A Western Australia-based concrete products manufacturer plans to grow its business by 20 per cent with the help of a specially modified Toyota forklift truck.

Maddington Concrete Products has commissioned a new Toyota 02-7FDA50 forklift, which will handle sections of concrete pipe at its Maddington (Perth) plant.

In an innovative cross-over of technology, the new forklift has a Cascade paper-roll clamp – which is traditionally used for handling newsprint rolls – to handle sections of concrete pipe.

Toyota Material Handling’s Perth branch imported and fitted the Cascade attachment.

Maddington Concrete Products has built a strong reputation for its range of pre-cast concrete drainage products, including soak wells, covers, sumps, tanks and leach drains.

General manager Tony D’Agnone says the company is expanding to produce concrete pipes.

“We’re about to offer concrete pipe in 2.44 metre sections, with inside diameters ranging from 300 to 1200mm,” he says.

“A 1200mm diameter section of pipe weighs two tonnes and we needed a machine with a special attachment to handle those loads.”

The new 5-FD50 forklift takes the Maddington Concrete Products’ Toyota forklift fleet to seven units.

“We have a number of automated machines and need reliable forklifts to move the product around,” D’Agnone adds.

Tony D’Agnone says the company has used Toyota forklifts for more than three decades.

“My uncle and aunt, Michael and Rose Caruso, founded the company in 1966 and bought their first Toyota forklift in 1979,” he says.

“In the early days, we used both Toyota and another brand, but the other brand lost its WA representation and by that stage we wanted to keep the forklift fleet to one maker where possible.

“The Toyota name has been around a long time and we have always enjoyed good service in WA.”