Friday 16th September saw the conclusion of the RTITB International Forklift Operator of the Year 2016 heats, partnered with McCue and UniCarriers, with two more top forklift operators qualifying for the Grand Final of the competition.

The forklift operator with the lowest total score at the end of the day, who earnt one of the remaining coveted Grand Final spaces, was Philip Contento of Convatec. The day 4 runner up, Simon Bottomley from Nasalezes, also moves forward to the Grand Final.

Held over 4 days at the International Materials Handling Exhibition IMHX 2016, the competition welcomed 40 operators from across the world to the NEC, Birmingham, to compete for a place in the Grand Final at RTITB headquarters in early 2017.

On the final day of the competition, RTITB staff, sponsors and IMHX visitors came together to watch the 10 remaining operators complete 4 different assessments - two practical tests (Explosive Mixer and Fun Factory), a pre-use inspection and a test of their operator theory knowledge. This year’s tests were sponsored by Pyroban, Transaid, TruckLOG, DOLAV and Racking & Storage Solutions and B & B Attachments. Further supporters of the 2016 competition include BACA Workwear, JSM, SHD Logistics, Forkliftaction.com, UKWA, FSDF and BITA.

The RTITB Operator of the Year competition began in 2008 and has evolved and expanded each time, becoming an increasingly sought after accolade. This year marks the first ever international event, with operators from three different continents entering the initial online testing stage.

Competitors can share photos from the event on Twitter using the hashtag #fltcomp2016.

Heat four’s finalist line up was:
• Mike Hunt, trained and employed by Wilko Retail Ltd
• Paul Collins, trained and employed by Wilko Retail Ltd
• Maciej Winiecki, trained and employed by Wilko Retail Ltd
• Dale Smith, trained and employed by Wilko Retail Ltd
• Stephen Hawkridge, trained and employed by PPG
• Craig Powell, trained and employed by PPG
• Simon Bottomley, trained by Manx Industrial Training Services and employed by Nasaleze
• Philip Contento, trained and employed by Convatec
• Benjamin Chamberlain, trained and employed by Clarke International
• Joe McKeown, trained and employed by Nutricia