A long-running Bridgend distribution operation replaced an ageing forklift fleet (eight Toyota counterbalance and four reach trucks) over a single weekend. New units were supplied, drivers re-certified, and the old fleet was collected and removed without losing a shift on either side of the changeover.
The Challenge
The existing fleet was 8 to 9 years old, with rising service costs and lift failures starting to affect daily throughput. The client wanted to refresh the whole fleet in one go rather than phasing replacements over months, but they couldn’t afford to disrupt the Monday morning shift. The transition window was 60 hours between Friday close-of-shift and Monday 06:00.
What We Did
Twelve new Toyota 8-Series trucks were pre-prepped at our Bridgend yard the week before, all with client-specified safety packs (blue spot lights, amber strobes, reverse alarms) and bespoke fork attachments. Delivery of the new fleet and collection of the old ran in parallel across Saturday and Sunday under direct supervision of our service manager. Driver re-certification was delivered in groups across the weekend so all 16 operators were signed off for the Monday shift.
- 8 × Toyota 8FBN counterbalance forklifts
- 4 × Toyota 8FBR reach trucks for high-level racking
- Client-specified safety packs fitted before delivery
- Old-fleet collection in parallel across the same window
- RTITB re-certification training for 16 operators
- 4-year inclusive service contract on the new fleet
The Outcome
The new fleet was operational from the Monday morning shift onwards. The old fleet was collected and processed for resale or scrap by the following Friday. The client signed a four-year inclusive service contract on the new fleet and has since referred two further sites in their group to FTM.