Castle crowned in Ireland
October 1st 2010

Irish forklift distributor Castle Mechanical has reason to be cheerful in the midst of the downturn as it has signed an exclusive deal to distribute Crown lift trucks in the Republic of Ireland. Simon Duddy, editor of Handling & Storage Solutions (IP&E Ireland's sister publication) visited the company to find out more

Dublin-based Castle Mechanical has high hopes despite the sharp downturn in economic activity in the Republic of Ireland. The firm was recently confirmed as the exclusive distributor of Crown warehouse equipment in the 26 counties and sees the signing of a major manufacturer as a way to win blue chip clients.

Ken Murray, managing director of Castle Mechanical enthuses about the Crown equipment and says his firm had been hoping to distribute the equipment for many years.Murray says: "It is telling that there are still Crown trucks that were sold 15 to 20 years ago in the market that are still going strong. It is durable and reliable equipment and we've always been very impressed by Crown's reputation. The firm is a sleeping giant in the forklift market and we believe the next five years is its time." The Irish market is proving challenging.

Murray observes that many customers are struggling for funding and looking to pick up trucks for a fraction of their real worth.

While price is important,Murray cautions users to look ahead when making purchases to ensure they have kit that is fit-for-purpose and durable.

Murray sees the primary opportunity in the cash strapped market lying with larger blue chip firms and feels the Crown proposition, while not the cheapest, is the most effective for customers looking to minimise running costs over the duration of the contract.

"We want to get in front of clients who have dealt with other brands that have won their business on a low starting price but since ramped up costs over the life of the contract. They will appreciate the durable nature of Crown equipment. It is not just about purchase price. Yes, you may pay an extra 10,000 euros up front but you may find you save 40,000 euros over the contract, compared with some other brands," he says.

Murray also has high praise for Crown's design philosophy as well as its InfoLink and Access 123 fleet management tools.

In a bid to ensure high design quality and reliability, Crown has long implemented the manufacturing philosophy of vertical integration. This means instead of outsourcing, the company makes the vast majority of truck components – from forming sheet metal and plastic parts to designing and manufacturing circuit boards for electronic controls – in its own plants.

Crown uses a lot more steel in its designs than is typical in many modern lift trucks.

"It's no accident that Crown trucks are durable," he says. "We've also have seen InfoLink in action at some of Crown's projects in the UK and the reporting ability, pre-operation checks, etc, were first class." Murray sees the Crown products and his own company's local nous and service experience as an ideal combination.

"We have the service and support that is needed to back-up any good product.We are a service operation with a long local tradition and credentials.We have the complete package here." Castle was originally established as service operation that diversified into selling trucks as customers increasingly requested equipment recommendations from the firm.

It has a long history in the market, including 18 years as a Jungheinrich distributor and six years as a distributor for BT. Since 1998, Castle has been a dealer for Doosan on the counterbalance side.