When it comes to testing grounds for forklift trucks they don’t come any tougher than the transport industry.

And with state-of-the-art logistics systems managing ‘just in time’ stocking practices now being common place with most customers the pressure on transport companies to deliver is enormous.

So for many operators when it comes to forklifts, reliability and product support are paramount to them being able to meet their clients’ deadlines.

Couriers Please PEP (formerly PEP Transport) in the Perth suburb of Belmont recently took delivery of four new Nissan forklifts - “so what” I hear you saying, well in the case of Couriers Please PEP it’s the third time they’ve changed over their Nissans in nine years.

According to Bert Browning, Couriers Please PEP’s Bulk Division Supervisor, for them the decision was simple.“Couriers Please PEP has been in business since the early 80’s so we’ve had plenty of first hand experience with forklifts and their distributors, so we know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to forklifts.

“As agents for a number of interstate carriers we employ 120 subcontract drivers to distribute their freight and our own customers’ freight throughout Western Australia.

“It’s a competitive game so we’ve got to be on top of things all the time - which during peak times, when we handle up to thirty five 45’ drop deck semi-trailers a week, can be pretty difficult.

“So last year when it came time to replace four of our Nissan forklifts we took the opportunity to look at what was on the market, but after a meeting with Powerlift - the new Nissan Distributors in WA, we decided to stick with Nissan as they’d been extremely reliable for us over the past six years.

“Derrick Carvalho from Powerlift was extremely professional and able to answer all of our questions on the spot.

“We went through our requirements in detail and sought his advice on the most economical solution   for our needs.

“One of our concerns was tyre wear which was being caused by the operators working the forklifts hard and driving them too fast, so Derrick recommended installing accelerator controls on the new forklifts that effectively locked them into economy mode, which sounded pretty good to us.

“Derrick also explained the advances in engine management technology over the previous models, which meant we could look forward to impressive reductions in their operating costs.

“Based on these benefits and the exceptional reliability we’d experienced with all our previous Nissans we decided to update to three of the new 1F Series, two top of the line 3.5 tonners and a 3 tonner for the yard, together with a smaller three wheeled counter balanced electric unit for the warehouse.

“They arrived in October, our busiest time of the year and were immediately put to the test - racking up 250 hours in the first nine weeks.

“And the difference between the new electronic fuel injection 1F Series forklifts over the previous carburettor models has really been quite amazing.

“Derrick said our LPG consumption would be down by around 22% - and he was right. We are now getting about 8 hours out of a 16kg bottle, which is a good saving.

“Having the forklifts speed limited to 15 kph has meant the operators can’t drive them as hard as they used to and that’s had a noticeable impact on drive-tyre wear.

“And while we’d hoped to get a year out of a drive-tyre it looks like we might get away with only using four sets over the three years as opposed to the six we were using previously.

“Feedback from the drivers has also been very positive with the ergonomics of the new 1F Series forklifts making their jobs easier and less tiring, which has improved productivity  - although I’m sure they’d like more speed.

“Driver visibility is also a big positive. We are running side-shift fork positioners on the 3.5 tonners and even when fully loaded the dual masts enable excellent visibility at all times, which is good for safety.

“And on that score, the new forklifts have a 3-way catalytic muffler system that makes them noticeably quieter than the older model, and produce far less exhaust emissions.

“For us, the new forklifts have had a positive impact on our business, and the support we’ve received from Powerlift has been nothing short of brilliant.

“If we need them to come out they are here within a couple of hours. If we think something might not be quite right with one of them and ask them to come over the following afternoon they’ll be here before 1pm.

“I’ve had quite a few people contact me about the new forklifts and I tell them all, the Nissan machines and Powerlift’s service support are second to none,” Bert said.

According to Derrick Carvalho, the Powerlift Sales Executive who handled Couriers Please PEP’s upgrade to the 1F Series forklifts, it’s always rewarding when they make commitments to customers in relation to performance and efficiency and then the customers tell them later that they were spot-on.

“The 1F Series is ideal for hard working environments like the transport industry.

“Not only will they increase productivity and reduce operating costs they can be supplied under a long term rental agreement which covers all aspects of the truck’s maintenance and servicing requirements, enabling our customers to fix the usage cost of the forklift and then hand it back at the end of the term and replace it with a new one,” Derrick said.

To find out more about Nissan’s range of 1F Series forklifts speak to one of our friendly Sales Executives.