Forklift truck distributor’s growth powered by £1m battery deal
Energy management specialist Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has won a major contract valued at £1m from leading forklift truck distributor Briggs Equipment.
Newcastle-under-Lyme-based Hoppecke will supply batteries and chargers for the company’s short-term hire fleet.
The contract “is the latest in a highly successful partnership”, said Jason Howlett, Hoppecke’s regional managing director for Northern Europe,
He added: “Short-term forklift truck rental is becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons and we are delighted to support Briggs’ rapidly growing share of this vitally important market.”
Briggs Equipment, which is based in Cannock, has been expanding its short-term hire fleet – around 5,000 machines are in operation at any one time – with a particular focus on next-day delivery so that where customers have an urgent requirement, such as a critical deadline or a truck unexpectedly being out of commission, they can be back up to their full quota within 24 hours.
It is taking 600 batteries and chargers from Hoppecke with the aim of renting units to cope with seasonal or emergency peaks in demand and changing work patterns.
Having previously invested around £70m in the development of its dedicated hire fleet, Briggs has this year injected a further £10.8m to address growing demand for the short-term rental of equipment.
It said this trend has been most obvious at airports, in the construction industry and in event management, including small shows, exhibitions and concerts.
