Forktruck Solutions expands green offering following six-figure funding deal

A West Yorkshire equipment dealership is set to boost sales after investing in new vehicles on the back of six-figure funding.

Dewsbury-based Forktruck Solutions sells and repairs forklift trucks and warehouse equipment to customers across the UK. In a bid to become more sustainable it pivoted post-pandemic from selling only gas and diesel-powered vehicles to offer lithium-ion forklift trucks.

Now the business says it will grow turnover by 20% after introducing the net zero vehicles, after securing £600,000 from Lloyds Bank. To store and process the new carbon zero stock, the company used the Lloyds Bank finance deal to more than double its warehouse space from 4,000 sqft to 13,000 sq ft.

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A further £56,250 of funding from Lloyds Bank was used to install solar panels, six electric car charging stations for employees, LED lighting throughout its warehouse and offices, and two living moss walls to help improve air quality.

Since expanding the premises, the business has taken on six new salespeople, three service support employees and four engineers. The business has increased its turnover from £1.1m to £7m over the past three years and is now targeting £15m to £20m turnover in the next five years.

Simon Penny Smith, managing director of Forktruck Solutions, said: “While lockdown caused great disruption to the business, we used the time to take stock of what we were offering and what our customers wanted. There was an increasing demand for more sustainable vehicles, so we decided to introduce the lithium-ion technology to our customer base and beyond. Since, the business has gone from strength to strength and our customers are reaping the benefits with huge savings on fuel and massive carbon reductions in their operations.

“From increasing productivity to saving around 10-15 tonnes of carbon each year, the new trucks will also save our customers about 70% in fuel cost alone compared to traditional forklift trucks. Thanks to Lloyds Bank, we’ve been able to really focus on becoming more sustainable and now have the space to stock the new lithium forklift trucks.

“The support has also allowed us to look ahead and embrace sustainable opportunities on-site. For us, it’s important we practice what we preach and operate in the most energy-efficient way possible.”

Craig Smith, relationship manager for Lloyds Banking Group said: “We are proud to be supporting a business like Forktruck Solutions that realises the long-term benefits of operating more sustainably. The firm is now providing customers with a greener alternative while also reducing its own carbon emissions, a perfect example of how a business can help our region on the road to Net Zero.”