IMPACT HANDLING BOOSTS HARSCO’S MATERIALS HANDLING FLEET WITH NEW CAT® LIFT TRUCKS

28 May 2014

Harsco Infrastructure UK, an access, formwork and industrial maintenance service provider, has called on the expertise of Impact Handling to update its complete forklift truck fleet, taking delivery of more than 40 new Cat® lift trucks in a single order.

Impact Handling secured this major new contract after a competitive tender process, impressing Harsco with its flexible finance offering, extensive portfolio of Cat lift trucks and strong customer service.

The order comprises 40 new DP30N 3 tonne diesel counterbalance trucks and three larger DP50N 5 tonne diesel counterbalance trucks, which are being used by Harsco nationwide for the loading and unloading of scaffolding, forming and shoring materials and mechanical access equipment.

John McKeever, Transport Manager at Harsco, says: “Our previous materials handling contract was due for renewal and we were impressed with the overall package Impact Handling offered. Working with Impact gave us access to the Cat® Lift Trucks brand, which has a solid reputation in the industry for its sheer product-strength, which coupled with Impact’s expertise and aftersales support, made them the right choice for us.

“The machines will each be worked for approximately 1,000 hours a year in our warehouses, some of which cover an area of up to three acres. Specifying equipment which is durable and can cope with the demands of an intensive workload was essential; so far the changeover to new machines has been seamless and we are looking forward to seeing how they perform in our business.”

Both models offer the flexibility of working inside and outdoors, plus they feature powerful diesel engines optimised to reduce emissions and maximise fuel efficiency.

The Cat DP30N is ideal for industrial applications and delivers impressive traction on sloping or slippery surfaces, ensuring safe and reliable working in a range of environments. It is also built to tackle long hours operating in dusty warehouses and yards, using enhanced dust filters to make it one of the most dependable forklifts available.

The larger Cat GP50N is designed for heavier duty applications, where its endurance and power can easily handle larger loads even when operating at full capacity.

Impact Handling is also in the process of fitting bespoke toolboxes to 35 of Harsco’s new DP30N trucks to hold essential scaffolding tools.

Due to the flat counterbalance weight of the Cat® lift trucks the machines are suitable to hold a securely fitted toolbox, creating a safe and secure solution for transporting tools.

Each of Harsco’s 11 depots, which stretch from Southampton to Edinburgh, have access to Impact Handling’s team of more than 150 mobile engineers who carry out routine servicing and maintenance on-site. They are also on-call to provide 24/7 support in an emergency, with an average response time of less than two hours.

The new forklifts are part of a wider investment by Harsco in its transport fleet. The company recently added 19 new DAF commercial vehicles, equipped with PM cranes, and a further 140 new cars and vans will be introduced into the business by 2015. The move to enhance its fleet is part of Harsco’s commitment to providing the highest standards of support to its customers.

For more information about Impact Handling visit www.impact-handling.com.

ends

About Impact Handling
Established in 1985, Impact Handling is wholly owned by Eqstra Holdings and is the sole distributor for Cat® Lift Trucks for the whole of the UK and Ireland. Impact Handling is also an agent for some of the world’s best known materials handling brands; ranging from forklift and warehouse equipment, heavy duty lift trucks, long load handling, side loaders, articulated trucks, access equipment and cranes which makes up a full complement of materials handling equipment. As one of the UK’s largest independent materials handling companies, Impact Handling operates from nine locations and has more than 250 employees, including in excess of 150 service engineers. It operates a combined fleet of more than 5,000 rental units, plus supports 2,000 customer-owned machines and 2,000 used assets.

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