A new range of super-quiet, all-electric forklift trucks, from Cargotec, has been highly commended this week in the Noise Abatement Society's 2012 John Connell Technology Awards, sponsored by the Acoustics Society.

Cargotec received its commendation at a Noise Abatement Society presentation event in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday, 6 November 2012.

Designed primarily for the loading and unloading of vehicles at night in built up areas, the E Series truck mounted forklifts (TMFLs) use electronic technology to achieve a noise level below 60dba, in line with the PIEK regulations.

These regulations, which were developed in The Netherlands and have been adopted in the UK through the Noise Abatement Society, are also widely used across Europe.

Keith Quigley, vice-president for TMFLs at the Dundalk-based company, described receiving a commendation as "a resounding endorsement of our decision to develop an electric forklift alongside our range of diesel powered trucks."

He added that it was particularly pleasing to succeed alongside some of the leading names in the vehicle industry, such as Toyota and Carrier Transcold.

"Heavy daytime road congestion in our towns and cities means that more deliveries are being made during the night and often in built-up residential areas," commented Quigley.

"This requires transport operators to find quieter ways in which to make their deliveries, if they are to avoid falling foul of objections from local residents and noise restrictions placed on them by local authorities. Our new E-Series will go a long way to solving this problem."