Briggs Equipment has completed its acquisition of Barloworld Handling UK, taking on all of the firm's assets and facilities as part of a long term commitment to the materials handling industry in the UK.

The move, which was fully funded by Briggs' parent company Sammons Enterprises, means that Briggs is now responsible for both Yale and Hyster forklift trucks.

Some of Barloworld's 22 depots will be closed to fit Briggs'centralised business model.

Chief executive Richard Close said the firm would take the next three months to asses its consolidation plan.

“There are areas of the country where a local presence is really very good, but  bricks and mortar don't satisfy customers... They [the depots] have to be there for a good business reason, or a customer reason," he said.

The Barloworld brand will cease to exist, but business will continue with two sales teams, and all staff will transfer to Briggs apart from the top ten executives.

Briggs now has a workforce of more than 600 mobile engineers, covering every postcode in the UK. The move also gives Briggs a presence in Northern Ireland for the first time.

The Barloworld SAP systems will be transferred to Briggs' M3 software.

The complete integration of the two firms is expected by the end of 2013.