An Australian plastic tank and spray equipment manufacturer has clocked up a decade with Toyota forklifts at its factory and warehouse in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales.
Rapid Spray currently has four Toyota 8-Series LPG counterbalance forklifts and one Toyota BT reach truck in operation at its head office and manufacturing plant in Singleton.
Rapid Spray's workplace health and safety manager Geoff Ford said one of the many advantages of using Toyota forklifts is the ability to have the equipment modified to suit their needs.
"A lot of the work carried out by our forklifts involves lifting the plastic tanks we manufacture here on site from steel or aluminium moulds," Mr Ford said. "They are irregularly shaped and need to be handled carefully without clamping to avoid damaging them when they are being moved."
To meet this requirement Rapid Spray's Toyota forklifts are fitted with attachments that have a chamfered edge to protect the plastic tanks and moulds.
"The local Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) branch at Beresfield have always fitted these attachments prior to delivery, and it really makes a huge difference for us knowing our products will be protected when in transit," Mr Ford said.
"The Toyota forklifts are reliable, economical to run and have all the features you need to get the job done. The operators are all very happy to be using them each day too."
Aside from its Toyota LPG-powered forklifts, Rapid Spray also has a BT RRE160R reach truck on duty in its warehouse.
The BT RRE160R reach truck's increased ground clearance and larger diameter load wheels with braking function means it can operate both inside warehouses and outside in driveway and delivery areas where conventional counterbalance forklifts are normally used, removing the need for customers to have two different types of forklift.
"It's really well suited to our inner warehouse and outer warehouse area," Mr Ford said. "To maximise storage space we made the aisles narrower than usual, and the BT reach truck can get into tighter spaces than a regular forklift can. It's perfect for our needs."
Allan Peacock, area sales manager at Toyota Material Handling's Beresfield branch, said Rapid Spray were one of the first companies to use this type of forklift in Australia.
Mr Ford said the good relationship with all the staff at TMHA Beresfield was a key reason for chalking up a decade with Toyota.
"We've enjoyed a really positive relationship with Allan and the rest of the team. From sales to regular servicing and any other requests, they've always been really helpful and great to deal with.
"It's a two-way relationship too as we've been happy to help them out by hosting forklift demonstrations for prospective customers here on site on occasion."
Australian owned and operated for over 20 years, Rapid Spray manufactures and distributes a wide range of water and diesel tanks, cartage units and spray equipment for the agricultural, mining and industrial, and fire fighting industries.
Rapid Spray's Toyota 8-Series LPG counterbalance forklift