According to researchers at Yale University, sponsors of an electric forklift development program, their new VL electric forklift truck is the most energy efficient and ergonomically advanced counterbalance series available in its weight capacity, which ranges from 2,200 to 3,500 kilograms. This vehicle features five wheelbase and capacity configurations and is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. This forklift truck works especially well in areas where space is at its best.

Other features included on this new VL series include easy access, a three-point entry, adequate floor space, right-hand access, large amount of head room, cushioned arm and palm rests, levers that can be controlled by the fingertips, a full suspension seat, and a heads up display. All of these features work to make the operator as comfortable as possible, and to reduce the occurrence of repetitive stress injuries and body vibrations.

This new forklift truck also enables the customer to decide which operating setting is most suitable for their business. This is called Yale’s e-balance technology. The customer can choose either the high productivity setting or the energy efficiency setting, depending upon their needs. While engaged in the high productivity setting, the forklift will provide maximum traction and hydraulic performance. When the vehicle is operating in the energy efficiency setting, it has been shown through the VDI 2198 standard test to consume 20 percent less energy than the same vehicle manufactured by leading competitors.

Another feature of the VL series forklift truck is the Yalestop Automatic Park Brake. This comes standard on all new electric counterbalance forklift trucks manufactured by Yale, and is automatically enabled when the vehicle is stopped or when the operator is not in place on the seat. This helps to improve the driver’s control over the truck on ramps and steep grades. It also works to increase the productivity of the vehicle when the driver is continuously getting on and off the vehicle. By implementing the use of the Yalestop Automatic Park Brake, the need for alarms or other buzzers used to alert the operator of the forklift truck that the handbrake has not been set is eliminated.

Because of the prompt initiation measures during the economically hard financial year of 2009, Schindler was able to increase their net profit relative to that of the previous year by 3% to CHF 653 million. In the escalator and elevator business, the operating profits rose by 7.5% to CHF 962 million, and EBIT margins increased from 10.2% to 11.6%. After a previous year’s loss of about CHF 11 million, ALSO was able to attain a profit of about CHF 15 million, and this was despite the special amortization charge of about CHF 11 million, in the year that was reporting.

In this economically harsh environment, consolidated operating revenue has fallen by 9.5% to CHF 12,691 million in the year that is reporting. In the local type of currencies, the decrease was one of 5.9%. Consolidated operating profit despite all has increased by 9.6% to CHF 974 million, because of the measures that were initiated promptly in both of the business segments to make up for the effects of the economic downturn. After the restructuring costs and a amortization charge that totaled altogether CHF 44 million after taxes, net profit still reached CHF 653 million.

The consolidation or the order backlog at CHF 6,341 million was caused by the escalator and elevator business, and this saw only a slight decline of 0.9%. The number of hired personnel in the Group fell by 3.6% down to 43,437 employees.

The number of orders received was CHF 8,418 million, a decline of 9.1% when compared with the previous year. The fourth quarter brought an order intake that rose up by 7% to the same quarter of the year before. The slight drop in the orders that were received mainly affected the installations business in Spain, the UK, the US, Australia and some Eastern Europe markets. The operating revenue fell by 5.5% to CHF 8,281 million. Because of the measures that we initiated quickly, the profit from operating rose by 7.5% which equaled CHF 962 million, and the operating margin overall improved from 10.2 % to 11.6 %.

Despite a loss of about CHF 11 million the year before and regardless of a amortization loss of CHF 11 million for their discontinuance of the old GNT name ALSO returned to profit as they earned CHF 15 million in the year that was reporting.

KONE, a global leader in the escalator and elevator industry, has acquired ASBA Mantenimientos S.L. ASBA Mantenimientos is a Spanish elevator company based. It is based in Barcelona, and is one of the largest local providers of elevator repair and maintenance. The company provides new elevator and related equipment sales and installation. They also work to help safely integrate elevator systems into existing buildings that were designed without elevator shafts.  ASBA Mantenimientos has a maintenance pool of over 1,800 elevators, and has 35 employees, including all maintenance technicians.

“This acquisition strengthens KONE’s position in Spain and helps us improve our maintenance and modernization operations in the Catalonia region,” stated Eric Maziol, Area Director and EVP of West and South Europe, as well as the Middle East for KONE.

KONE’s current operations in Spain will integrate ASBA’s maintenance base and sales force.

About KONE

KONE is one of the largest elevator and escalator companies in the world, and leads the industry. The company began in 1910, and will celebrate one hundred years of operation in 2010. KONE’s main goal is to optimize people flow and movement. They constantly work to develop and install new solutions for transporting people quickly, efficiently, and safely. Comfort also plays a large role in the design process. Elevator and escalator designs by the company help reduce waiting and lines, as well as opening access to handicapped or otherwise movement limited people that cannot climb stairs.

KONE has been providing the best elevators and escalators in the industry for a century, combined with innovation and creative solutions. They help modernize even the oldest buildings, and provide much needed maintenance or upgrades for older elevator systems. KONE understands the desires and requirements of its customers and works to adapt to new technologies and developments as quickly as possible. This is one of the reasons KONE can offer such high class service in the people movement industry.

KONE reported annual net sales at EUR 4.7 billion for 2009. They employ around 34,000 employees in all of their worldwide branches, and have plans to continue growing in the new decade. KONE will continue to strive to lead the industry in safety, innovation, and competitive elevator and escalator solutions. Class B shares for KONE are traded in Finland on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Europe, sometimes referred to as HHIE, has been firmly established as a major supplier of construction equipment and industrial trucks to Europe since the early 1990s. In recent years, the sales of this company have continued increase at a very fast rate. During the period of time between 2003 and 2005, this manufacturer increased the volume of product traded in Europe by about 25 percent each year. However, in 2006 HHIE greatly surpassed these previous gains by increasing their trading volume by over 40 percent. During this record-breaking year, the Korean manufacturer sold more than 2,700 pieces of construction equipment and over 1,500 forklifts, for a total of more than 4,200 machines sold during the year.

As well as expanding their sales, Hyundai has also worked to improve the reliability of their dealer network. The manufacturer has realized that this factor greatly affects the reputation of the company, and has worked to provide the best customer support possible for its customers. This can range from advice and sales to parts delivery and financial services. Customers utilizing customer support from this company can expect to receive first-class support direct from Hyundai’s customer support centre located in Geel, Belgium. The company also has the capability of delivering most repair parts in twenty-four hours or less, due to the fact that more than 95 percent of the company’s spare parts are stored in centrally-located Belgium. For those parts that are stored in the manufacturer’s home country of Korea, delivery time is usually no longer than three days.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Europe is constantly working towards developing new, more efficient machines. In 2006, HHIE progressed into the world of large machines with the development of its R500LC-7A crawler excavator, which is designed to be used during extraction operations. This machine was presented for the first time at Intermat 2006. The company is currently presenting a zero tail swing mini-excavator, which is the first of its kind. New forklift models with greater lifting capacities than previous machines are in development, as well as battery-operated tow trucks. These new models will greatly increase productivity and provide customers with much-needed support.

As part of the exhilarating town-centre redevelopment project currently in the works in Bingley, West Yorkshire, the Stannah Group has recently installed an outdoor moving walkway. The Stannah Group is a long-standing, family-owned company dedicated to providing quality stairlifts to its customers. The newly-installed moving stairway takes customers and their shopping trolleys back and forth from the car park to the Co-operative Food Store and the shopping centre effortlessly. The Co-operative Food Store boasts and 11,500 square foot space while the shopping centre located beyond is a newly built 5Rise design. The shopping centre cost an estimated 5 million pounds, and opened in December of 2009.

This new walkway is lit entirely by LED lights, which are the most eco-friendly light choice available. These lights help shoppers to travel safely between the car park and the shopping centre. As an additional safety measure, the wheels of the trolley lock into the bed of the moving walkway, which ensures that customers will be safe at all times.

This exciting new walkway is part of a master plan to revitalize the towns of Keighley, Bingley, and Shipley. The aim of the plan is to focus on improving the core of each town. This will help to provide the best environment possible for both residents and visitors alike. The plan focuses on three main components, which are development, transport, and environmental projects.

The current shopping centre is part of the original Myrtle Walk Shopping Centre. This shopping centre was marked for demolition by the developers; however, most of the buildings were able to be regenerated, and additional space was built on to the existing structure. The library was also relocated to a space within the centre. The hope of the developers and those associated with the town-centre redevelopment project is that this shopping centre will act as a catalyst and boost the next phases of the project.

The moving walkway installed by the Stannah Group replaces a flight of steps that was difficult for many pedestrians to maneuver. The flight of steps was uninviting to visitors as well. This new stairway provides the most direct route to the car park from the shopping centre, making it very convenient for shoppers.

Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city is to be supplied with 339 escalators and elevators for their newly developing major subway system by Schindler. The 22km Kadikoy-Kartal line would provide an important travel system for the Asian half of the city that is highly populated.

Booked last year, this contract covers 272 escalators and 67 elevators that are to be installed in the 16 stations along the Kadikoy-Kartal line. These installations are expected to be completed by the end of 2010, after which the system is to be handed over to the city officials at the end of March 2011.

The lengths of these escalators range between three and twenty meters and are constructed with special features and materials like stainless steel landing platforms and balustrades that protect the structures from the elements. While most of the doors are installed with glass balustrades, some of them have steel on one side and glass on the other side.

This new metro line would provide a transport system for their mostly populated region, namely the Asian half of the city. It would make their commute safe, clean, effective and with less delay. This line would also serve as a connection to the European side of the city, where most of the jobs are situated.

The Turkey General Manager at Schindler, Mete Zadil is pleased and honored to work with contractor Avrasya Metro Grubu on this massive transportation assignment. He believes that the Kadikoy-Kartal subway line would aid and enhance mobility and help the people gain access to occupations and services located at the other side of the Bosphorus strait.

Istanbul accounts for 27% of national GDP and has a population of 13 million. The new line being constructed is part of a major expansion project that aims to reduce congestion within Istanbul and improve their transport system. In the past, Schindler has supplied escalators for the main airport in Istanbul and for stations at another metro line that runs under the Bosphorus.

With their headquarters in Switzerland, the Schindler Group is regarded as the leading global mobility provider. Present in more than 140 countries, this company specializes in the design, manufacture, installation, service and modernization of elevator and escalator systems for almost all types of buildings. They support the sustainable urban development by providing safe, reliable and ecologically friendly mobility solutions.

Icknield, a special needs school for severely learning disabled children, ranging in ages from three to nineteen, seems to have overcome a small, logistical playground design problem that was poorly implemented at inception. Stannah, a local company that has long since supported the school, had successfully raised money from local businesses to give the school its current Cognitive Learning Specialist status, supplying the funds necessary to remedy the problem. The status gave them an additional funding of £300,000 in total over the next 3 years.

When Stannah asked if there might be any other help it could offer, this poorly architected playground problem, a storage cabin that prohibited free access to a marked pathway in the playground where the children traversed on their bikes, on foot, or in wheelchairs, was mentioned. The problem could be solved by simply moving it just 90 degrees to stand alongside the track instead of in the way of it, making life easier for the special needs students and the caring staff.

Gary Woods, Stannah Premises Maintenance Manager, had previously considered several ways to ameliorate the problem, but was overcome with obstacles each time. In the first place, the cabin was exceptionally heavy, weighing 2.2 tons empty and 4 tons full. The weather was also uncooperative, and snow made the situation seem almost impossible to rectify. Stannah came to the rescue with the kindness and help of a father and son team, Brian and Jim Bailey, contracting suppliers for Hannah who run Meon Valley Crane Hire, the crane being the very piece of equipment necessary to solve “the smallest of problems.” Along with some minor tree pruning provided by Stannah’s maintenance team to make room for the new positioning of the cabin, with precise direction to relocate the suspended structure, it was finally placed perfectly.

The “smallest of problems” revealed the smallest of treasures, and a lost teddy bear was found in this concerted effort that became the happy mascot of the whole endeavor. It is clear that these special needs children and young adults are considered a very important part of the community, not only by the special needs staff, but by many others who contribute their time and efforts on their behalf. They are the ones who turn the tides of problems that seem insurmountable to “the smallest of problems.”

The 2009 GOOD DESIGN award has been awarded to KONE Design because of the sleek, and creatively designed, appearance of their KONE Design Signalization Series. The KONE Design company is the first and only escalator and elevator company to have ever been given a GOOD DESIGN award in the past 60 years, and they have proved worthy of the award.

First founded back in 1950, GOOD DESIGN is now renowned everywhere, and has even become the most recognized award for design in the whole world. The GOOD DESIGN awards are given by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies as well as the Chicago Athenaeum. The GOOD DESIGN awards are meant to highlight the greatest new designs and the best design innovations for graphics and for products which were created between 2007 and 2009.

Anne Stenros, Vice President of Design for KONE has been quoted as saying: “We are very proud once again to have received this award for our latest innovative design concept,” and “The new KONE Design signalization series represents a new perspective in modern elevator design. It is a bold jump from standard stainless steel signalizations to a new world of colors and unique graphics, which can match any kind of cabin design.”

First developed and launched in 2009, the KONE Design Signalization Series offers both durable technology and contemporary design. This Series of designs has been built to last for many decades. The panels of these designs can be modified very easily simply by changing the design or the color of the faceplate, adjusting it to fit your wants and your needs. The signalization panels will also enable the integration of the guiding information on the panel, this brings the usability to a whole new level, and this will also allow localization to accommodate the specific regulations and functions of various regions and all across various countries.

KONE received their very first ever GOOD DESIGN award back in 2008 for their innovative KONE FourSeasons™ design concept, that award made KONE the first escalator and elevator company to ever receive such a prestigious award.

Forklift trucks are an essential part of any warehouse operation. They perform heavy lifting quickly and efficiently. Many companies that use these indispensable machines employ entire fleets of forklift trucks, spending thousands of dollars to do so. The forklift business is rapidly growing, as many more businesses recognize the benefits of using these machines.

Along with playing a vital role in any warehouse operation, forklift trucks can also be extremely dangerous if not properly operated. Each year about 8,000 forklift truck accidents are reported, and about ten of these accidents are fatal. Many of these accidents could have been prevented if the proper safety measures were in place.

One of the most important safety measures that can be taken is to make sure the operator of the forklift is competent to drive the machine. All companies should make certain that forklift operators have been trained for the job, are familiar with the vehicle’s controls, and adheres to the rules of the company. It is recommended that prospective forklift operators earn a Certificate of Basic Forklift Truck Operator Skills. This certificate can be obtained by completing a course on the subject at a qualifying location. Drivers should also be sure to check that all components of the machine are in working order before attempting to operate it. Doing this can prevent many unnecessary accidents from happening. Letting an untrained operator drive a forklift can be compared to allowing someone without a driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle.

By working together and following safety rules, many forklift truck accidents can be prevented. This also helps to protect employees and customers, as well as any visitors that may be in a warehouse. When used correctly, forklift trucks provide an indispensable service to warehouse workers. These machines are able to complete the work of multiple men in a timely manner and with minimal effort. In order to function at the highest quality, it is important that these powerful machines be maintained properly by their operators. By following safety measures and workplace regulations, businesses can be assured that they are receiving the most productivity from their forklift investments.

Broward County prosecutors have dropped all charges against a Sunrise Florida man after reviewing an elevator surveillance tape.

22 year old Joshua Daniel Ortiz was charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer.

The incident started when Ortiz and a group of friends were getting into an elevator at 200 SW First Ave. They were heading to a parking garage after a night out when acquaintances of Ortiz’s began fighting in the lobby.

Police were called to the scene to break up the fight.

The police claim that upon arriving, Ortiz began yelling at the officers from the elevator. Officer Dereck Lade, of the Fort Lauderdale police department, said in his official report that Ortiz walked up and stood nose to nose with him. Lade said that he shoved Ortiz back, and made an attempt to take Ortiz into custody.

Lade stated that as he tried to take Ortiz into custody, Ortiz assumed a fighting stance, with both fists clenched, and his body bladed.

Ortiz ended up with a broken nose during the arrest.

The event caused many inconveniences for Ortiz. Ortiz said, “They were just sitting there watching my life go down the drain with those charges. I’ve been going crazy thinking my life is over.” The incident delayed Ortiz’s enrollment in college.

That all changed when prosecutors reviewed the tape. The surveillance footage showed 3 officers, Derek Lade, Stefan Silver, and Steve Smith, aggressively rush and beat Ortiz. The charge of felony battery was then downgraded to a misdemeanor resisting arrest charge.

Prosecutors again reviewed the tape, and dropped all charges.

Sgt. Frank Sousa, the department’s spokesperson, insisted that it was not a beat down, and said that the Fort Lauderdale Internal Affairs investigators found nothing wrong in the video, noting that no policy or procedural violations were found .

Sousa also said that the video clearly showed Ortiz making a movement toward the officers.

Ortiz said that the claims made against him by the officers were completely false, and that they were simply on a power trip.

Stephen Melnick, Ortiz’s defense attorney, said that the officers lied in their reports to justify their actions, unaware that the entire incident was being taped.