Svetruck Factory Visit Video Diary
When it comes to choosing the right heavy lifting equipment for your operations, there are many factors which come into play. It is rarely decided based on purchase cost alone without looking at the quality, usability, whole life cost and reliability of the machine itself. But with decisions to be made as to whether the machine’s suitability is right for you, what really goes through the mind of a prospective buyer?
Well, Paul Gillingham, Engineering Manager for Poole Harbour Commissioners explains the rationale behind his purchasing decisions. At PHC we review forklifts in several ways, is it robust enough to last the test of time, will the operators be safe and happy in the cabin environment, can our engineers work on all aspects of the truck and most importantly, can the OEM provide us spares for as long as we want to keep the truck?”
But in our lengthy experience within the market, we know that what looks good on paper, can sometimes be much different in real life. So, for many years now, we have taken customers to the heart of the manufacturers to really show a true representation of the machines. Only then can a potential buyer make an informed decision. But, does this really make economic sense to take customers halfway across Europe with the potential for their decision to not be in our favour? We absolutely think so.
Whilst travelling so far can be tiring, we know that to truly understand whether a machine is right for your operations requires first-hand experience. No visit is ever a worthless exercise and for most, is so beneficial to highlight the full picture of any decisions which are to be made. But, we know that working relationships are built on more than just great products…we often say, people buy people, not products. That trust, both in people and products reinforces the message we often see being lost with other suppliers.
Even now, after countless visits to our manufacturer Svetruck, Chris Barnes Sales Director talks about what it still means to him, “To be honest, I was jealous of the guys at PHC. They were going to see SveTruck for the very first time and I knew exactly how that was going to feel having recalled my first visit to the factory. The anticipation of seeing actual fabrication, the heart and soul being welded and built into every machine and the tireless attention to detail that each of the 250 trucks per year receive. This is not just a simple assembly plant; this is an establishment that is proud of its heritage and even more proud of its reputation. Given Poole Harbour Commissioners infinity with Swedish forklifts over the years, I knew this would not be lost on our customers”
And this proved to be a sentiment not lost on our visitors from Poole Harbour. As Paul explains, “On all aspects SveTruck has not only met these but promises to exceed our expectations. We had heard that SveTruck is expensive before we travelled but now seeing the total operation, it is easy to see why; the quality is second to none. There is no redesigning for the sake of redesigning which helps us massively in the future with spares. It’s easy to see that SveTruck got it right first time in 1969 and why they won’t change what we see as the best design. We are proud to become part of the SveTruck family and our customers will recognise our statement of investment that we are making to improve terminal reliability form them.”
In the first video of it’s kind, we wanted to capture the excitement and anticipation we see all potential customers experience, because it is just that, an experience. What makes this even more special is that it was recorded by our very own engineer, Tom Atkin on his first ever visit to the Svetruck factory. Tom not only captures the adventure into Sweden, he also manages to capture the ambience of an historic visit to the only true “in house” manufacturer left in Sweden.
The new SveTruck 1612-38 was delivered in April after passing stringent line testing at SveTruck’s production facility.
Video credit: Tom Atkin – Cooper Engineer
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