Hunter Bottling Company commissions new forklifts

A leading wine bottling operation has extended its 28-year partnership with Toyota forklift trucks by commissioning five new machines.

NSW-based Hunter Bottling Company commissioned the five new 3000 kg (nominal payload) Toyota 32-8FGK30 forklifts at its Pokolbin facility at the end of June 2009 - and says they are still going strong, without one hitch to date. They take the group’s forklift fleet to 13 Toyota machines.

Hunter Bottling Company general manager Russell Smith said the latest-generation Toyota 8-Series forklifts with electronic gas injection and three-way, closed-loop catalytic converters meant the company had switched from battery electric to internal combustion forklifts inside the bottling warehouse facility.

Smith said the five new Toyota forklifts had been custom specified for the company’s requirements - including individual PIN access for each operator and seatbelt interlock.

“Safety is a priority in this facility as we have people and forklifts working together around the bottling lines,” he said.

The company chose the Toyota 32-8FGK30 compact forklift model for its combination of lifting capacity and ability to work in a tight warehouse environment.

The five new forklifts have 3700 mm full free-lift masts to be used in the low overhead clearance areas such as the de-palletising area - where free lift is essential - but the two-stage mast also maximises forward vision.