UK forklift orders rising

News Story
- 10 Feb 2011 ( #500 ) - London, United Kingdom
2 min read
Annual sales orders for forklifts in the UK have risen for the first time in three years.

According to the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA), sales orders for forklifts increased by 24% in 2010, with engine-powered counterbalance forklifts recording the largest increase.

BITA, which is the sole provider of industrial truck sales statistics in the UK, says engine-powered counterbalance forklifts, which make up 32% of the overall market, grew 30% in 2010. This equates to an increase of 29% and 32% for diesel and LPG forklifts, respectively.

Orders for electric-powered rider warehouse equipment, dominated by reach trucks, rose by 29%, while electric-powered counterbalance forklift orders jumped by 22% in 2010. Pedestrian trucks finished the year with a rise of 15%.

The increase in sales is partly due to the UK's emergence from the global recession in the later period of 2009 but BITA says it had already seen evidence of recovery in the forklift market in the months preceding that point.

"BITA's 2010 UK Forklift Truck Market Outlook noted evidence of a rebound in manufacturing activity in Q3 and Q4 2009 due to an increase in exports and restocking. The service sector had also begun to rise again, which gave reason to expect a positive outlook in 2010 for the industry as a whole," BITA secretary James Clark explains.

Clark says BITA continues to experience "strong demand" for its technical advice and guidance, especially its pocket-sized Safety Booklets and technical Guidance Notes and expects a "steady increase" in sales orders for all forklift categories in 2011.

According to BITA, the UK forklift market contracted sharply in 2009 - shipments fell by over 41% and bookings were down nearly 34% as demand declined in the first half of the year and the later part of 2008.

The UK Forklift Truck Market Outlook is BITA's annual economic forecast for the forklift market that is typically issued in May every year, exclusively for its members. The trade association represents 82 forklift manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and media operating in the UK.
Ritchie Bros. auction earns $54M
Ritchie Bros. auction earns $54M 1 Sep 2022 - Houston, TX, United States - 1 min read
Record 11/11 sales for EP
Record 11/11 sales for EP 2 Dec 2021 - Hangzhou, China - 1 min read
Forklift sales surge Down Under
Forklift sales surge Down Under 21 May 2020 - Australia - 1 min read
Previously about:
UK prepares for Safety Day News Story - 4 Jun 2020 - Berkshire, United Kingdom - 2 min read
UK adopts National Forklift Safety Day News Story - 6 Jun 2019 - Berkshire, United Kingdom - 2 min read
First F-TEC engineers graduate News Story - 25 Oct 2018 - Burton on Trent, United Kingdom - 2 min read
Do you have materials handling news? Submit your news here
Inside The News
ProMat 2025 has wrapped up in Chicago, having achieved a record number of registered attendees for the largest intralogistics show held in North America (see story for more)... Continue reading

PREMIUM business

RAEDER-VOGEL
Innovative high-quality wheels and castors for the forklift industry.

Trelleborg expertise in material handling applications has led to the development of the XP1000 forklift tire. Specifically designed for maximum intensity applications, it is the perfect tire for warehouse operations, port yards, shop floors, and more.
The XP1000 gives maximum strength to maximum intensity applications. You can count on top performance at top speeds, heavy loads and long days.
- Maximum value for your operations
- Maximum reliability and safety for machine operators

Contact us to find out more! 

Words of support …

After advertising with Forkliftaction.com, we got many enquiries regarding interest to be our distributor. Mostly from Europe and USA but including a few in ASEAN. We feel that the advertisement was useful and good for market expansion.

Lawrence Xu, Assistant Sales Manager - Resonac Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

From fun filled team photos to the latest product highlights, our ProMat gallery will help you re-live the glory of last week's event in Chicago.

The materials handling community has already shared some fantastic photos - and it's still not too late to contribute!  

Read the first of our special ProMat coverage where Angie Kay examines the under-utilisation of data in our sector. 

PREMIUM business

VETTER Forks, Inc.
The world's most comprehensive product range as well as the most intelligent sensor fork for more safety and efficiency.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

PREMIUM business

Cascade Corporation (World HQ)
Leading manufacturers of attachments, forks and related technologies for forklifts and AGVs.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Trelleborg expertise in material handling applications has led to the development of the XP1000 forklift tire. Specifically designed for maximum intensity applications, it is the perfect tire for warehouse operations, port yards, shop floors, and more.
The XP1000 gives maximum strength to maximum intensity applications. You can count on top performance at top speeds, heavy loads and long days.
- Maximum value for your operations
- Maximum reliability and safety for machine operators

Contact us to find out more!