Co-presented by Channel Five news presenter, Emma Crosby,and Martyn Fletcher, chair of the Fork Lift Truck Association, the FLTA annual Awards for Excellence saw industry figures from far and near descend upon the Hilton Birmingham Metropole to discover who had won one of the material handling industry’s most coveted prizes – an Archie

Big product category winners at the
FLTA’s 19th annual Awards for
Excellence included BMB
Weatherproof Canopies’ Pallet Truck Bag
(Environment), Yale’s Mast-Mounted LED
Lights (Safety), Cat Lift Trucks’ NPP16-20N2
(R)(E) Power Pallet Trucks (Ergonomics),
and Aisle-Master’s Cold Store Aisle-Master
(Innovation); each receiving a solid bronze
statuette following a public vote through the
FLTA website.

Individual Awards were presented to
Mathew Wood of Rushlift (Apprentice of the
Year), Malcolm Pearson of Midac UK
(Services to the industry), and the
Association’s former chief executive, David
Ellison, was honoured for ‘Services to the
Fork Lift Truck Association’.

Babcock International Group was named
‘Safe Site’ for its innovative approach to safety
management. Rather than dictate protocol,
Babcock involved all of its fork lift drivers
and supervisors in an open and honest
discussion on the subject of safety to identify
key issues. Discussions resulted in the
introduction of 21 safety standards, and
empowered more than 550 staff to help
achieve compliance.

Since 1995, the Awards has served as a
‘Pick of the Year’ for materials handling
products and services, rewarding those who
strive to raise standards throughout the fork
lift truck industry.

During dinner, the winner of the inaugural
Customer Focus Award – identifying the fork
truck dealership deemed to have provided the
most innovative or appropriate solution to a
customer’s particular materials handling
requirements – was decided by an open vote
of attendees. A great cheer went up as
Douglas Gillespie Plant was announced
winner.

Peter Harvey, chief executive of the FLTA,
comments: “Awards 2013 has been a
resounding success. This event continues to
celebrate all that is good in the materials
handling industry and, for more than 19
years, we have encouraged the progress that
has been achieved.

“Every one of our ‘Pick of the Year’
represents a significant advance in ensuring
that fork lift trucks are working more safely,
more efficiently and with less impact on the
environment. We are proud to recognise and
reward such advances.”