Headquartered in Monaghan, Ireland, Combilift is the leading global supplier of customised and innovative handling solutions for a wide range of applications across varied industry sectors. Always a step ahead of other manufacturers, Combilift offers the most extensive portfolio of specialist and multidirectional products from one single supplier to ensure safe, space saving, cost effective and very productive materials handling of long loads, pallets, containers and oversized products. Over 30,000 units have been produced since the company was established, which have been exported to more than 75 countries.

Martin McVicar, Managing Director

WLN – As a top Specialist Trucks supplier, what have conditions been like in the past year for your business?

We have had an excellent year and sales will once again exceed our targets. The UK, our biggest export market, has seen exceptional growth in the warehousing sector and we have seen a significant increase in the sales of the Aisle-Master articulated range.

WLN – How have recent international developments affected you and how have you responded?

Following the referendum result the fall in sterling has made UK products more attractive on world markets and we have seen an increase in orders from manufacturers who export as well as from those who sell in the domestic market, who can be more competitive against imports. In the USA we had already noticed a willingness to invest in equipment before the election and we now expect this to increase.

WLN –What are your flagship products and services?

Our name is synonymous with multidirectional forklifts but customers are now well aware of the other solutions we offer. For example, the Aisle-Master articulated range now makes up 50% of our sales in the UK. We also launched the Combi-WR Walkie Reach model over 3 years ago in line with the growing trend towards pedestrian operated trucks which ensures safer operation where other personnel are present.

WLN – What makes you the ‘go to’ supplier in your category?

An integral part of our service is also our warehouse design and logistic audit, which is free of charge, with no obligation to purchase our trucks.

Our layout plans and 3D simulations illustrate the full space saving potential of our products and the level of improvement that can be achieved.

Significant investment in R&D – 7% of annual turnover – keeps us at the forefront of innovation and means that our time to market for new products can be exceptionally fast – we typically introduce one or two new products each year.

The straightforward design, the use of readily available standard components for easy maintenance and the excellent ROI that our products guarantee also marks us out in the sector. More and more forklift dealerships are gravitating towards our products due to the higher residual value that they offer compared with other brands.

WLN – How do you help customers improve their business performance?

In many ways! The core advantages of our products: safety, space saving and productivity, allow for improvements across the board. Increasing storage capacity leads to a smaller warehouse footprint for reduced outlay on premises and overheads – best possible space utilisation is an important KPI. Safety is a number one priority for any business and our products offer the safest operating environments for personnel. Multidirectional capability enables low level handling and safe movement of extreme (and therefore potentially hazardous) loads around the premises. Thanks to faster throughput times with our products our customers can offer a better service to their own clientele.

WLN – How have you changed your offering to customers in the last 12 months and why? Have you added anything new?

We are known for our constant innovation and this year has been no exception. We premiered two new products at IMHX in September which are already in place with customers. The new Combi-CS – the only pedestrian counterbalance stacker that will operate in a conventional reach truck aisle combines optimum narrow aisle performance with full visibility of the forks, load and surroundings for maximum safety of operators and other personnel. As with the Combi-WR pedestrian models, a key feature is the patented multi-position tiller arm which allows the operator to steer the rear wheel from the right or left side, rather than the normal rear position.

Our new anti-overload safety device – the Combi Safelift™ – makes an effective contribution to safer operations as it incorporates visual and audible alarms which alert operators to potential risk situations and the cut-out valve on the mast hydraulic lift shuts off operation before any critical overload point is reached.

WLN – Which markets are your customers in? Which ones are growing fastest?

We supply a diverse sector of industries – warehousing, logistics, 3PLs, and manufacturers of a wide range of products. Many smaller companies who are experiencing growth and therefore running out of space are turning to us to help them accommodate increasing volumes of raw and finished materials.

WLN – What were your other major achievements in the last 12 months?

It was a good year for awards. We won a Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award for the fourth consecutive year in April, making us a Gold Standard Winner. We took home the overall Irish Exporter of the Year Award 2015 for the second time in our company history after also winning the hotly contested Multinational Exporter of the Year Award category earlier in the evening. We also handed over our 30,000th truck earlier this year to an Austrian customer. Our total number of units shipped to the UK during 2016 will exceed 1,200.

WLN – Are you branching into any new areas, targeting new customers and taking on more people?

Since we started in 1998 we have constantly branched into new areas and targeted new customers, which has led to a steady increase in our employee numbers. This year we expanded our team of UK Product Managers to meet the ever growing demand for Combilift and Aisle-Master products in this country. The investment of £40m in our new purpose built factory in Monaghan will also create around 200 new jobs mainly for skilled technicians. The factory build is coming on well and it will be operational in 2017. With 46,000m² of production space this will keep us on track to double our current turnover over the next 5 years.

WLN – What headline news from Combilift can our readers look forward to seeing in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2017?

More solutions and products, particularly for the warehousing sector. Two of our products have also been shortlisted for the FLTA awards: the new Combi-CS counterbalance pedestrian stacker has been nominated for the Innovation Award and the Combi Safelift™ anti-overload safety device is a finalist in the Safety category. And of course we will be giving regular updates on the progress of our new manufacturing facility.

WLN – And finally, in our social media age, if you had to sum up your company in a 140-character tweet what would you say?

Proven track record of space saving solutions, safer handling of long loads and innovative product development.

COMBILIFT LTD

00 353 47 80500

info@combilift.com

www.combilift.com

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