.jpg)
.jpg)
.gif)
.jpg)
.gif)
.gif)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Smartroof Makes Light Of Lifting
To ensure the safe and efficient handling of materials, a manufacturer of offsite, panelised ‘room in roof’ systems has invested in four...
Read Full Article.jpg)
Lifting The Market
When Combilift welcomed over 120 international trade media journalists to its HQ and manufacturing facility in Monaghan to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, The Fabricator’s John Roper was there. He reports.
Visitors were taken on extensive factory tours where they could see new products in action and meet employees in the various departments who outlined their specific areas of expertise.
Martin McVicar was chief engineer at Moffett Engineering. (manufacturers of the Moffett Mounty truck mounted forklift range). In September 1997, the company was sold to Powerscreen, so McVicar, who had always had an ambition to build his own business rather than work for a large public company, teamed up with Robert Moffett and together they designed a new concept in space saving forklifts. Their design, they believed, would enable the productive handling and storage of long and awkward loads in confined spaces.
First model
The first ever Combilift truck, the C4000, was a multidirectional 3-wheel all-wheel drive forklift. “And” says McVicar, “It is still working today in Monaghan.
“In the first year we manufactured 18 units and all but that one was exported. From the outset we aimed to be major exporters. We have since sold more than 80,000 units to over 85 countries, most of which are still in operation today.”
Ambitious plans for new products
McVicar continues: “Innovation and R&D are deeply rooted in our DNA. We invest 7% of annual turnover in research and development. Partly because of this, our portfolio has expanded significantly over the past 25 years and there are now around 25 different product families. Products are all designed around specific needs of the customers and solving their challenges.
“We want to be the number one supplier in the market segments we operate in and we are not satisfied if we are number two or number three – if we don’t believe we can be the best, we shouldn’t even enter that segment.
Global partners
“We have built up a very strong network of dealers who live and work in each of our geographical markets. They are experts in their field, not only from a product point of view but also in terms of the culture, language, and business practices that characterise their specific area.”
The workforce
There are now around 800 employees in Monaghan, more than a 100 of whom have been with the company for more than 15 years. Combilift works with local educational institutions to support its employees through apprenticeships and is a leader in establishing the OEM Apprenticeship which is now a national apprenticeship programme in Ireland.
Growth
In total Combilift has manufactured 80,000 units,10,000 in 2023 alone. McVicar says: “We aim to double these numbers every five years. By 2028, Combilift expects to build 20,000 units at the Monaghan plant. I have committed to give 50 years to Combilift and I am only halfway there. And it would be nice to think that one or more of my three sons might be involved the business in future.”
Picture: Combilift is celebrating 25 years in business.
Article written by John Roper
04th December 2023