FEATURE u Materials Handling
Forklift donated by Toyota boosts the flow of humanitarian aid to Ukraine
A
humanitarian aid charity, that was established to send food, clothing, medicine and other essential items to
the people of Ukraine, has taken delivery of a vinyl-wrapped forklift truck donated by Toyota Material Handling (TMH) UK Ltd. Boxes of Hope received the Approved
Used forklift – a 2.5 tonne diesel-powered counterbalance model – vinyl-wrapped in its own branding. It will help to improve handling efficiency as well as the wellbeing of the charity’s volunteer staff at its national pick-up and distribution centre in Lincolnshire by reducing the amount of manual handling equipment. Founder and Director of Boxes of Hope, Mandy Baxter, says: “The truck has made a huge difference to the way that we work. It has allowed us to completely change the layout of our store as we can now move items around safely, quickly and easily. Of course, lorry loading has become faster and simpler too; it now takes about a third of the time to load a truck than it was taking to do the job manually. “As well as that, we are now able to make full use of every vehicle’s load capacity – which means we can get more of the things that are so
desperately needed to the people of Ukraine.” So far, Boxes of Hope has sent 16 lorries, each containing some 18 tonnes of crucial supplies, to Ukraine. Ms Baxter has herself made several trips to personally oversee delivery of the aid. “My visits to Ukraine have changed my life,” she
continues. “I will never forget the look on the faces of the soldiers that I met at Lviv military hospital. They had experienced things that nobody should go through, and you could see it in their eyes.” The business community has been quick to get behind Boxes of Hope’s campaign. For example, the charity’s warehouse is a former garden centre unit and the owner is not charging to use it. And the charity is working closely with a number of local and international logistics companies which not only transport aid from donation centres and individual donors to the warehouse, but also provide the lorries and drivers needed to make the deliveries from England to Ukraine. Toyota was initially approached by a former TMH UK employee about Boxes of Hope’s urgent need for a forklift truck, as Amanda Rodgers, TMH UK’s Used and Trade Operations Manager, explains: “I received a call out of the blue from an ex-colleague who described what Boxes
16 December/January 2023 Irish Manufacturing
of Hope is doing and how having a forklift would help the organisation to process even more vital supplies bound for Ukraine.”
Ms Rodgers contacted Ms Baxter and, after visiting Boxes of Hope’s site in Spalding, it was quickly agreed that Toyota would not only supply the truck at no cost but also provide complimentary ongoing service and maintenance support. Supporting projects such as Boxes of Hope is a cornerstone of TMH’s corporate sustainability strategy. “A sustainable company engages in business practices that are good for people and Toyota’s approach to sustainability aims to make a difference to the wellbeing of those who are less fortunate than others,” says Ms Rodgers. Ms Baxter concludes: “We are very grateful to
Toyota for everything it is doing to support our work. Having a forklift allows us to operate far more efficiently and, ultimately, lets us send more aid to the people of Ukraine. We would also like to thank Bott Ltd for vinyl-wrapping for the truck for us.”
Toyota Material Handling UK
https://toyota-forklifts.co.uk
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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