Perth-based drilling fluid business Mudex has made the decision to reduce the carbon footprint of its business by enlisting the help of Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) and its range of zero-emission Toyota electric forklifts.
With its head office and manufacturing hub in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale, Mudex wanted to replace its fleet of rental gas forklifts, and the superb reliability, outstanding safety, and ease of servicing that form part of the Toyota Advantage were significant factors in making the switch to a fleet of fully owned equipment.
Mudex Commercial Manager Pete McCormack said it was an easy decision to choose TMHA for its fleet of new equipment not only due to the availability of electric models, but the fantastic reputation that Toyota forklifts have in the industry.
"We made the decision that we want to be more eco-friendly, take our carbon footprint down and go electric," Mr McCormack said.
"We did have a look at all the major forklift brands, but we decided on Toyota basically because they are reliable, and the aftersales service, parts - it was a no-brainer really.
"We wanted the best and Toyota has the best. There's a reason they have such a large chunk of the forklift market," he said.
Another major Toyota Advantage factor in Mudex choosing Toyota was the assistance provided by local THMA area sales manager Danny Carbery, who helped guide Mudex through the long and complicated process of finding exactly the right set of equipment.
With over 10 years of experience procuring the right TMHA forklifts for customers' needs, Mr Carbery worked extensively with Mudex to tailor the perfect solution for the business, walking them through a range of different options before settling on the chosen machines.
Mr Carbery said that through a range of face-to-face meeting and product demonstrations, they were able to narrow down whether to use gas or electric forklifts, and exactly what type of equipment would be best suited.
"They had been renting, and they wanted to find their own gear and had a bit of a focus on safety, so it was a fairly involved process to narrow down what they wanted," Mr Carbery said.
"I realised how important to them being green was, and they are trying to go in a more environmentally friendly direction - that was a big focus for them.
"They're fantastic forklifts. Quiet, easy to use and better for the environment. I think that was a big factor in why they went with what they did."
Mr McCormack said Mr Carbery's comprehensive assistance was crucial for Mudex finding the exact solution it wanted, with nothing but praise for the entire purchasing process.
"Mr Carbery has been really brilliant, if you could give above five stars you'd give above five stars," Mr McCormack said.
"He's held our hand throughout the whole process. We went through several different make-ups of the forklifts that we wanted, lots of different things and he's been great.
"He guided us through to our final configuration and he's been really good to deal with, nothing was ever an issue," he said.
Mudex purchased three Toyota 8FBE20 and one Toyota 8FBE18 three-wheel electric forklifts along with one Toyota 32-8FGK25 gas counterbalance forklift, having transitioned from a rental fleet of equipment to one owned by the company itself.
When deciding which forklift provider to choose for their new fleet of forklifts, Mudex considered a range of different manufacturers but took advice from within the industry that inevitably steered them towards TMHA.
As any manufacturing operation will know, the people you really need to impress with new warehouse equipment are the back-of-house staff, and initial reports from Mudex are certainly positive.
"We've been slowly giving them out to the crew in manufacturing, and they all like them. The turning circle is very good on those models," said Mr McCormack.
"The safety features, it's been all positive from the guys in the back, and they are really who we have to convince."
The partnership between Mudex and TMHA shows that making a positive change to one's environmental impact does not have to come at the cost of usability, reliability or safety, all key pillars of the Toyota Forklift Advantage.
The adoption of an electric forklift fleet is sure to mark the start of a fruitful partnership between TMHA and Mudex, as the latter continues to supply drilling fluids and parts to mining businesses both domestic and international.
