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A S daill business becomes la.increasingll hectic and congested. lumberyards are searchin-s for material handling solutions that allo* them to move and store more product. often in longer lengths. in ti_shter quarters. in less time. rr'hile doing it all more safely.

This search has fueled the success of Combilift. launched in 1998 by Martin McVicar and Robert Moffett. creator of the famed Moffett Mounty truck-mounted forklifi. In just eight years. Combilift has gone from introducing the first en_eine-po* ered multi-directional tbrklifi to becoming a leader in the lon-e-load handlin,e market.

Their vehicles' unique configurations allorv them to roll alon-sside *'ide materials. pick them up rr'ith their forks. loner them tow'ard their rvide deck. and then continue for*ard. And their s,heels can srr'ivel. so the forklift can turn corners u'ithout srvin,eing its lon_e load.

The lifts are designed to save time and labor. and improve space utilization. since aisles can be tighter and racks higher. Most irnportantly'. thel imprclve saf-et1 Forkliti drivers back up less and can concentrate on the loads in tiont of them. instead of the long ends sticking out a dozen feet or more to each side. The advantages are magnitred s'ith products like engineered rrood. rrherc lengths can erceed 60 teet.

Weverhaeuser and Boise are currentll adding Combilifi forklifts to all of their distribution vards nations ide-and considering additional units as conventional tbrklifts come up fbr replacement.

Combilift has been concentrating on the U.S. tor the last three rears. Each forklifi is individuallv constmcted in lreland. custom-desi,ened to the buler's exact requirements. The companl then exports 91% of all its forklifts to over .15 countries around the uorld. The U.S. stands as its largest market tlOC/r of overall business b1' rolunre) and fastest grorring (increasing -3ifi e\ er\' \ ear). So in 200-3.

Combilift USA opened in Greensboro. N.C.. and no* supplies a netsork of more than 50 dealers that operate 100 locations across the countn.

"We started in the Northeast. where real estate prices are very high, as in Europe, and this immediately worked to our advantage," said Combilift USA president Tommy Cadden. "The much better utilization of storage space was an atlractive proposition. We then realized that real estate cost is an issue nationally, and the Combilift was seen as the ideal solution as we moved into these markets."

One challenge is convincing dealers and wholesalers to invest in machinery that may cost three times that of a standard forklift.

"The lumber and building materials business is our largest target market." Cadden said, "but we have also successfully penetrated the aluminum extrusion industry, metal roofing industry, vinyl siding manufacturing and distribution, and the steel service sector industry, to name a few main key markets."

The company estimates that, in the entire universe of material handling, about 90Vo of all materials handled are on pallets. Combilift is targeting the remainin g 70Vo -markets specializing in long or awkward loads. Globally, roughly 300 manufacturers produce about 500,000 forklifts a year. Combilift's goal is to capture lOVo of the market, or 50,000 units annually.

To supporl the initiative, Combilift just unveiled a 46-acre global headquarters in Monaghan, Ireland, that includes new corporate offices, stateof-the-art manufacturing plant, and research and development facility.

"We now have a facility capable of producing one unit per hour to cope with expected increase in demand," said managing director McVicar.

Along with the new campus, Combilift unveiled three new forklifts. The company has its greatest aspirations for a new lumberyardfocused model, the Semi-Rough Terrain. The unit features larger solid pneumatic tires and added suspension, making it well suited for unpaved yards. It also has a larger cabin and an integrated lumber box.

McVicar predicts that within l2 months the Semi-Rough Terrain will become Combilift's most popular model, representing as much as 20Vo of their production.

Also introduced were the GT Hydrostatic Electric Sideloader, featurins a stand-on rather than ride-in cab to allow working in even nanower aisles, and the TeleCombi, which is fitted with a one-stage boom mounted on a moving carriage to reach across the full width of a trailer at all lift heights, so drivers can offload from one side only.

-FAMILY AWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1976'

PRODUCI

An Aug. 28 fire caused an estimated $20,000 of damage to the planer room at Pacific Fir Lumber Mill. Sheridan, Or., and damaged a nearby building owned by Breeden Logging.

According to Sheridan Fire Chief Larry Eckhardt, the fire started at a railroad trestle about 400 yards west of the mill. By the time the first firefighters arrived, the flames were racing toward the plant. In all, 60 firefighters and 15 employees worked to end the blaze.

The whole mill could have burned down," said owner Jim Myers. "We have a million feet of lumber that could have gone up in flames. The workers did a hell of a job."

Myers bought the mill in l99l and estimates its current value at S3.5-S4 million. He said all 26 workers were back on the job the next morning.

M&L Ace Hardware, a familyowned store that has operated since 1980 in Oakley, Ca., will close due to a months-long road widening project.

"I had no control over it," said owner Hayden Mullins, who has worked at the store since ase 14 and had planned to retire there.

"l think rvhat has taken place is a misunderstanding of rvhat needed to be done and horv it rvould impact the property there." said city manager Bryan Montgomery. "The fact rhat the roadrvay needed to be widened had been long contemplated. What wasn't understood rvas horv it rvould affect the property he orvns."

Mullins said that the decline began rvhen a pedestrian bridge rvas built next to the store by developers. blocking the entrance to the store. Then the city acquired a portion of his property through eminent domain. so the street could be widened from trvo to four lanes. Included in the takeover rvere 400 sq. ft. of prime display space near the front entrance.

To make matters worse. Mullins said. customers thought the store rvas closed even though "open during construction" signs were prominently displayed. Because of all the problems. he claimed. store revenues dropped more than $1,0m a day for months.

Councilman Bruce Connelley sympathized. because the city only compensated Mullins $39.330 for the property seized and nothing for the loss of business. He said that addition- al signs and speeding up construction rvould have helped. "More consideration has to be taken rvhen rve shut dorvn a longtime business that has contributed a lot to the city." Connelley said. "We have got to do more for our local businesses than we have."

After orvners of other local Ace Hardrvare stores sell off existing merchandise. Mullins hopes to lease the property to another business. "lt is just sad because my mother-in-larv. son and rvife rvork here." he said. "This was a true. true family business."

Orchard Supply Hardrvare. San Jose. Ca.. has agreed to pay a $21.960 penalty to the EPA for allegedly selling a pesticide that has not been re_sistered with the federal government.

Under federal larv. products that claim to control bacteria. viruses or fun-ei must be registered as pesticides under federal larv. Goo Gone All Purpose Cleaner. rvhose label at the time claimed it "rvashes away gerrns and bacteria." was found at OSH's Turlock. Ca.. store in January 2m4 by an inspector from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

"Pesticide producers and retailers