Combilift Investment Solves Long Lead Times

The collaboration between Dawsongroup material handling and Combilift is well-established and advantageous to both businesses and the UK forklift industry. With extended lead times created by the popularity of the Combilift range, Dawsongroup material handling has made a significant investment to ensure that forklift companies can provide an interim solution for their customers while they wait for their new Combilift machine to be built.

Continued Commitment

Despite ongoing annual investments totalling £6.1 million, demand and utilisation are rising. The company is spending an additional £3.5 million on 74 new Combilift trucks to meet the growing demand for short-term hire options, expanding the fleet to more than 225. Every new machine will be electric in order to support decarbonisation, making the entire fleet almost 90% electric.

“Our dedicated short-term hire fleet is playing an important role in meeting dealer customer needs and driving business growth, particularly in the current environment of equipment shortages and long lead times,” said Amy Edwards, Dealer Relationship Manager for Dawsongroup material handling. “This can be especially valuable for our OEM customers who are facing high demand for Combilift products, alongside their own offerings, which they may not typically hold in stock.”

“We are delighted that our hire partner, Dawsongroup, has continued to invest in Combilift products,” said Ricky Durkin, UK Manager for Combilift. “Through collaboration and with customer feedback, we have been able to support both the timescales and operational needs of our dealer network. I am confident that the most recent investment will support the continued demand for new Combilift products and satisfy the market’s progression towards electrification.”

Meeting Future Demand

Requests from customers have been listened to and specific models added to the fleet to ensure future demand can be met rapidly. High masted Aisle Masters will be a valuable addition to the fleet as more customers are increasing their storage upwards instead of outwards due to increased land costs and lack of availability. As well as this, half the new machines will consist of the versatile CBE3000 and C4000ET models as they have been in very high demand this year.

One type of equipment that is often rarely available is the cold store forklift. Dawsongroup material handling is investing in more cold store Aisle Masters, and cold store CS1500s are joining the cold store WRs already on fleet. These forklifts have unique protection features that make them ideal for work in cold stores and temperature-controlled warehousing. Special low temperature oil is used, the hydraulic hoses are upgraded, and the steps to get in and out of the cab are coated with non-slip material to ensure the operator’s safety.

“Demand for our white label Combilift hire fleet has been strong since its humble beginnings in November 2019,” said Tim Abraham, Managing Director of Dawsongroup material handling. “Over time, we have built trust with our colleagues in the forklift industry, and they know they can trust us with their customers. All 74 of the new machines will be electric, which will add decarbonisation value to our customers in the supply chains they operate in. It also confirms our commitment to continue to provide the most up to date Combilift equipment, with specifications that mirror 95% of the enquiries we receive and are readily available.”

With advance notice of this significant investment in Dawsongroup material handling’s Combilift short-term hire fleet, dealers can prepare their pipelines and demand in plenty of time for the arrival of the new equipment, and keep their customers operational.

Contact Dawsongroup material handling today for all your Combilift short-term hire needs and find out how Dawsongroup’s Smarter Asset Strategy can help your business become more agile.