Kalmar, part of Cargotec, is to supply a total of eight fully electric medium forklift trucks to a leading Austrian timber-product supplier Vöcklamarkter Holzindustrie GmbH (VM-HOLZ). The order was booked in Cargotec’s 2020 Q4 order intake. The machines are scheduled for delivery in four separate batches in early 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

VM-HOLZ, located in the Austrian state of Upper Austria, is a leading provider of sustainable, high-quality timber products for local and international markets. The company already operates a number of Kalmar diesel-powered forklift trucks at its timber yard.

With a lifting capacity of 16 tons, the Kalmar medium electric forklift trucks, powered by lead-acid battery technology, will offer VM-HOLZ all the performance of a powerful diesel truck but without emissions, noise or vibration. The low noise level will enable the company to extend its operations with a night shift.

The machines will also come with Kalmar’s unique energy-saving guarantee, which will allow VM-HOLZ to easily estimate their operating costs based on their electricity tariff. If the predicted level of energy consumption is exceeded, the company will be compensated according to a sliding scale.

Ferdinand Partl, VM-HOLZ: “Introducing electrically powered forklift trucks will allow us to improve productivity and extend our capabilities with nighttime operations while meeting local noise and carbon emissions regulations. Kalmar’s energy-saving guarantee is also a huge benefit because we will have full transparency over the machines’ operating costs. We look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with the Kalmar team for many years to come.”

Gerald Aspernig, Country Director at Kalmar Austria: “With our proven, powerful forklift platform, going electric no longer means compromising on performance, and our unique energy-saving guarantee underlines our commitment to supporting customers to adopt electrification. We are delighted to continue our cooperation with VM-Holz with the conclusion of this deal.