Jungheinrich UK outsourcing lift trucks to the Amethyst Group
Outsourcing lift trucks parts supply - it's a gem of an idea
Logistics outsourcing aftermarket parts support for lift trucks.
Having established a successful overnight parts delivery system direct to any one of its 500 engineers nationwide, the next logical step for Jungheinrich was to review the storage of its lift truck parts held in the UK.
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Crown Equipment Corporation has opened both a manufacturing facility and sales operation in Suzhou, China.
The company said in a
release that the expansion "allows Crown to serve its
global customers more effectively and increases its
presence in the worldwide marketplace."
Crown leaders as well as representatives of the
Suzhou and United States governments were on hand for
a grand opening.
Crown's ongoing commitment to its customers was a key
factor in the decision to build in China, said Crown
President Jim Dicke III. "Many of our global
customers are already located in China or making
plans to open operations. Providing service support
for these existing customers in China is very
important to our company," he said.
Mr. Dicke added that Crown chose the Suzhou New
District, a high-tech industrial park, based on the
area's economic climate. "Suzhou will provide us an
opportunity to develop talent so that we can build
equipment and develop our service teams to meet the
requirements of our global customers," he said. "We
have been extremely impressed with the talent of the
employees hired in China and the quality of suppliers
supporting Crown."
Crown has been manufacturing several of its smaller
product models in the 150,000 square foot facility
since April, 2006. Additionally, Crown has global
operations in the United States, Australia, England,
Germany and Mexico.
Raymond to study hydrogen fuel cells
Raymond said it also will develop the infrastructure needed for indoor fast-fill hydrogen refueling systems, which are typically installed outdoors.
The goal of the program is to study the performance of hydrogen fuel in electric forklifts and demonstrate the safety of a hydrogen fueled forklift environment, the company said.
Hydrogen-fuel cells offer higher productivity because they can be rapidly refueled in several minutes versus several hours, eliminating the need to change a battery, Raymond said. Cost savings come from eliminating the need to buy batteries and chargers, and from labor savings, the company said.
A recent $750,000 award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will help fund the program.
"The Raymond Corp. is committed to researching the application of hydrogen as an alternate method for storing energy on its forklift equipment," said Michael Field, Raymond vice president of research and development, in a written statement. "The NYSERDA contract confirms the merits of our project and supports our business strategy to develop fuel cell technology for electric forklift applications. By using our own facility as a test lab, we can streamline the development process and learn firsthand the requirements for using fuel cell-powered forklifts in a manufacturing environment."
Both manufacturing and research and development personnel at Raymond's Greene facility will work on the program, Field said.
"We do not expect it to have a direct impact on employment or production, but it will help ensure that Raymond products are compatible with alternative energy sources, which are likely to become more prevalent in the near future." Read More...