based on the impressive performance on the 16-tonne machine.”

Murdo added, “I liked the compact size of the forklift. We don’t have particularly high doors on our workshop and the size of the machine was very compact for its weight capacity – we were able to lift 18 tonnes and still get comfortably through our doors.

Some of the competitors’ machines were quite tall in comparison to the Hyundai. I also liked the spacious cabin and its excellent visibility for the operators – it has practically a 360-degree view. The rear reversing camera is also very good. We didn’t require any ‘extra safety features on the machine, as with the Hyundai, they come as standard.”

Murdo joked, “The machine also has air conditioning – but we don’t need that much in Scotland!”

“I was also impressed that we could specify the machine in our company colours directly from the Hyundai factory in South Korea. From order to delivery was just 12-weeks, which is fantastic considering we ordered a ‘bespoke’ machine.”

He said, “We accept loads in the yard almost every day, so the machine is constantly loading and shifting containers and working on the racks keeping the working areas tidy. It’s on general workshop management for around 12-hours per day.

“We have quite a number of heavy lifts to do each day – some up to as much as 16.5 tonne. Our new forklift is able to lift this capacity with ease and we will use it instead of getting a crane in, which of course, saves us money. The operators who use the machine every day are really pleased with its performance.”