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HYSTER TARGETS EUROPEAN DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENTS

Leading materials handling equipment manufacturer Hyster Company is making a major push to increase its share of the European defense industry. Hyster has a long history of supplying equipment to both the British and U.S. armed forces, and the company has recently enjoyed success, with its UK distributor Barloworld Handling, to win its second major contract in recent years from the British Ministry of Defense (MOD). Barloworld now manages and looks after the MOD's entire Materials Handling Fleet, representing over 4,500 units worldwide, across almost 600 establishments. A key component to the attainment of this contract was Hyster's ability to offer strong dealer support not only in the UK but also on a global basis, therefore matching the MOD overseas locations.

The win will mean greatly increased orders over the next 8 years for all types of Hyster equipment from all three of the British armed forces—Army, Navy and Air Force—equipment ranging from warehouse trucks, forklift trucks from 1 to 48 tons, container handlers and reach stackers.

As well as its full range product line, Hyster has been able to offer the military authorities on both sides of the Atlantic the benefit of its global resources and capabilities—from product development, manufacturing, parts supply and customer support excellence to its strong dealer network which is able to provide the level of support that is vital in matters of national security and to meet demands that far exceed those of commercial organizations.

Alan Blyth, Hyster's Senior Major Accounts Manager, sees this manufacturer/dealer combination as being instrumental in gaining Hyster a foothold with the military in Europe. "Just as in the IT industry, we as manufacturers supply the hardware and our dealers supply the software," says Alan. "It's a perfect working partnership."

Gary Clements, the Divisional Director of Barloworld Handling who successfully led the bid for the latest UK MOD contract, agrees. "Hyster has particular strength in two areas—its product offering and its reputation with both the U.S. and British armed forces. It is also able to offer a robust dealer network across the world which can provide the expected levels of engineering, service and customer support in different locations. That's an important factor because armies are not just confined to one country; they need support worldwide."

Although unable to give specific details, Alan Blyth confirmed that Hyster is currently in talks with a number of other European countries about their defense requirements.

HYSTER Europe, Flagship House, Reading Road North, Fleet, Hants, GU51 4WD, England.

www.hyster.co.uk