Despite tough trading conditions, Toyota Material Handling has delivered strong results for 2009, with increased market share and some important contract wins. To support their offering for 2010 and beyond, depots in Sittingbourne, Kent and Quedgeley in Gloucester have been added to the UK network. They join four major business centres, three regional depots and two fleet management centres across the UK.

The new centres, expected to be fully open by spring, will provide a convenient base for the service and account management teams in the regions, strengthening Toyota's presence in the south. Both facilities will feature demonstration areas to display and test products.

Commenting on the openings, Tony Wallis, operations director, Toyota Material Handling UK said: "Toyota has a reputation for excellence on a global scale but it is only by acting locally that we have earned the highest levels of customer satisfaction in our industry.

As a direct organisation it is critical that we offer a quality of service equal to that of our products.

We have grown our business by focussing on the needs of each customer, regardless of size or location and providing them with quality products and service. Maintaining this closeness to our customers is something we are totally committed to for the future and these strategically placed depots will help us to achieve this.

With over 500 Toyota trained service technicians operating across the UK and an increasing number of regional sites, wherever a customer is in the UK, Toyota is close at hand."