Moving bathroom pods needs high spec forklifts – and only Mitsubishi trucks could fulfil the tough requirements.

Have you ever stayed at a hotel where the bathroom suite was one complete, seamless unit? If you have, it was probably supplied using a Mitsubishi forklift truck. Somerset-based Off Site Solutions (RT) Ltd is the UK’s leading supplier of fully-fitted, factory-built bathroom pods for hotel chains, hostels, military blocks and residential accommodation.

The company manufactures various sizes of bathroom shells and then adds a bath, shower, toilet, cabinetry, mirrors and pipe connections before shipping them to clients. The finished bathroom pods can be up to 3m by 2.5m in size and weigh up to 2.5 tons, so the lifting vehicles need to be robust, reliable and durable.

When Off Site Solutions realised they were paying too much for ageing forklift trucks on short term hire from another dealer, they decided to invest in a lease purchase deal to update their fleet across four different sites.

After shopping around with various forklift truck manufacturers and dealerships, the trucks they were offered simply didn’t meet all their requirements, so the company approached local Mitsubishi dealer Bristol Forklifts.

As James Kutchera, Executive Manager at Off Site Solutions, explains: “We were looking for a long term investment, so the reputation of Mitsubishi was important.

“We’d had a couple of Mitsubishi trucks in the past that served us extremely well, and we’ve had a good relationship with Bristol Forklift for many years; they’ve never disappointed us.”

Mark Seabrook at Bristol Forklifts continues: “We knew the customer very well already and we are a local company situated close by, so that appealed to them.”

“When we looked at their specification list we selected the Mitsubishi FG30N 3 ton LPG counterbalance forklift truck and offered them seven trucks on an interest free credit deal.

“The customer loved the price and together we worked through their checklist of features and specifications to make sure they were getting precisely what they wanted,” said Mark.

“First on the list was an automatic speed limiter built into the truck. They’d found other manufacturers struggled to offer speed restrictors, and when they did it usually cost extra. But the Mitsubishi FG30N has an automatic speed limiter built-in as standard, so that ticked their first box.

“At Off Site Solutions’ three main sites the trucks operate both outside and inside the warehouse and for health and safety reasons they wanted LPG trucks with catalytic converters to reduce the damage to machinery inside, as well as safeguard their internal warehouse staff.

“Mitsubishi trucks are renowned for their low emissions and pollutants: the FG30N not only has a three-way catalytic converter but also a special belly plate unique in our industry.

“Traditionally, forklift truck engines don’t create dust, but they do tend to suck dirt and dust from the floor which enters the engine and causes poor fuel economy, reduced reliability and high engine wear.

“The dust is then scattered into the air in what is known as the ‘cyclone effect’, increasing airborne dust concentrations which damages stock, surrounding machinery and potentially workers’ health.

“But Mitsubishi’s unique belly plate and sealed rear wheel arches puts a physical barrier under the truck to stop dust and dirt from being sucked into the engine in the first place.

“Not only does this prevent the cyclone effect and protect workers’ lungs, machinery and stock, it also ensures the trucks’ engines experience less wear over time, extending their operational life and improving reliability,” said Mark.

“When they looked at the whole package, the specifications, the price, the free speed limiter, the threeway catalytic converter, the belly plate and sealed wheel arches, and the fact that they knew us and had worked with us before, I think it all fell right into place for them.”

James Kutchera from Off Site Solutions concludes: “There’s no downtime, the trucks are constantly available and the biggest compliment we have is that no one ever complains about the Mitsubishi trucks.

“Our factory manager knew exactly what he wanted, and the specifications and capabilities of the Mitsubishi trucks exceeded all our expectations.”

MITSUBISHI

Greenline: 0845 371 3048

Email: info@red-diamond.co.uk

www.mitsubishi-forklift.co.uk

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