Nissan Forklift at the Forefront of Compliance with Environmental Regulations

Nissan Forklift is pleased to announce certification from both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), for the 2007 Standards for Large Spark-ignited (LSI) Engines, for Nissan's full line of internal combustion forklifts. The Nissan engines have been redesigned to incorporate the latest technological advances for increased efficiency and performance, while greatly reducing exhaust emissions, well below the new requirements.

Nissan has taken a strong position in clean air engine technology by receiving compliance status for Nissan's K21 and K25 gasoline, LPG, and dual fuel industrial engines. All K Series, Electronic Concentrated Control System (ECCS) engines feature electronic fuel injection, an Engine Control Module (ECM), a Vehicle Control Module (VCM), three-way catalytic converter and heated oxygen sensor.

The ECM controls the basic engine functions and determines the exact air/fuel ratio, torque and speed needed to meet the demands of the application, while delivering very high combustion efficiency for lower fuel consumption and the lowest emission levels. The VCM monitors a variety of sensors in order to provide greater engine and transmission control. With a sophisticated CAN (Computer Area Network) system, 2 the engine's ECM, VCM and Easi-View meter panel can easily communicate critical information to the operator and technician.

Jungheinrich Plans New Plant in Eastern Germany

The sustained growth displayed by the material handling equipment market presents Jungheinrich with a very positive order situation. Production capacity has reached its limits at the Norderstedt site, above all as regards the low-platform truck segment. Because of this the company has plans to erect a new plant in Eastern Germany to build up enough production capacity to handle the expected continued increase in unit output.

Low-platform truck production located at Norderstedt so far is to be transferred to the new facility. The positive order situation made it possible to offer all affected employees adequate jobs in the Norderstedt plant. Furthermore, Jungheinrich will bolster its main plant even further: about 70 new hirings are envisioned for the coming year.

"These plans are further proof of our company's clear commitment to Germany as a place to do business," said Dr. Cletus von Pichler, chairman of the board of management of Jungheinrich AG. "Earlier this year, we commissioned a new assembly plant for the refurbishment of used equipment in the vicinity of Dresden."

Lehigh Career and Technical Institute Dedicates State-Of-The-Art Vehicle Tracking and Collision Alert Systems

Pennsylvania State Senator Patrick Browne, along with other government and school officials, dedicated innovative vehicle tracking and collision alert systems at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (LCTI) in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. More than forty-eight dignitaries from LCTI, local industry, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor, and OSHA attended the open house and commissioning ceremonies.

In his opening remarks, Senator Browne praised the high value LCTI and its industry alliances offer to the Lehigh Valley economy, and emphasized the nationwide need for progressive technical training at the high school level. LCTI Executive Director Dr. Clyde Hornberger explained that the school attracts students and industry to its internationally recognized training programs by aggressively seeking and applying advanced technologies.

The vehicle tracking system, known as the Sky-Trax Local Positioning System (LPS), monitors the movement of forklifts inside the distribution center. The system was provided by Sky-Trax, Inc. and includes vehicle-mounted "Sky-I" units, which view overhead markers and compute the vehicle's precise position. A wireless LAN transfers position data from each vehicle to a supervisory computer, which records vehicle movements and presents a map display showing vehicle location. The LCTI system tracks Toyota and Raymond lift trucks in real-time, showing pedestrians their location within the facility as well as providing statistical data on forklift usage, downtime and productivity. Sky-Trax LPS provides position information similar to a Global Positioning System, but it is much more accurate and works indoors where radio technology is not reliable.

The collision alert system utilizes the same Sky-I data, but monitors vehicle activity in designated zones within the distribution center and controls a traffic signal located at the manager's office. Depending upon forklift location, the system may signal that vehicles are in the green zone (safe distance from pedestrians), yellow zone (approaching) or red zone (immediate area).

Both systems will be used in routine operations as training and safety aids for students and distribution center workers as well as the continuing education program that provides technology training for adults. The distribution center also serves as a technology test facility and demonstration platform, a concept for which LCTI has received wide recognition.

LCTI operates the campus-based highly automated 17,000 square foot distribution center where the next generation of warehouse and distribution workers are trained for the growing Lehigh Valley logistics job market. The distribution center was constructed by the State of Pennsylvania and Lehigh County in partnership with United Parcel Service, and serves as the main purchasing and distribution hub for the Lehigh Valley School district, supporting over 100 area schools.

Textron Sells Jacobsen Commercial Grounds Care Product Lines

Textron, Inc. has announced that the Jacobsen business unit has sold its commercial grounds care product lines to Commercial Grounds Care, Inc., an affiliate of Schiller-Pfeiffer, Inc. The sale includes the Jacobsen Johnson Creek, Wisconsin manufacturing facility, a leased service parts facility in Dalton, Ohio and products branded Bob-Cat, Bunton, Ryan, Steiner and Brouwer. The transaction closed on Friday, August 18 with undisclosed terms.

The sale of the commercial grounds care product lines allows Jacobsen to heighten the focus on its golf and professional turf-related markets with equipment manufactured in Charlotte, North Carolina and Ipswich, England. It also advances Textron's portfolio strategy, which has included significant divestitures of non-core manufacturing businesses representing more than $4.4 billion in annual revenues and the elimination of $1.4 billion in non-core finance receivables from its Textron Financial unit over the past five years.

"Jacobsen has made a strategic decision to focus on its professional turf business which includes golf course, sports turf and municipal grounds equipment," said Dan Wilkinson, president, Jacobsen. "Although the commercial grounds care division offers strong brand names and an excellent facility in Johnson Creek, it is not consistent with Jacobsen's long-term growth strategy."

Johnston Sweepers Opens new UK Midlands Service Depot in Coventry

Johnston Sweepers has relocated its Midlands Service Depot to an expansive new site with improved facilities and access in Coventry. The new depot is significantly larger than its Warwick-based predecessor, which has allowed Johnston to improve the workshop facilities, and to hold larger stocks of spare parts for collection or delivery throughout the area.

Relocation to the new depot is part of an ongoing investment program by Johnston in its after sales support facilities for customers, and follows the recent opening of another new center in Leeds to service the North. The Coventry depot is one of seven regional centers operated in the UK, providing a nationwide parts and service support network which is unique to the sweeper industry.

Johnston Beam supplies sweeper to Palermo Airport

Johnston Beam has delivered a VX800 airport sweeper to Palermo Airport in Sicily, supplied through Johnston Sweepers' Italian distributor, Farid.

The 8m3 sweeper is mounted on an Iveco chassis and is fitted with the latest design runway sweeping hood, which incorporates air regeneration. The system works by redirecting expelled air to the nozzle, creating turbulence which lifts material for easier pick-up, as well as reducing dust. The machine also features channel brushes which extend up to 800mm from the side of the body, and a front mounted magnet for high speed pick up of ferrous material from airfield areas.

The machine is being used for general sweeping duties around the airport, including aircraft parking stands and runways, and for collecting spillages and FOD.

The VX800 has been built in Denmark by Johnston's specialist sweeper division which produces customised machines for the heavy duty end of the market. Airport sweeping capabilities include Glycol recovery, rubber removal, high speed FOD clearance, and extendable brushes which increase swept width by up to 40%.

Johnston Beam sweepers are in use at civil and military airports all over the world, among them Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, Copenhagen, UK Ministry of Defence, Barbados, Antwerp, Tripoli and Frankfurt.

If you require further information please contact Ms Joyce Hack: Marketing Communications Specialist.

Crown Honored with Design Award

Crown Equipment Corp. continued its winning design tradition with recognition from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) for its TSP 6000 Series Turret Stockpicker. The honor adds to Crown's list of more than 50 product design awards. Over the last 16 years, Crown has received 14 IDEA awards from the IDSA. In the latest competition, co-sponsored by BusinessWeek, only 65 products earned a gold or silver IDEA from the nearly 1,500 entries.

IDEA Jury Chair Chris Conley, IDSA, co-founder and director of Chicago-based consulting firm, Gravity Tank, spoke highly of Crown, the TSP 6000 Series and all the award winners. "With the rapid changes occurring in technology, commerce and society, it takes real leadership to define meaningful new products and services and deliver them to the market," said Conley. "Consumers expect new products and services to not only serve their needs, but to delight them. The 2006 IDEA winners represent the best of global product design and the best people and firms working to realize design's Crown set out to design a Turret Stockpicker that would enable operators to transport, store and pick palletized goods in very narrow-aisle (VNA) environments and better enhance cube utilization than any lift truck on the market. Their groundbreaking design impressed the IDSA as well as customers."

"We're obviously honored to be recognized by our peers in industrial design," said Crown vice president – Design Center Mike Gallagher. "We're equally thrilled that our customers have found the design of the TSP 6000 to be so beneficial to their business. We set out to create a Turret Stockpicker that exceeded all existing standards for VNA trucks in the industry, and that's exactly what our customers are telling us we've done."

Crown's industrial design core team visited 65 sites in North America and Europe to research the needs of lift truck operators, distribution center managers, third party logistics operations and backroom warehouse facilities. Designers learned that operator tasks have become unique, differing not only between customers, but also in the sequence of tasks between operators within a warehouse. Addressing this range of tasks in a single truck required unprecedented flexibility in its design.

"In VNA applications, flexibility means productivity," said Crown senior marketing product manager Matt Ranly. "The three-point design of the TSP 6000 offers tight turning radiuses, yet it's designed to perform a multitude of tasks throughout the warehouse including picking, transporting and staging."

"From its ability to blend multiple task simultaneously, to the MoveControl T seat that swivels to four different positions for optimum flexibility, to the Mono-Mast created to minimize twisting and swaying, everything about the TSP 6000 was created to enhance operator comfort, confidence and productivity," said Mike Gallagher. "We're proud the TSP 6000 is continuing the Crown legacy of innovative design that meets our customers' needs for dependable lift trucks while enhancing their bottom line."

Toyota Number One in Lift Truck Sales for fourth Consecutive Year

Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU), has released that Toyota again tops the leader board as the world's largest lift truck supplier according to 2005 revenue reports. With global sales revenue of more than $5 billion, this is the fourth consecutive year Toyota has been ranked the largest supplier of lift trucks.

According to the World Industrial Truck Statistics, growth in the worldwide lift truck market slowed to a moderate level in 2005. Toyota enjoyed a 3.7 percent increase in 2005, continuing to catapult itself ahead of other industry players.

"We are pleased that even during a time of modest growth, Toyota continues to post sales gains and retain the number one worldwide position," said Dr. Shankar Basu, president and CEO of TMHU. "We attribute this success to our strong dealer support and the ongoing production of technologically advanced lift trucks."

Construction Equipment Exports Gain 10 Percent in First Half of 2006

Exports of US made construction machinery totaled $6.68 billion for the first half of 2006, a 10-percent increase compared to January through June 2005, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The AEM North American-based international trade group consolidates US Commerce Department data with other sources into a quarterly export trends report.

Central America took delivery of 44 percent more American-made construction equipment during the first half of 2006 compared to 2005 by midyear, for a total of $638 million, and South America increased its purchases 16 percent to total $950 million. Construction equipment export volume to the Asia region overall declined 19 percent (a total $694 million). However, exports to China gained 20.5 percent for the first half of 2006 to total $114 million and rank China in 11th place as an export destination for U.S. construction machinery.

"General construction (residential and commercial) projects and transportation infrastructure continue to account for the majority of recent equipment sales revenue in Latin America and China, according to participants in our quarterly industry conditions surveys," noted AEM Assistant Director of International Marketing Arnold Huerta.

The only other world region showing a decline was Europe, with a decrease of 17 percent in construction equipment purchases ($892 million) for the first half of 2006.

Exports to Africa grew 66 percent and totaled $318 million. Canada took delivery of $2.53 billion worth of US made construction equipment, a 22-percent gain, and exports to Australia/Oceania increased 10 percent, representing $657 million worth of construction machinery.

The top 10 export destinations for American-made construction equipment for the first half of 2006 were:

ZAP Quarterly Revenues Up 376 Percent over 2nd Quarter of Fiscal 2005

ZAP has posted a consecutive quarterly increase in revenues for the second quarter. ZAP believes the increase in second quarter revenue can be attributed to rising gas prices and increasing demand for fuel-efficient micro-cars.

The first six months of 2006 have surpassed revenues for all of 2005 and this is the second straight quarter showing revenue gains. ZAP reported revenues of $7.3 million for the first six months of 2006, an increase of $5.2 million or 247 percent over revenues of $2.1 for the same period a year ago. Second quarter revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2006 were $4.4 million compared to $923,000, an increase of $3.4 million or 376 percent for the same period a year ago.

"The increase in revenues indicates that our aggressive business plan to create an independent dealer network for advanced technology vehicles is beginning to show results," said ZAP CEO Steve Schneider. "ZAP has delivered over 270 Smart Cars during this period while successfully expanding our automotive portal with the first production, all-electric XEBRA micro-car. Just as exciting, interest for our personal transportation, off-road vehicles and other consumer products is growing. Everything electric is really taking off."

Net loss for the quarter was $2.8 million as compared to a net loss of $1.9 million for the period ended June 30, 2005. Net loss for the six months was $5.5 million as compared to a net loss of $3.4 million for the same period in 2005.

"At a time of increasing gas prices, ZAP appears to have laid a foundation to be uniquely positioned in the marketplace," added Schneider. "Although many distributors have discussed that someday in the future a Chinese car manufacturer would supply vehicles for the US market, ZAP has accomplished this feat in 2006 and our dealers are beginning to benefit from this investment."

Schneider noted that its XEBRA, ZAP's new city-speed electric vehicle, is now in production in China for the US market. ZAP also accepted delivery of a pre-prototype ethanol based vehicle from Brazil. This micro-car specially designed for the US market would be able to run on unleaded gasoline or ethanol and has been received with positive interest from dealers, consumers and the industry press at the various trade shows ZAP has attended. ZAP has an exclusive contract with the manufacturer, OBVIO ! Automotoveiculos S.A. of Rio de Janeiro, for distribution in North America in 2008.

South Africa is Home to New Multiquip, STOW Dealers

Multiquip has added three dealers in South Africa, bringing to four the number of outlets carrying MQ and STOW Construction Equipment products across the country. Ian Dickie & Co., Lambson's Hire and Sales and PowerBase CC are the newest additions to a growing dealer network which now sells equipment in more than 60 countries.

Ian Dickie & Co. carries Multiquip's Whiteman Series ride-on and walk-behind trowels, screeds and several of Multiquip's dewatering pump models. The dealership is located in Cape Town and operated by Iain Fraser and Tasneem Bedford. Lambson's Hire and Sales, in the Johannesburg suburb of Benrose, stocks Multiquip concrete and plaster/mortar mixers, power buggies and Night Hawk light towers. The dealership is directed by CEO Rohan Lambson.

PowerBase carries several lines of STOW saws, including the new CS Series pavement saw. Powerbase is located in Cape Town. In 2005, Johannesburg's Rockcrete Equipment became Multiquip's first South Africa-based dealer. Director Mike Treges represents the Mayco line of concrete pumps, including the C-30 and LS Series hydraulic models.

The new South African dealers are an integral part of Multiquip's global growth. Since the early 1990s, the company has continued its rapid worldwide expansion with dealers serving contractors and builders in a diverse group of industries. In addition to its Carson, California headquarters, Multiquip offices are located in Manchester, England; Laval, Canada; Guadalajara, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Mumbai, India and Beijing, China.