Forkliftaction.com Looks Back At 2011 & Forward to 2012
It was another year of global political and financial upset and Mother Nature violently reminding us not to become complacent. The events of 2011 have had a significant impact on the materials handling world but the industry once again has shown itself to be resilient. Melissa Barnett looks back at 2011 and forward to 2012.
2011 financials
The year started with the now-perennial “cautious optimism”, with trading figures for most materials handling companies improving on the previous year and order books looking the best since 2008. According to the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) UK sales statistics, the market is headed in the right direction for 2012. From a low of 17,500 unit orders in December 2009, the UK market had reached 25,500 units by September 2011. That is more than halfway back to pre-recessionary levels (a 55% recovery). European forklift markets also showed improvements, with Dutch industry association Bouwmachines, Magazijnrichtingen, Wegenbouwmachines en Transportmaterieel (BMWT) reporting in early 2011 an increase in sales of almost all forklift types in the Netherlands. Intriguingly, side-loader forklifts showed the most marked increase, with sales of 97% up on the previous year. The big German forklift manufacturers, KION Group and Jungheinrich, also reported improved first-half 2011 group earnings: KION reported a total consolidated revenue increase of 31% from EUR1.621 billion (USD2.315 billion) to EUR2.113 billion (USD3.035 billion) and Jungheinrich’s consolidated net sales improved 18% on the previous year, from EUR833 million (USD1.197 billion) to EUR987 million (USD1.418 billion).
