NEWS LIFT TRUCKS


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COMBILIFT OPENS NEW €50 MILLION GLOBAL HQ AND MANUFACTURING FACILITY


Forklift manufacturer and materials handling solutions provider, Combilift has officially opened its new global headquarters and manufacturing facility in Monaghan, Ireland. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the company also announced that it will be expanding its workforce with the creation of 200 new jobs in the next three years


S


peaking at the opening ceremony, the Irish Prime Minister An Taoiseach Leo


Varadkar TD said: “Combilift is an incredible home-grown Monaghan success story. When the company was founded 20 years ago, it had three employees, a brilliant concept, and the ambition to make it a reality. Combilift is playing a significant role in Monaghan’s success, and I would like to congratulate Robert Moffett and Martin McVicar and everyone at Combilift on their achievements to date and wish them every success for the future.” Built at a cost of €50 million, the


investment in the new 46,500m² (500,000ft²) facility will allow Combilift to realise its ambitious growth plans. Martin McVicar, managing director, said: “We have employed an additional 230 people since we announced our plans for this factory in 2015 and the combination of this state-of-the-art production plant and the growing skilled workforce will allow us to double production within the next five years.” Combilift currently exports 98 per cent


of its products to 85 countries through its 250-strong international dealer network. The current workforce stands at 550 people and the new employment opportunities will be for skilled technicians, design engineers, logistics and supply chain specialists and those with mechanical and electrical mechatronics skills.


MASS CUSTOMISATION McVicar attributes the company’s impressive growth and its status as an acknowledged world leader in the material handling sector to mass customisation. “Combilift has set the benchmark for the mass production of customised innovative products. Mass customisation is the new frontier for both the customer and the manufacturer as


S4 MAY 2018 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS


Certified to international quality and safety management standards, Combilift’s new HQ and manufacturing facility has been awarded ISO 9001 international quality management system, ISO 14001 Environment


Management and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series


customers are increasingly expecting products to be tailored to their requirements. We listen to and take feedback on board from our customers and dealers to identify solutions that best match their individual specific needs.” Combilift invests seven per cent of its annual turnover in research and development to enhance its customisation capability and to maximise ROI for its customers. “The flexibility in our new facility means that we can continue to accommodate any request for a customised material handling solution. We also see ourselves as much more than a forklift manufacturer and are transforming the transport and logistics sector with our innovative, space-spacing products and our services,” says McVicar.


GROWTH OF COMBILIFT Established by McVicar and Robert Moffett, technical director, in 1998, Combilift is a privately held and fully capitalised company. It developed the world’s first multidirectional all-wheel drive IC engine powered forklift in 1998. In the first year of operation it produced 18 units, 17 of which were exported. The company has more than doubled in the last five years and now has 40,000 units in operation in over 85 countries. Between 2008 and 2018 Combilift


diversified its product range by developing a number of innovative space saving warehouse and heavy load handling products; the Aisle Master articulated truck and the Straddle Carrier (Combi-SC) respectively. Pedestrian products were introduced


into the range in the last five years, enabling Combilift to gain a foothold in this growing market. The Combi-WR, Combi-WR4 and the Combi-CS all incorporate Combilift’s unique patented multi-positional tiller arm technology. “There is a growing demand for pedestrian trucks, driven by safety


concerns where customers and/or employees are in the vicinity of operating forklifts,” says McVicar. “It is our intention to significantly expand this range, as can be seen with the launch of the new high lift capacity Combilift Powered Pallet Truck (Combi-HC-PPT).”


NEW FACTORY The new purpose–built factory is set on a 100 acre site with room for future expansion when required. With 11 acres of roof space, it is one of the largest manufacturing operations under one single roof in the Republic of Ireland. Incorporating the latest manufacturing processes with a focus on sustainability, the new factory will enable Combilift to double its output in a single shift across all production lines. Four 90 metre moving assembly lines produce a finished truck every 15 minutes. There are 60 welding bays, two plasma cutting machines, three paint lines, which use sustainable water-based paints, and three automatic shot blasters to cater for different sized products. The 12,000 pallet location warehouse ensures ample storage space for parts and components. The facility also includes a 50-seat cinema training room, 5,000m² of office space and a dedicated R&D and testing centre. Over 20 per cent of roof space is


covered in skylights, enabling staff to work in natural daylight without the assistance of artificial lighting. Solar panels supply 185kW of energy with a 1MW Biomass plant fuelled by recycled wood to heat the spray booths and assembly area. Over 100,000 litres of rain water are harvested for jet washing and bathroom facilities. More than 50 truck loads of finished


products are dispatched from the factory each week, and spare parts are shipped across the world to the dealer network.


Combilift www.combilift.com / MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS T: 07870 976758


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