Russian deal a boost to YALE plant in Northern Ireland
- Photo: Pictured at the signing ceremony: Ralf Mock, Managing Director, NACCO Materials Handing Group EMEA (left), with Andrey Bunetskal, Dealer Principal at UST
Yale Europe Materials Handling has signed an agreement with the Russian Federation’s largest forklift truck distributor, Universal Spetstechnica LLC (UST), which will improve the position of Yale’s manufacturing plant at Craigavon in Northern Ireland.
The agreement signed with UST will be marked by a visit to the Craigavon manufacturing plant, where 50 Russian dealer representatives will see the new Yale VL series of energy-efficient electric forklift trucks being manufactured. UST operates two main branches as well as a network of 56 independent dealerships throughout Russia.
Commenting on the agreement, Mr Ralf Mock, Managing Director, NACCO Materials Handing Group EMEA, said the Russian market represents one of the most promising areas of growth for Yale in the Europe, Middle East and Africa territories.
“Through the agreement with UST, Yale is establishing itself as the leading materials handling supplier in Russia by offering a full range of Class 1, 2, 3 and 5 products through an established network of regional dealers across the country,” said Mr Mock.
“With its excellent reputation for high standards of customer service, UST will bring the level of knowledge and expertise we have been searching for to grow our operation in Russia. We look forward to joining forces with Mr Bunetskul and his team at Universal Spetstechnica LLC to increase our business there,” added Mr Mock.
Responding, Mr Andrey Bunetskal, Dealer Principal at UST said they were delighted to be appointed as the exclusive Dealer for the Russian Federation. “The Russian market is becoming more sophisticated, with customers demanding more technologically advanced materials handling products and solutions, particularly in the electric counterbalance and warehouse equipment categories,” he said, adding: “Yale’s full product offering allows UST to provide a comprehensive range of products to customers operating within an increasingly diverse range of materials handling applications.”
Manufacturing Boost
The increased demand to satisfy the Russian market will improve the position of the company’s European manufacturing facilities not only in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, but also at the company’s plants in Masate, Italy and Nijmegen in The Netherlands. Steve Ridgway, Yale brand manager explains: “The additional orders through the UST agreement will provide enhanced output in our Class 1, 2, 3 and 5 segments through our European factories.” These units include pallet trucks, order pickers, stacker trucks, reach trucks, pedestrian counterbalanced equipment and turret trucks within the warehouse range, as well as the full range of electric, LPG and diesel counterbalance forklift trucks with capacities ranging from 1 to 16 tonnes.
Russia is already home to a large number of multi-national companies and is well placed to exploit future technologies as industries expand and require the best logistics and materials handling solutions available as the market recovers. Yale Europe will be strategically positioned to take advantage of the market developments in Russia, working closely with the vastly experienced team at Universal Spetstechnica LLC.
The full range of Yale materials handling equipment is marketed in the Republic of Ireland by Forklift Services & Handling Equipment ltd, Cork.
__________
