A fleet of 60 Toyota forklifts — primarily 1.8-tonne-payload 8FG18 models — is helping one of Australia’s largest fresh produce companies keep up the pace in central markets and its warehouses in all five mainland capitals.
Premier Fruits Group (PFG) is a vertically integrated company with a supply chain that spans from farm to retailer, including packing, transport and distribution, warehousing, cold storage, value-adding and marketing.
“The gas-powered Toyota 8FG18 is the number one forklift in Australia according to the latest sales statistics and is hugely popular among customers and operators in produce markets,” Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) Melbourne area sales manager Scott Bocksette says.
Premier Fruits Group supplements the 8FG18s with Toyota BT powered pallet movers.
PFG co-founder and director Joe Petroro says the company has stuck with the Toyota rentals due to the machines’ reliability and Toyota’s ability to respond quickly for service and support around Australia.
“Fresh produce is an industry where certain things have to be done yesterday, so to speak,” Petroro says. “Breakdowns have to be sorted as quickly and efficiently as possible so you have the required number of forklifts for the job.
“Toyota has always been very good for us in that regard.”
Bocksette says the forklifts used by PFG in the central markets in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth are all serviced by TMHA’s on-site technicians, “while mobile service vans from our branches service the forklifts at the company’s warehouses”.
The Toyota 8-Series forklift range includes internal combustion and battery electric models, with payloads of up to eight tonnes for IC models.
Features include fully-adjustable Operator Restraint Suspension seats with lumbar support, a spacious cab and very good forward visibility.
On the safety side, the forklifts feature Toyota’s System of Active Stability (SAS), which includes an Active Swing Lock Cylinder for improved stability and reduced the potential for tip-overs, and the Operator Presence System (OPS) that prevents the forklift from being used if the operator is not seated correctly.