Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys addresses Combilift staff at the company’s hometown of Monaghan in Ireland.
This week Irish material handling company Combilift marked its 25th anniversary, a milestone that in many companies warrants a modest celebration but not Combilift. Source: Mandy Parry-Jones for Timberbiz
You can hardly call it modest when a company hosts 130 journalists from around the world in the company’s hometown of Monaghan, Ireland, then adds suppliers, buyers and Minister for Rural and Community Development Minister Heather Humphreys.
There were 130 journalists from countries as far as Brazil, Peru, and Australia.
Several new and innovative products were shown, described and detailed.
As a taste for the timber industry, with which the company has had a very long association starting 25 years ago, there were many products that stand out; the Combi-Cube multidirectional electric forklift, the Combilift MG (mobile gantry) straddle carrier; the Combi CSS Slip Sheet, and the Combi CB70E multi directional forklift, with the Combi-Cube and the CB70E now painted a vibrant green for easier visibility.
Each of these products targets a different area, as an example the Combi CSS Slip Sheet is designed for fast loading of freight containers with a maximum capacity of 30,000 kg. It can complete a full container load cycle in less than six minutes, and equally importantly with absolute safety.
The Combilift MG straddle carrier is a cost-effective and flexible large mobile load handling solution ideally suited to the emerging modular building sector.
The Combi-Cube is a new generation counterbalance forklift with a host of tech and design features to benefit operator and operations, such as larger rear wheels and rubber tyres so it is suited to indoor and outdoor work.
Combi-Cube’s larger sibling, the Combi CB70E is an addition to the growing range of electric models, it is the shortest 7t capacity counterbalance truck on the market.
Its multidirectional ability is space saving while it handles bulky loads with large super elastic tyres that allow it work indoors or outdoors on surfaces that are uneven or rough.
Seamus McMeel (Combilift), Connor McKenna (Combilift), Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys, Martin McVicar (Combilift MD), Mark White (Combilift) with a Combi-CB70E.
While celebrating a 25th anniversary was an ideal time for the company to show off its most recent and innovative products, of which those listed above are four of five releases for 2023, one of the most inspiring aspects of Combilift is its people, from the top down. Company founders Robert Moffett and Martin McVicar now head a company of 800 employees but when they started in 1993 it was a handful of engineers and tradespeople who produced the first Combi C4000 designed on AutoCad, now the company owns 140 patents worldwide.
From that C4000 which was designed primarily for the timber industry – a multi direction truck that could work inside or out – the company has grown substantially but the same ‘can do’ attitude has never changed.
One of its core principles is that it will adapt its machinery to do whatever work the buyer needs it to do.
