‘People, products and productivity’ sums up Yale’s approach to the materials handling business, in which it is one of the world’s most experienced and successful players. For 140 years its innovation and teamwork have continued to drive technological development, set new standards and maintain competitiveness for customers in this highly demanding industry.

Ian-Melhuish-040The European operation, headquartered in Frimley, Surrey, is supported by product development centres in the UK, Netherlands and Italy as well as facilities in the US, India and Japan. Yale’s 19 locations worldwide include 12 manufacturing plants – with one based in Craigavon, Northern Ireland – while a global network of more than 150 carefully chosen independent dealers serves customers on all continents.

WLN – As a leading supplier in the Warehouse Trucks category, what has the last year been like for your business? How about for the rest of your sector

This has been a very exciting year, to say the least, as the company has invested heavily in the development of a variety of innovative warehouse products and industry solutions. We are seeing the results of new product launches in the past 18 months coming to fruition. They started with our new reach truck range, which is now widely recognised as the leader in that product category. That was followed and supported by further expansion of our pedestrian and rider pallet truck range, among others.

More recently we’ve been celebrating our MP series pedestrian pallet truck being shortlisted in the FLTA awards and are eagerly awaiting the results in February. We launched the MP earlier this year and the feedback on the key Smart Lift™ and Smart Slow-Down®features of the truck have been extremely positive.

WLN – What are your best-known products and services?

Yale is regarded as one of the major global suppliers of warehousing solutions, with an extensive dealer network, a comprehensive counterbalance and warehouse product range, and a full suite of services covering parts, servicing and financial solutions.

WLN – What makes you the first choice supplier in your field?

Yale really does deliver on its brand promise of ‘people, products and productivity.’ We listen to the needs, concerns and wishes of customers, and provide complete, tailored, practical solutions to deliver the most cost-effective operations on a global basis.

WLN – What changes have you made to your core offering in the last year?

The key change this year has been to further develop the systems and processes we use to tailor our products and service offerings to best suit our customers’ needs.

Our ability to customise products to support the development of cutting-edge logistics has been crucial to our success.

FLTA-EXCELLENCE-FIN-2016-RGB-(2)WLN – What new products and services have you introduced?

We have introduced a number of important new products and refinements across the complete range of both electricand engine-powered trucks, and we are also launching some very significant lithium ion battery solutions. Highlights of the year have included introducing a whole new class of warehouse truck, with the launch of our MPT rider pallet series; making our ERP15- 20VT series the world’s most energy efficient 3-wheel electric truck; and continuing the evolution of our MR series. I could go on, but rather than listing all of the new products I would recommend you visit our website: www.yale.com as well as watching this space as details of our latest advances will be shared with readers in the coming months as our new products are brought to market.

WLN – What industries are your customers in?

As one of the only truly global providers, Yale has customers in all industries across most regions of the world. To every specific sector our dealers and product development teams bring a remarkable breadth and depth of understanding, which is essential to meeting the needs of each unique application successfully.

WLN – How do your products and services help customers become more efficient, greener or work safer?

At Yale we put people, products and productivity at the centre of everything we do. We design our trucks to give the driver the most ergonomic workstation, delivering the highest productivity, whilst always looking to reduce the amount of energy consumed in the process. Recent improvements to our electric range have cut energy consumption by 10%. Other innovations have ranged from introducing highly efficient diesel engines to installing pedestrian awareness systems.

These are all good examples of Yale continuing to deliver on its ‘people, products, productivity’ brand promise.

WLN – Can you tell us about some of your customers and the work you do for them?

Yale works with its dealer network to provide tailored solutions for all its customers, and it’s hard to single out individual companies as they are all equally important to us. On our website, www.yale.com, you will find detailed case studies on some of the work we have done to help various customers with their warehousing and distribution operations.

They include: automotive manufacturer Nissan; automotive component manufacturer Borges; the laboratory and testing facility of Elco Burners, a leading manufacturer of industrial burners; BASF, the world’s largest chemical company; and Beatson Clark, a successful manufacturer of glass packaging for the worldwide pharmaceutical, beverage and food industries.

Yale-Gold-and-Black-logo-with-white-background-and-strapline-NOV15WLN – Is there a recent or current project that stands out as a showcase for your company? Can you tell us about it?

The recent projects that really stand out for me are detailed logistics studies which have resulted in raised performance for the customers involved. Collaborating closely with a number of major companies, we have carried out thorough investigations into their logistics requirements. In this work we use warehouse simulation tools to recreate real-time working conditions, so we can analyse the customer’s existing infrastructure and create a ‘go-to’ vision.

Then together with our dealer service providers and the customer, we team up to implement the solutions we have identified.

WLN – What were your company’s biggest achievements in the last 12 months?

In the last year we have not only launched the most substantial upgrade to our product range but laid the groundwork for many exciting developments in 2016 and beyond.

Naturally we are keeping our future plans under wraps, but we look forward to announcing some important advances as the year unfolds.

WLN – Are you currently investing in the business, taking on staff or going into new markets or countries? If so, how’s it going?

Yale never stops investing in its future. Not only are we continuing to support the product range, but we are also developing our people. Internally, our success can be measured through achievement of Investors in People standards. Externally, our network goes on expanding and improving through the appointment of new dealer partners.

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WLN – What are you doing to bring on new talent and raise skills levels in your company?

Taking our UK manufacturing facility in Craigavon as an example, we currently have four maintenance apprentices training to be our engineers of the future. We have internal assessors and coaches delivering internal NVQ qualifications and we have established a company-wide internal programme called ‘Stepping Up’ to give employees the opportunity to develop through external governing bodies such as CIPS, CIPD & IL M or through local colleges delivering various engineering qualifications.

We have also established a steering group in partnership with the Equality Commission and the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) which addresses the under-representation of women in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) industries.

In addition to providing personal development programmes, we encourage employee involvement in community-led charity work to help them grow as people and to maximise their sense of fulfilment.

We believe that job satisfaction, morale and productivity are deeply affected by how well we run the company and by the quality of the environment in which they work. Our credentials in this respect include achieving registration to ISO 9001:2008 standard for quality management, ISO 14001:2001/2004 for environmental management and OHSAS 18001 for safety and health.

WLN – What are the major issues facing the Warehouse Trucks category as we go forward? How is your company addressing them?

We see the future of energy consumption and supply as one of the major global challenges to logistics. We are addressing it by investing in fuel cell and lithium-ion technology, along with continuous efficiency improvements in all of our products.

WLN – Will you be exhibiting at any major trade shows in the coming year?

As usual, we will be exhibiting at IMHX with our UK dealer. We look forward to demonstrating some of our latest advances at the show and welcoming new and existing customers to our stand.

WLN – What other big news from Yale can our readers look forward to reading in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2016?

It’s going to be a very interesting year, with exciting developments in the product range and many more tailored solutions for a whole variety of customers’ requirements.

Details are confidential right now, but Warehouse & Logistics News readers will be among the first to know when we reveal our latest innovations. You can also keep an eye on our website www.yale.com to see the latest news.

01276 538500

info@yale.com

www.yale.com

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