Simarco, one of the UK’s leading independent freight firms, expects to use significantly less fuel after switching to Mitsubishi GRENDiA forklifts.

The new deal with Bronze Mechanical Handling has seen eight GRENDiA trucks, with capacities from 2 to 3 tonnes, replace the Essex company’s outgoing fleet of mixed suppliers and brands.

Simarco’s work can be intensive, with 50-hour weeks for the trucks not uncommon, making fuel an important cost centre.

To reduce its overheads and environmental impact, Simarco conducted an exhaustive tendering process, with the LPG-powered GRENDiA outperforming its rivals during on-site trials.

In the trial, Simarco found the GRENDiA could run on a single bottle of LP Gas for 13 hours; twice as long as its previous trucks and significantly longer than any other truck on the test.

Simarco managing director Trevor Scott explains: “We’re getting busier month-by-month and we were looking for forklifts which could – quite literally – support our growth while limiting the ecological consequences which our work might have.

“The fact that our new machines are even more fuel efficient than those which we had run previously was certainly a factor and, as our business continues both at Witham and our facility in Staffordshire, the potential for further such revisions to our forklift fleet there grows too.”

The GRENDiA speed limiter stood out to Simarco as a great aid to improving efficiency, while the 3-way catalytic converter – fitted as standard – also helped to boost its green credentials by dramatically reducing harmful NOx emissions.

Responsive service and support are also a key factor at the busy depot. An engineer from Bronze stops by the Witham depot every few days to ensure the trucks stay in top condition and minimise potential downtime.

Bronze sales director Chris Slater says: “Simarco run an extremely tight ship, to keep their costs competitive and ensure they deliver on time. We’re delighted to help.

“We’re a passionate, local company, just half an hour down the road. So we can be very proactive about preventing breakdowns, and respond quickly to any requests.

“That combination of world-class forklifts – that are both reliable and extremely efficient to run – with great local support, is always going to be tough to beat.”