Maini hosts materials handling seminars

Yale’s exclusive distributor in India, Maini Materials Movement Ltd, hosted a series of four materials handling seminars to demonstrate the wide choice of equipment and solutions available for customers in India.

The events, held in Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Delhi, demonstrated Maini and Yale’s commitment to the Indian marketplace and the class leading products available to the growing materials handling and logistics sectors.

Representatives from over 200 organisations attended these events where Yale shared its knowledge of global emerging warehousing trends and the practical ways Indian customers can increase output and productivity.

James Newman, Yale’s territory manager for India said: “The four regional seminars position Yale and Maini as the ideal materials handling solution and equipment partners. Many of the delegates who attended these events were representing multinational companies and already NMHG customers in other global operating theatres. Yale’s Global experience should reassure them that by doing business with us their materials handling needs are in safe hands.”

As a leading international manufacturer Yale is ideally positioned to offer multiple solutions to meet customers’ different applications and business requirements and can provide practical material handling solutions to reduce cost of ownership and increase productivity. With class leading warehouse equipment, electric and engine powered forklift trucks sourced from factories around the world including India, Yale and Maini can now provide customers in India with product flexibility and choice.

Headquartered in Bangalore, Maini Materials Movement Ltd is part of the Maini Group, a diverse portfolio of innovative companies involved in material handling equipment, warehousing systems, logistics solutions and precision engineering. Maini became the exclusive sales, service, parts and customer support representative for Yale throughout India in the autumn of 2010.

Maini MM CEO, S. A. Mohan, said: “The appointment of Maini Materials Movement as the exclusive Yale Authorised Sales and Service Dealer for the whole of India was a major coup for the company. It positions us as the major materials handling equipment solutions provider with a complete product line of warehouse equipment and electric rider and counterbalanced fork lift trucks.

“At these events, customers saw for themselves how the relationship between Yale and Maini has developed and continues to grow and how we are perfectly positioned to develop the market and meet the demanding needs of materials handling equipment users.”

The event programme included a presentation on the future of warehousing in India, an overview of Yale capabilities as a global organisation, the strength of Yale-Maini partnership and the opportunities that this partnership brings to existing and new customers.


For further information on the range of materials handling equipment provided by Maini Materials Movement and Yale, please visit www.yale-forklifts.eu.

Seeing is believing; Yale MR series upgrade

Increased visibility and operator comfort updates have been made to the Yale MR series of reach trucks. The company’s senior product strategy manager for warehouse equipment, Robert O’Donoghue, explains the changes to the MR14-25 reach trucks and the benefits they present to the operator.

“As part of Yale’s ongoing commitment to improve and evolve established products, our reach truck has undergone a series of enhancements and modifications making it even easier to operate.

“Our research has found that visibility is one of the major factors that influence an operator’s attitude towards warehouse equipment. It is cited time and again in our discussions with end users so it was imperative that we looked at this issue when updating our current series.”

The reach truck’s overhead guard has been completely redesigned without any compromise to its strength or security. The guard maintains driver protection whilst offering significantly improved upward visibility.

Robert continues: “To enhance operator comfort we have made changes to the truck that allow a new full suspension ergonomic seat to be installed. Designed to drastically reduce whole body vibration, the seat has a very low profile mechanical suspension, a shock absorber and an integral lumbar support. A weight adjustment range dial allows the seat to be adjusted quickly for multiple users ranging from 45kg to 170kg and there is also an adjustable backrest angle with a setting range from -5 to 30 degrees.

“The new seat is available in cloth or vinyl with a heated seat option for equipment used inside cold stores. As well as offering benefits to the end user, the improved ergonomics of the reach truck have wider implications as we believe that improved comfort allows the operator to maintain optimum productivity for longer as fatigue is reduced.”

Productivity is further enhanced by an eight per cent increase in travel speeds, particularly beneficial when trucks need to operate over longer distances.

Additional updates include reduced steer noise levels , antistatic traction and wet grip drive wheel, new 800mm and 1590mm forks and additional mast height options.

For further information on Yale’s 1,400kg to 2,500 kg capacity reach truck, or to find your nearest dealer, please log on to www.yale-forklifts.eu.

Yale re-establishes presence in India

Forklift and materials handling equipment manufacturer, Yale, has signed a strategic agreement with Maini Materials Movement Pvt Ltd to represent the brand in India.

Under this agreement, Maini Materials will be exclusively responsible for the sales, service, parts and customer support for Yale’s extensive range of products in India.

The relationship between the two companies comes at a time when the Indian materials handling market is developing rapidly with increased demand for more complex equipment. Ralf Mock, Managing Director EMEA at Yale’s parent company NACCO Materials Handling Limited (NMHG), said this provided the ideal trading environment for Yale and Maini Materials Movement to offer reliable and responsive materials handling equipment in India.

“Today India is one of the fastest growing economies and is the world’s fourth largest in terms of purchasing power and there is no doubt that the materials handling market in India is changing. The Exclusive Dealer agreement between Yale and Maini Materials Movement will position the companies as the most capable to satisfy this growing need.



“Maini has always demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and sales and service excellence. As the latest member of Yale’s global dealer network the company can now provide customers with the Yale range of class leading products supported by its local knowledge and solutions expertise.”



Growth Opportunities

Maini has existing relationships with customers in the automotive, FMCG, pharmaceutical and logistics sectors and employs more than 150 service engineers throughout the country, operating from six main branches.

The link with Yale will allow Maini to expand its portfolio with products from the extensive Yale product range. With the wide choice of models, configurations and often unique product specifications in the Yale product range Maini will be able to respond to the demands of the growing Indian markets in all segments of the materials handling industry.

Most importantly the partnership between the two companies will also include the manufacture of specific Yale products within India. Mr Mock explained: “NMHG will also be providing product design and engineering expertise to enable the Maini Group to build, under license, certain key Yale products in India.

The first of the products to be launched is the successful three wheel RCF electric counterbalance forklift truck which is scheduled to roll off the Bangalore factory production line early in 2011.”

The expertise to build these products will be provided through NMHG’s engineering centre in Pune which currently employs 45 people focused on product design, special purpose application design (SPED) and FEA analysis.

In addition to its engineering capabilities in India, NMHG also sources components from India for its plants in the United States of America and in Europe. Demonstrating its commitment to the Indian market, MNHG has implemented local technology licensing agreements with key partners to ensure customers in India can be supplied with locally sourced products and parts when required.

Customers first

The Maini philosophy is epitomised by its Complete Customer Care program which will be a key driver in growing both organisations’ business in the Indian market. The program is unique in the Indian market and, where appropriate, locates service engineers in customers’ premises where they assume responsibility for servicing and maintaining the materials handling fleet on site to agreed schedules and Key Performance Indicators.

As a result customers will see immediate benefits, from increased uptime and productivity, to a sharp decrease in its recruitment and training costs.

A proven resource

Mr Mock concluded: “There are many Yale forklift trucks still operating throughout India that were built in the 1970s and the Yale brand is still remembered for its quality and reliability.

“Everyone in Yale is excited about re-establishing the brand in the Indian market after an absence of almost 20 years. Working with the experienced and highly regarded team at Maini Materials Movement we are confident that together we will be able to position the Yale brand as the leading manufacturer of counterbalance forklift trucks and warehouse equipment in India and we look forward to a long and successful relationship with the Maini Group.”

Commenting on the appointment Simon Munn, VP Dealer Business Development said, “NACCO Materials Handling Group always looks to work with successful and forward thinking organisations that will support our brand promise to customers and end-users. To us, it is not just about identifying and signing up new dealers but more about working with business partners to build mutually beneficial relationships.

“It gives me great pleasure to have been part of the re-establishing of the Yale brand in India and the appointment of Maini Materials Movement. From the earliest discussions with the Maini team, we knew we were working with a professional organisation looking for new opportunities to grow their materials handling business.

“ It is evident to me that we have a shared goal of long term investment and success combined with a clear understanding of our mutual business strategy, trust and commitment to achieving common long term objectives.”

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Good vibrations

Yale's new generation of forklift trucks can now be fitted with a new low vibration seat giving operators the flexibility to choose an optimal seat position to suit his or her height.


Featuring an adjustable lumbar support and headrest with 14 positions to choose from, the seat is also 42mm higher than the standard seat, giving more back support.

Lower back pain can be bought on or made worse by a bad seated posture. The adjustable lumbar support on Yale's new low vibration seat promotes a better seated posture by providing more support to the lower back and promoting the correct curvature of the spine.

Yale brand manager Steve Ridgway says: "All of Yale's next generation of counterbalance forklift trucks have been designed with ergonomics and the operator in mind. Features such as three point entry for easier mounting and dimounting and an integrated Accutouch mini lever module control in the armrest based on intuitive fingertip operation all make for a smoother operation.

"The new low vibration seat caters for the comfort of each individual and given that a more comfortable driver makes for a more productive driver, there will be benefits for the business too."

The new low vibration seat options are being introduced as a price list option on models within Yale's VT, VF and VL series and is availale in cloth or vinyl. For more information log on to www.yale-forklifts.eu to find your nearest dealer.

EAST MEETS WEST IN CRAIGAVON

A delegation of over 70 materials handling dealer representatives from Russia attended a company and product overview in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, the manufacturing location of the Yale range of counterbalance fork lift trucks.

The visit was organised for sales managers and independent dealers of Universal Spetstechnica LLC (UST) who recently signed an agreement to become the Exclusive Dealer for Yale counterbalance fork lift trucks and warehouse equipment in the Russian Federation.

The largest forklift truck distributor in the Russian Federation, UST has a distribution channel of over 50 wholly owned and independent sales and service points in all eight of the Federal Districts making it the most comprehensive distribution channel of any materials handling organisation in the Russian Federation.

Throughout the four day event the 70 delegates took part in an overview of the complete Yale product range and were briefed on the product features and customer benefits of each product series. The delegates also took advantage of the opportunity to undertake an extensive factory tour of the company’s counterbalance forklift truck manufacturing facility.

Werner Meier-Ansari, the Yale area business director for Central and Eastern Europe said: “The purpose of the visit to Craigavon was to provide our new dealer colleagues with the opportunity to see first-hand the manufacturing facility in Craigavon and to provide them with an overview of the Yale product range and the features that can benefit owners and operators of Yale equipment in Russia.

It was also an opportunity to provide them with an insight into the support they will receive to enable them to provide their customers with the best materials handling solution to their application requirements.”

PRODUCT FAMILIARISATION BRIEFING HELD FOR UK DEALER

Following the announcement of Yale’s intention to appoint Briggs Equipment UK Ltd as its exclusive distributor in the UK, the company’s sales representatives visited the Yale counterbalance production facility in Craigavon earlier this month for product familiarisation.

Over 70 delegates took part in an overview of the complete Yale product range and were briefed on the features and customer benefits of each product series.

The three day event covered sessions on the Company Presentation, History and Values, Yale product range and the Multi-media Sales Tool (MMST). A ride and drive session in nearby Silverwood gave the Briggs delegates an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the latest electric counterbalance and Veracitor VX forklifts trucks as well as Yale’s highly productive warehouse equipment.

The Yale area business director for Northern Europe, Dave Bunting said: The visit was important in bringing the Briggs Equipment Sales team up to speed with the Yale product range as quickly as possible. The upturn in the UK market provided a great opportunity for Yale and newly appointed Briggs Equipment and this overview provided the sales team with the knowledge they needed to make an immediate impact in the marketplace”.