Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Combilift opens new headquarters and manufacturing facility

The plant in Monaghan, Ireland, is designed to double production capacity.

Combilift facility in Ireland
Combilift facility in Ireland

Celebrating 20 years as a manufacturer of forklifts, Combilift has built its brand on niche markets, including handling long products—such as pipes, lumber, and steel—as well as narrow-aisle warehouse applications.

After two decades, this niche strategy has created a company that is now the 13th largest forklift producer worldwide. But that success steadily pushed Combilift beyond the limits of its former manufacturing facility in Monaghan, Ireland. As a result, the company recently opened a new 500,000-square-foot production and parts distribution center in Monaghan, with additional space for its international corporate offices. Combilift welcomed customers, dealers, suppliers, and trade press from North America to a grand opening celebration of the new building on Monday.


The facility boasts four manufacturing lines, but it can be expanded to six lines as future growth dictates. It also features state-of-the-art metal cutting systems, environmentally]=friendly paint booths that use water-soluble paints, rooftop solar panels, water-saving systems, and specialized production processes that allow customized vehicles to move through the facility from fabrication to finished product within seven days.

Additionally, the company has ample space for new product development. "Seven percent of our revenue goes into research and development," said Martin McVicar, co-founder and managing director of Combilift. "Most of our new products come from our customers. We listen to their challenges and design products that solve their problems," he said.

McVicar added that Combilift is expecting major growth in the North American market. Some 25 percent of all sales are to customers in the United States and Canada, and the company is targeting sales growth of at least 30 percent in 2018. To date, Combilift said, it is already trending above that target.

Combilift's major customers in North America are steel fabricators and lumber and building-materials companies that use Combilift's straddle carriers and laterally moving forklifts for hauling long materials throughout facilities. On the warehouse side, the company's line of Combi-CS walkie pallet jacks and Aisle-Master articulated forklifts are potential growth areas, as they are adapted to narrow-aisle warehouse configurations and confined work areas. They can work comfortably in 6- and 7-foot-wide aisles, respectively.

Combilift only builds to customer orders, as all of their vehicles are customized to specific requirements. The new facility can currently produce 110 customized vehicles each week, but Combilift hopes to increase that amount to 140 vehicles weekly by the end of the year.

The Latest

Artificial Intelligence

AI: Is it the real deal?

More Stories

Logistics economy picked up speed in January

Logistics Managers' Index

Logistics economy picked up speed in January

Economic activity in the logistics industry expanded in January, growing at its fastest clip in more than two years, according to the latest Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) report, released this week.

The LMI jumped nearly five points from December to a reading of 62, reflecting continued steady growth in the U.S. economy along with faster-than-expected inventory growth across the sector as retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers attempted to manage the uncertainty of tariffs and a changing regulatory environment. The January reading represented the fastest rate of expansion since June 2022, the LMI researchers said.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Disrupting the furniture supply chain: An interview with Jay Rogers

Disrupting the furniture supply chain: An interview with Jay Rogers

As commodities go, furniture presents its share of manufacturing and distribution challenges. For one thing, it's bulky. Second, its main components—wood and cloth—are easily damaged in transit. Third, much of it is manufactured overseas, making for some very long supply chains with all the associated risks. And finally, completed pieces can sit on the showroom floor for weeks or months, tying up inventory dollars and valuable retail space.

In other words, the furniture market is ripe for disruption. And John "Jay" Rogers wants to be the catalyst. In 2022, he cofounded a company that takes a whole new approach to furniture manufacturing—one that leverages the power of 3D printing and robotics. Rogers serves as CEO of that company, Haddy, which essentially aims to transform how furniture—and all elements of the "built environment"—are designed, manufactured, distributed, and, ultimately, recycled.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of GenAI effect on workforce

Gartner: GenAI tools create anxiety among employees

Generative AI (GenAI) is being deployed by 72% of supply chain organizations, but most are experiencing just middling results for productivity and ROI, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc.

That’s because productivity gains from the use of GenAI for individual, desk-based workers are not translating to greater team-level productivity. Additionally, the deployment of GenAI tools is increasing anxiety among many employees, providing a dampening effect on their productivity, Gartner found.

Keep ReadingShow less
warehouse worker driving forklift between racks

German 3PL Arvato acquires two U.S. logistics firms

The German third party logistics provider (3PL) Arvato this week acquired the U.S.-headquartered companies Carbel LLC and United Customs Services, saying the move would grow its client base, particularly in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle segments.

According to Arvato, it made the move in order to better serve the U.S. e-commerce sector, which has experienced high growth rates in recent years and is expected to grow year-on-year by 5% within the next five years.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo collage of warehouse tech

Supply chain pros are wary of inflation and labor woes

The top worries that supply chain leaders hope to address with new innovations this year include inflationary concerns (68%) and labor shortages (50%), according to a survey on innovation from the third-party logistics provider (3PL) Kenco.

And many of them will have a budget to do it, since 51% of supply chain professionals with existing innovation budgets saw an increase earmarked for 2025, suggesting an even greater emphasis on investing in new technologies to meet rising demand, Kenco said in its “2025 Supply Chain Innovation” survey.

Keep ReadingShow less