in depth newsdesk l Darren White: 1970 - 2011 Industry
It is with great sadness that we report the untimely death of Darren White of United Lift Trucks Ltd of Ipswich, and the UK distributor of TCM forklifts via his TC Maintenance company. A popular and well-known character from our industry, Darren passed away suddenly on 3rd January, a few days short of his 42nd birthday.
As sales manager, Darren was part of the team that helped grow the Doosan brand in the UK from a small operation into the force it is today. After his success with Doosan in the UK, he moved to its European operation in Brussels. His former colleague Tim Waples, UK Director & General Manager of Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK Ltd, paid this tribute to him:
"Darren was a hard working guy when he was with us. He joined us around 1998 when he was in his 20s, and knew very little about fork lift trucks. He very quickly got to grips with it and achieved considerable success working with Doosan. He recruited lots of strong and worthwhile dealers, which was not an easy thing to do as the brand - it was Daewoo back then - wasn't well known at that time. We're indebted to him. "He was a top guy. Darren and I have got ourselves into some magnificent scrapes over the years around the world! He was a great friend and we had lots of good times together. He had a heart of gold."
Meanwhile online tributes to Darren demonstrate the
together on apprentices
affection with which he was regarded by colleagues and friends alike. One comment said, "You were always so full of life and laughter and joy." Others described him as "a fun friendly guy with a great sense of humour" and "a lovely, kind, generous man".
Darren was much much liked and respected by the team at ShD and IMHX. He worked extremely hard to make IMHX 2007 a big success for Doosan. ShD interviewed Darren only a few weeks ago for a special feature which was scheduled to run in this issue but which, for obvious reasons, has now been withdrawn. In that interview, before Christmas, he spoke of his ambition to grow the TCM brand in the UK by recruiting dealers, as he had done so successfully at Doosan. It is a matter of great regret and frustration that we have been robbed of the chance to carry out his plans.
His bright and friendly
demeanour disguised a very driven and focussed man who was set to become a very significant player in the UK forklift industry. Darren will be missed tremendously by all who had the pleasure of working with him. In particular, our thoughts and prayers go out to his father Brian, to his sister and close friends, to his colleagues at TCM and United including Russ and Annelie, and his former colleagues at Doosan both in Europe and here in the UK. In a statement from TC Maintenance, Darren was described as a person who was "full of character, ideas and most of all so enthusiastic with regards to all ventures he undertook". The company says it has appointed a dealer manager to ensure the continuation of the business.
For further details about this appointment, as well as arrangements for Darren's funeral, please check our website.
“There’s never been a better time to consider a career in fork lift truck engineering,” is the message from the Boards of the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) and the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA). Thanks to a series of initiatives from both of the trade associations representing the UK fork lift truck industry there are now lift truck engineering options to suit the full range of companies and students, accommodating every type of business that needs to maintain fork lift trucks. Many different parties from across the industry have worked hard to develop lift truck apprenticeships that are accredited by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), the Sector Skills Council for the automotive retail industry.
The apprenticeships are delivered as Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Lift Truck) qualifications, within the lift truck pathway of the IMI’s Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (England) Apprenticeship Framework. Details of the options available are tabulated overleaf.
Both Trade Associations recognise the importance of attracting fresh talent to the industry at a time when many existing engineers are approaching retirement age. Also, with a number of government initiatives available there has never been a better time for an employer to take on an apprentice.
www.bita-academy.org www.fork-truck.org.uk
www.PressOnShD.com January 2012 ShD 7
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