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Jungheinrich has helped a new aviation centre get ready for take off by supplying it with a fully refurbished TFG 425 engine-powered counterbalanced fork lift truck.

Scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2016, the Bristol Aerospace Centre will tell the story of the aerospace industry since 1910 when Bristol entrepreneur Sir George White established the British and Colonial (later, Bristol) Aeroplane Company.

Located on a site on Filton Airfield, the centre will feature two World War One listed hangars which, when fully refurbished, will house a museum, learning suites, archives and workshops.

On the same site, a major new building will create a permanent home for Concorde, which was designed and built at Filton and landed there after completing its final supersonic flight in 2003.

It is estimated that the Bristol Aerospace Centre will cost upwards of £13m to complete. Much of the funding needed will come through financial support from corporate partners and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The remainder will be raised from private donations and other charitable sources.

Artefacts for the museum are currently being collected from around the world and to ensure that items are handled safely and efficiently on site, reliable materials handling equipment is essential.

Jungheinrich has supplied the centre with a fully refurbished TFG 425 engine-powered counterbalanced truck to help manoeuvre the sometimes heavy and awkwardly shaped exhibits into storage when they arrive at the facility.

Like all refurbished trucks offered by Jungheinrich, the TFG 425 in use at the Bristol Aerospace Centre has been through the Jungheinrich Group’s Dresden refurbishment factory. At Dresden, every machine is completely dismantled and all worn or defective parts are replaced – including tyres and lift chains. The trucks are cleaned inside and out and repainted before being reassembled and safety tested.

Because Jungheinrich refurbishes its trucks to such a high standard, the operating costs of a used Jungheinrich truck will be the same as a new model, which means that the Aerospace Centre’s fully refurbished truck will give many years of efficient and productive service.

One of the truck’s first tasks will be to tow sections of a BAE 146 airliner into storage when it is delivered by a heavy haulage specialist in a few weeks’ time.

The British Aero Collections Trust’s Bill Morgan said: “Our Jungheinrich truck is a crucial piece of kit that will enable us to move these unique aeronautical artefacts safely.”

Craig Johnson, marketing manager of Jungheinrich UK Ltd, comments: “We are delighted to be involved with the new Bristol Aerospace Centre. It is pleasing to think that Jungheinrich is playing a part in helping to bring the amazing history of aviation in Bristol to life for future generations to enjoy.”