Handling & Storage Equipment Ltd.

In April of this year world renowned fork truck manufacturer Linde Lansing acquired a majority shareholding in Dublin based Handling & Storage Equipment Ltd.. H.S.E.L.’s Managing Director, Tony Cooke explained the benefits of being part of a multi national company to John Loughran.

Linde Lansing are the largest manufacturer of fork trucks in the world. They are based in Germany, France, U.K. and they have recently opened up a £50 million plant in China. We supply and service Linde Lansing forklift trucks in Ireland. We are also the agents for Chloride Motive Power Batteries and Chargers. We cover the whole range of industries from the food, electronics, service, warehousing and logistics companies”. Tony enthused.

The takeover has already reaped benefits for Handling And Storage Equipment as Tony explained: “The big difference is we are now dealing in deutsch marks as opposed to sterling. The punt / sterling differential had been a major crippling factor. Price wise we are far more competitive than we were in the past and this has been reflected in our sales figures”.

The company can boast an impressive product range in both battery and engine operated fork trucks. “We have the complete range of warehouse and V & A equipment. We would also have the full range of engine trucks for outside use. Basically we do everything from a one tonne to a 55 tonne fork truck. We also supply stacker cranes which handle full containers which we have put into Waterford and Dublin ports”. Tony explained.

The company have an advantage over most of their competitors in that they supply and service their machines. In a very competitive market this is not the norm as Tony explained. “Because we are the agents for Chloride batteries and chargers we would supply the complete package. We can supply the machine, service the machine, battery and charger. Most of our competitors would only supply the trucks and it is then up to somebody to maintain the batteries and chargers”.

Tony explained that the company invested heavily in an apprenticeship scheme 11 years ago and they are now reaping the benefits of this innovative move. “We would have the largest number of service engineers on the road (24) directly employed by ourselves. Some of our competitors would sub-contract out that work”.

A downside of the Celtic Tiger economy is that good staff are hard to come by. In that respect Handling and Storage Equipment have been lucky. We are fortunate because we commenced with an apprenticeship programme 11 years ago. We have had people trained “in house” which has made a huge difference. Getting good service engineers is difficult”.
He explained that most of the companies they deal with will put in a full fixed maintenance contract. This allows the financial director to know exactly what they are getting for a fixed period of time. Tony added that in a time of spiralling wage demands this is an important factor.

Depending on individual customer requirements there are a number of ways of procuring a Linde Lansing fork truck from Handling and Storage Equipment. Tony explained. “There are three ways to get a machine either buying directly and getting a service contract afterwards, or else lease the trucks over a period of time which includes full maint-enance and then their are people who just rent the truck in a short term situation and send the equipment back afterwards”.

Tony is a great believer in word of mouth advertising and he advises potential custo-mers to check out what service and back up the company has to offer before proceeding with a purchase. “We have had major Irish comp-anies who would check physically to see parts holdings, service records, and so forth prior to purchasing equipment”.

The company have four full time sales representatives servicing the new business market. However the quality of their service and back up department generates its fare share of business. “Initially the sales people sell the first batch of machines. The service department sells the next batch of machines. It has proved very successful. “Up time” is critical. Most people purchase just enough equipment- the bare minimum - so having or one two machines lying idle is not acceptable. Some of these machines are operating on a 24 hour basis so it is vital to put a preventative maintenance schedule in place”.

Tony explained that the company is reaping the benefits of the booming economy but readily admits that the market is ultra competitive. “Margins are getting tighter every year because it is a very competitive market place. If you are not busy now you will never be busy. However, the amount of fork trucks coming into the country is increasing dramatically year by year. In 1986 eight hundred and fifty-five units were imported. Last year that figure rose to 1795”.

On the new product front Tony is very excited about Linde Lansing’s new reach truck range which was launched earlier this year. “It is aimed at the warehousing and distribution market. Specification wise it is well ahead of the competition. It is a major seller in the marketplace. Since we have had it out on demon-stration we have taken very substantial orders for the product. It was launched earlier this year at the Hannover Fair and we are delighted with customer response to date”.
With the backing of Linde Lansing, and a service and back up service par excellence the good time are set to continue at handling and Storage Equipment !Pirtek

Pirtek are a preferred supplier of Handling and Storage Equipment and offer a fast and efficient mobile hydraulic and industrial hose replacement service. The company has a fleet of mobile workshops staffed by experienced technicians and it is the company’s aim to be on site within one hour of being called out.

With five vans based in Dublin, one in the midlands, four in Cork and four in Belfast, Pirtek offer unrivalled coverage throughout the 32 counties. As well as standard products Pirtek carry a wide range of industrial hose, Cat hose, retracting reels, steel tubing, high temperature hose, food grade hose and a range of oils and lubricants.