Hiab wins a major order for 150 truck mounted forklifts from ABC Supply
Hiab, part of Cargotec, has won a major order to supply 150 truck mounted forklifts to ABC Supply Co. Inc. in the USA, the company said in its press release.
ABC Supply is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, and one of the largest wholesale distributors of siding, windows, guttering and other exterior building materials in North America. It has 456 branches in 45 states, and operates 1,050 truck mounted forklifts and 550 loader cranes from Hiab on its delivery fleet. Hiab will be supplying 80 MOFFETT M55 and 70 PRINCETON PB50 truck mounted forklifts with this order. The order was booked into Cargotec's 2013 fourth quarter order intake, and the equipment will be delivered during 2014.
"Truck mounted forklifts are our number one invoicing delivery tool," said Bob Kislia, Fleet Manager at ABC Supply. "We operate in every major metropolitan area, and our equipment needs to be maintained wherever it is based. Hiab has a large service organisation with both mobile technicians and service workshops, and the service levels that they offer us are critical to our ability to operate."
The truck mounted forklifts are mainly used to deliver roofing shingles. This product is heavy, bulky, and is a cubed, palletised load. The delivery location is usually either a built-up residential area, or a building site, without facilities for unloading. The small, agile trucks, with a lifting capacity of 5500lbs/2.5 tons, all wheel drive, and the ability to drive across rough terrain, make truck mounted forklifts from Hiab ideal for ABC's needs. They can deliver products to the exact place where they are required, eliminating the need to move them again, which saves time and reduces transit damage. "Add to this the fact that using a truck mounted forklift is three times faster than offloading by hand, and less expensive to purchase and maintain than a boom crane, and you can see why we find them ideal for our needs," adds Kislia.
ABC has a long history of using PRINCETON truck mounted forklifts. Now, ABC uses a combination of both PRINCETON and MOFFETT, depending on which type of truck their delivery fleet is equipped to carry.
