The superior handling, versatility and driver comfort offered by Toyota forklifts has prompted a West Australian freight company to run a Toyota-only fleet at its busy transport depots.
Clarkson Freightlines services the mid-west region of WA and operates out of its Greenough depot near Geraldton and a new facility at Forrestfield in Perth. It specialises in distributing freight to the agricultural sector, including all types of general freight from dangerous goods, farm chemicals and fencing materials to timber and building supplies.
Having used forklifts from a range of other brands, company general manager Kris Clarkson said they now run an all-Toyota forklift fleet split between their two locations.
"We had used forklifts from a few different brands previously. As a busy freight company our forklifts are constantly in use and need to be able to handle a big workload and variety of applications, so we decided to go in search of a superior product with excellent handling and a reliable backup service," he said.
"We purchased one Toyota forklift and we were all impressed with the reliability and ease-of-operation, so over the past couple of years we replaced the others and now only operate Toyota forklifts."
Clarkson Freightlines uses four 2.5-tonne payload 62-8FD25 diesel-powered forklifts for general duties and one LPG-powered 2.5-tonne 32-8FG25 forklift for lighter duties.
"They've become the machine of choice for our depot staff," Mr Clarkson said. "They're much more comfortable to drive and operate than the forklifts we had previously and have proven to be really finely tuned pieces of equipment - all the options we needed were there as standard."
Toyota's range of 8-Series forklifts offer superior operator comfort thanks to features like the fully-adjustable Operator Restraint Suspension seat with lumbar support and a spacious operator compartment that provides excellent forward visibility.
Stability and safety is covered by features such as Automatic Fork Levelling Control to level the forks during loading. Selected 8-Series variants also feature Toyota's exclusive System of Active Stability comprising the advanced Active Swing Lock Cylinder, which can help improve forklift stability and reduce the potential for lateral tip-overs.
Clarkson Freightline's forklifts were purchased from the Toyota Material Handling branch at Kewdale in Perth, and Mr Clarkson has been impressed with the support from area sales manager Darren Desouza and the rest of the team - particularly in relation to one important modification.
"All our forklifts have had digital weight scales added to them, which Darren organised prior to delivery," Mr Clarkson said. "This is invaluable to us as we're charging our customers by weight, so the forklift operator can gauge the weight of each load as they work. It's a great added extra that the Kewdale branch took care of for us.
"In terms of service and backup generally we're really happy. If I need to make a service call, a technician is usually out here the same day to either repair or replace the part. It's terrific to be able to rely on service like that."
Darren Desouza said arranging client-specific modifications like the digital scales is all part of the TMH service.
"We're always looking to provide an outstanding customer experience and provide the best equipment for every customer. Adding the scales is a good example of the modifications we can arrange to tailor our forklifts and other material handling products to the needs of each customer," Mr Desouza said.
"We offer the full Toyota, BT Lift Truck and Raymond forklift range, so for us it's about partnering with our customers and providing the right forklift, stacker, reach truck - whatever it might be - for their specific needs, backed up by excellent ongoing technical support when they need it."
Clarkson Freightlines using their 32-8FG25 Toyota forklift