The Nijmegen plant, which was opened in 1953, is the global centre for Hyster big trucks design, testing, manufacturing, training and aftercare. Last year saw the facility produce a record 1,927 units of big trucks with lift capacities of 6 to 52 tonnes.
Plant manager, Wim van Dam, said the demand for equipment increased with the introduction of Tier 4/Stage IIIB compliant engines and tyre saving axle technology featured on its empty container handlers, which reduces tyre wear and cost of ownership. “But, what’s good enough for today probably won’t be good enough for tomorrow,” he said to Port Strategy.
He said that demand was also high following the introduction of load sensing hydraulics, ECO-eLo control systems and engine rightsizing to its container handling trucks to lower emissions. These new technologies were also applied to Hyster’s newly developed series of 8 to 16 tonnes lift capacity range which offer fuel savings of up to 17%.
While the company saw an increase in demand from key European ports including Antwerp and Rotterdam last year, Ian Melhuish, vice president of marketing, NACCO Materials Handling Group, told Port Strategy Russia and Brazil have also been key markets in recent years.
“Now, we’re looking to invest more in Asian markets like China and India, which are developing rapidly,” Mr Melhuish explained. “We’ve had a factory in China for some years now but we’re looking to develop strategic alliances.”
He added: “The aim now is to grow market share by focussing on developing distributions. We need to look at what customers will need from trucks in the future – maximum uptime and minimum fuel costs.”
Going forward in terms of new products, Hyster will be launching a new wireless access monitoring system, the Hyster Tracker, later this year. The telemetry system monitors a material handling fleet, controls operator access and verifies the safety of the equipment, improving productivity and reducing downtime and maintenance costs.