Katoen Natie, a provider of international logistics services and port operations, has continued its successful roll-out of Hyster equipment, receiving its 1000th Hyster truck in the past five years.

Representatives from Katoen Natie recently visited the factory where Hyster® trucks are produced in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, for the handover of the latest trucks to join the fleet - including an LPG powered Hyster H2.5FT forklift - the 1000th unit ordered by this customer. Harry Sands, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Hyster EMEA, presented the truck to Danny Senecaut from Katoen Natie.

“We previously didn’t believe that there was a truly worldwide truck manufacturer that could support our international operations,” says Danny Senecaut from Katoen Natie. “We were glad to find that Hyster could offer a global solution to meet our needs, and we look forward to continuing to work together.”

Present in 33 countries across 5 continents, Katoen Natie delivers a wide range of services, including loading and unloading cargo, operating logistics platforms for storage and handling of industrial products, and supply chain design and management.

Having compared the product offering to that of a competitor brand, and following successful cooperation in Belgium, Katoen Natie chose to introduce Hyster® trucks to its varied international operations in 2011. Hyster solutions are now supporting the company to deliver services in 21 countries, across the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

To best meet the customer’s specific needs, the Hyster Special Engineering Team applies a package of customised features to all Katoen Natie’s trucks to enhance ergonomics and performance for drivers and support best operating practices. This includes features such as a high visibility seatbelt, an engine shutdown system where required and a pedestrian awareness light. In addition, all of the trucks are bespoke painted to match Katoen Natie’s branding, which ensures seamless integration into the fleet of trucks used within their different customers’ operations.

Due to the exceptional support of local dealers around the world, in particular B-CLOSE in Belgium, alongside the proven performance of Hyster® trucks, Katoen Natie has already ordered a large volume of new equipment in 2016.

The latest truck received will be used in Antwerp, Belgium where the company is headquartered and will join a mixed fleet of electric and LPG vehicles, from 1.6 tonne capacity forklifts through to high capacity lift trucks and container handlers. Katoen Natie has recently acquired its 25th Hyster® ReachStacker, so on their recent visit to Craigavon to celebrate acquiring 1000 Hyster® trucks, they were presented with a scale model of a ReachStacker specially customised to Katoen Natie’s brand colours.

“We are delighted to supply Katoen Natie with a range of high quality lift trucks and services that help them to meet the challenges of different applications around the world,” says Henrik Caesius, Major Accounts Manager, Northern Europe for Hyster. “With a strong working relationship based on trust, our focus is ensuring that we continue to grow alongside our customer and continually fulfil all their requirements despite any challenges we might encounter.”

“Our handling operations are intensive, varied and demanding, so reliability, low cost of ownership and responsive services are key requirements within Katoen Natie’s port handling and logistics operations,” says Sophie Van Kerckhove, Head of Purchasing, Katoen Natie.

Katoen Natie is fully supported throughout its international operations by the local Hyster distribution partners globally, providing rapid engineer response and planned maintenance.