fork lift trucks handling l
improve productivity – a must at this time of economic recovery.
Investing in training, technology and in our people has been a key factor in pushing our business further forward over the last 12 months. Customers like to know that they are in the safe hands of a company which is continuously developing its products and which invests in staff development and training. ShD: Where is Linde seeking to grow its business in 2012? AD: The various parts of our business can be easily categorised into large national accounts, mid-size corporate accounts and smaller territory accounts and we have plans to grow each one of these areas in 2012. One of our key strengths is our ability to meet and serve all three client types, whatever their individual needs.
In the last six months of 2011 we have seen strong take up of our STR proposition and we expect this part of our business to continue to grow and serve the market increase as we approach 2012. ShD: What are your thoughts/feelings about the economic situation? AD: The economy clearly remains tough for all businesses and there is little doubt that this will continue into 2012. It is therefore vital that we maintain our focus on offering our customers the right solutions to reduce their total cost of operation and provide them with excellent service to ensure their business runs to
maximum efficiency. ShD: How has the MHE
business
changed from, say, 2007 to where we are today, having been through (or still in) a massive recession? AD: The recession has had a huge impact on industries across the globe and it has certainly been a turbulent time for the materials handling market. At Linde however, we feel that we were well prepared as we signaled the onset of the recession as early as April 2008 and revised our business plan in order to adjust to the rapidly changing circumstances.
We strongly believe in aligning the structure of our organisation to deliver what matters to the customer. As a result of our foresight and flexibility, I am pleased to say that our market share has not been affected despite the tough economic downturn. ShD: How have Linde's newly- introduced products performed this year? AD: We anticipated a slow start for the CiTi truck (pictured) because it is such a unique product in the market place, but the product has already been proved to have significant diversity. Eurostar is the latest customer to select and purchase the award-winning truck to handle delivery of palletised goods to its trains at London’s St Pancras station. The CiTi truck also won the
Innovation category at the annual Fork Lift Truck Association Awards for Excellence in 2011.
The E20-E50 range has helped us to win some valuable business based on the key innovations and features for optimum operator comfort, intelligent energy management and superior productivity.
Our new 10 to 18 tonne diesel engine counterbalance series, H100 – H180, is performing well and has had helped us to win lots of new business. Following Linde Heavy Truck Division's most successful product launch, demand for the H100 – H180 general purpose fork lift truck series has continued despite the economic conditions. ShD: Was CeMAT successful in terms of getting your messages over to the customer? AD: Visitors to the Linde stand at CeMAT were impressed by the presentation and our wide range of new products. The focus of customer
interest was on the new electric Linde E20 to E50 trucks as well as on concepts and production-based vehicles with lithium-ion battery and fuel cell drive.
By participating in this trade fair we have clearly underlined our claim to be technology leaders in the industry and our commitment to continue investing in new products and services. ShD: Can we look forward to any new product launches in 2012? AD: 2012 should be another exciting year for us. We plan to launch new versions of the E20 – E50
counterbalance trucks and will look into introducing a Roadster version too. This innovative truck would benefit from having no A-column and feature a roof made from highly breakproof safety glass, offering the operator more visibility and making load handling much easier.
We are also introducing to the market a new product for optimising production logistics. The Logistics Train, a P50C tow tractor with trailer operating unit, will make it possible for production logistics companies to achieve better handling performance and increased transport volumes as a result of improved logistics processes. A priority for 2012 is also to develop lithium-ion battery technology into our warehouse trucks. We recognise this as being one of the most significant market trends and displayed the concepts that we have already developed at CeMAT last year. We have already had significant experience in lithium-ion through our CiTi truck application and have undergone several rounds of internal testing and development. Over the coming months, we look forward to further developing this in 2012 and working closely with our customers to find the right applications for this new technology.
Finally, we intend to introduce updated engines on our H50 – H180 ranges as well as the Tier 4i engine to bring us in line with EC regulations. Over the next few years we will see a number of introductions of new engines driven by legislative requirements. ShD: Any other business? AD: We will continue to work closely with our customers to find them the right solutions through these difficult times. We are finding that the breadth and strength of our products, services and capabilities is currently serving our customers well and we look forward to continued success in 2012. ●
www.linde-mh.co.uk
www.PressOnShD.com January 2012 ShD 27
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