Latest news                                                               

  DEL exhibiting at the CV Operators Show            Feb 2010    

DEL Equipment (UK) Limited are pleased to announce that they will be attending this years Commercial Vehicle Operators Show at the NEC in Birmingham. DEL’s stand this year focuses on their safety first awareness campaign, with details of their comprehensive range of platform side guards on display. Each guard available offers handling solutions for a varied range of working environments such as the auto erect for the gas bottle market. This style of guard is fixed permanently to the lift and when it is opened, the guards automatically surround the platform. This allows the operator to store the gas bottles against the guards and strap them in position making the load safe. This style, like all the guards, is based on DEL’s emphasis of maximising operator protection. For more information, please visit DEL’s stand 5269.

  Where does the tailift market go from here?       July 2009    

Mr Ian Forman, Managing Director of DEL Equipment (UK) Limited gave a telephone interview to TRANSPORT ENGINEER, which was publised in their July 2009 magazine.

Extract:

As well as doing what they can to insulate their business from the cold wind of recession, Mr Forman and his collegues lately have been adapting to changed company ownership. DEL was bought in April 2008 by Cargotec, the giant Finnish group specialising in load handling equipment of just about every kind imaginable. Cargotec divisions include Hiab, Moffett and Kalmar. DEL is now part of the Hiab division and Mr Forman's boss is based in Helsinki.

"Things have worked out very well," says Mr Forman. "There is very little interference in the negative sense. Whether or not the change of ownership has had any direct effect on our business levels is difficult to judge because it's been such a strange year for the tailift market."

One clear effect has been an end to the arrangement under which DEL sold Dautel cantilever lifts from Germany in the UK to supplement lighter column lifts. Now DEL offers Zepro cantilever lifts instead, from its sister comapny in the Cargotec group. Oddly, that would seem to put DEL in competition with Zepro UK (not owned by Cargotec) which also sells Zepro lifts in the UK. But the arrangement works smoothly enough, according to Mr Forman. "They have retained their customers and we supply ours, so we preserve the best customer relationships," he says. DEL's delivery lead times for cantilever lifts have been cut, points out Mr. Forman, because they are kept in stock. Dautel lifts used to be bought to order.

What about the economies of scale that might be expected to result from being part of a huge conglomerate? "To be honest, that has not been a major factor," says Mr Forman candidly. "We've looked at purchasing and supply arrangements elsewhere in the group and not been able to identify worthwhile savings that justify the risk involved in changing suppliers." Has being part of the Cargotec opened up fresh export opportunites for UK-centric DEL, as promised? "Yes, that's happening, but not as quickly as we would have liked, mainly because of the market conditions," says Mr Forman. DEL lifts have been sold into Australia, Hong Kong, France, Spain, Denmark and Germany in the past year. Some keep their DEL badges, others are branded Zepro. "The numbers are not huge, partly because we specialise in column lifts which are not widely used in most of those countries," explains Mr Forman. "But the numbers will grow and it is a toe in the door. In the current climate everything helps."

Compared with last year, DEL's turnover is down 25 per cent so far in 2009, according to Mr Forman. The number of lifts sold has plunged even more sharply from the 2008 total of 5,700. "Turnover has suffered less because we are selling a higher proportion of bigger lifts and parts sales have not changed," he explains. "The local authority market is a bright spot, remaining reasonably strong. Our wheelie-bin lifts and dump-over lifts for a small tippers are going well."

Mr Forman is confident that demand for tailifts will pick up in the UK next year. "Some fleets will not buy anything this year, so I think improvement is almost inevitable," he says. "But it's not going to be as strong as 2008. At DEL we are doing better than break-even, we have retained key staff, maintained our supplier base and are keeping our service levels well up."

  In-house show area                           Feb 2009        

With the cancellation of the CV show this year, we have created an area within the factory where we display around ten assorted tailifts. These will include cantilever and slider lifts from our sister company Zepro, column lifts designed for tippers (Dump Over and Dump Thru), wheelie bin lifts, our 'standard' 500kg (Slimjim) , 1000kg (Trimloader) and 1500kg (Superloader) column lifts and our 1000kg and 1500kg tuckunder lifts.

If you would like a demonstration of our products and a tour of our factory, we would be very willing to assist you. To arrange a visit, please contact with Ian Forman or Paul Kelly on 01993 708811.

  DEL Acquired by Cargotec                May 2008    

DEL Equipment (UK) Limited, the UK's leading manufacturer of tailifts for commercial vehicles has been fully acquired by the Hiab division of the Cargotec Corporation, which also owns ZEPRO.

ZEPRO, the worlds leading cantilever and slider tailift manufacturer, will be promoting the DEL products through the ZEPRO export channels around the world. DEL will in turn promote the ZEPRO products through their network in the UK. This move will strengthen further Hiab's position as the global market leader in the tailift industry.

DEL would like to confirm to all customers the further continuation of these products and services and to provide the solution to all their lifting needs.

For further information, please contact the DEL team on 01993 708811.

  DEL exhibiting at CV Show            March 2008   

At the Commercial Vehicle Show, held at the NEC in Birmingham, DEL will be exhibiting their special landmark 50,000 tailift together with a selection of products from their popular and comprehensive range. One of these products exhibited at the show will be their new Dump Over column tailift for tippers. The concept of the Dump Over allows the vehicle operator to use the lift like any conventional tailift but with the unique folding platform, it can be lowered in the vertical position below vehicle floor and provides unobstructed discharge when the tipper is operated. The new design incorporates a lightweight yet robust aluminium platform to reduce the amount of effect to open/close for the operator plus eradiciating the need for side support chains. The Dump Over range, with lifting capacities up to 1000kg, is ideal for councils and municipals collecting large volume of household goods and domestic waste. 

To discuss your lifting requirements please visit our stand. We are in hall 18, stand 002.

  DEL Manufacture 50,000 tailift      March 2008    

2008 is proving to be an extra special year for DEL Equipment, the UK's leading tailift manufacturer, as they have now exceeded 50,000 tailifts. "This is a great achievement for us." comments Simon Eskriett, DEL's Sales Director. "To reach this special landmark is a testament of our commitment towards quality and customer service. As we manufacture every lift from our factory in Witney, it gives us the ability to tailor the products to every customer's specific application needs and provide the complete lifting solution."

  DEL manufacture barn door tailift      Oct 2007   

Oxfordshire based tailift manufacturer DEL Equipment (UK) Limited has recently supplied the Trumac Group with a 500kg column lift to suit their refrigerated body with barn doors.

"The tailift we supplied to Trumac is based upon our popular quickfit range of lifts." Comments Simon Eskriett, DEL's Sales Director. "By using this design it rapidly reduces both installation and service times when compared to the traditional overhead beam lift that are currently used by our competitors."

"After spending time developing this lift, we feel that we can reduce fitting times by at least 4 hours, making it an attractive cost saving to bodybuilders. The lift also offers great cost savings to the vehicle operator as all the majot tailift components are held within the tailift beam below floor level, making it easier and quicker for service engineers to maintain."

DEL can tailor each lft to their customer's specific requirements as they have number of options available ranging from deeper platfoms to different styles of trolley stops. The lift supplied to Trumac was fully galvanised to offer protection against corrosion and with a lightweight 815mm deep aluminium platform. A pair of 3 way folding ramps were fitted to the rear of the platform to act as stops and prevent any trolleys coming off by accident.

  DEL win contract to supply Fraikin    June 2007

DEL Equipment has announced that is has won a contract to supply Fraikin with tailifts for its 2007 rental fleet. "We are delighted to have won this contract," comments DEL's Managing Director, Ian Forman. "The deal has seen us supply over 100 of our new trimloader column tailifts, which maximise vehicle payload capacity by being the lightest 1,000kg galvanised steel column tailift available on the market. The Fraikin specification includes our unique full length 3 way folding side ramps, which ensures the load is fully secured on the platform."

Fraikin Fleet Engineer Gary Clark added: "We chose DEL as a supplied of these lifts as they have developed a neat and simple solution which fully meets our full specification requirements. Their product features a robust design which promises low lifetime maintenance costs, with wearing parts easily replaceable if and when necessary."

  Safety first proves popular                June 2007  

The commercial vehicle show proved to be successful for the Witney based tailift manufacturer DEL Equipment (UK) Limited. "with the amount of enquiries generated at this years show, I can say this has been our best ever." says Simon Eskriett, DEL's Sales Director. "The safety first theme on our stand this year where each tailift had a feature offering extra operator protection, proved highly popular. The hinged side gates on the mesh platform tailift was a big hit and since the show we have received a number of orders for tailifts requiring this particular application."

The other highlight for DEL's stand was the introduction of their new tuckunder tailift. The new lift comes complete with a robust but lightweight aluminium platform that is operator friendly to open and close. The lift also has all steelwork fully galvanised as standard to maximise protection from corrosion. DEL are confident of this finish that they now offer a 3 year anti-corrosion warranty with every new lift purchased, which is a first in the tailift industry. These lifts are suitable for 6.5 tonne vehicles right throgh to large acticulated trailers.

  Tuckunder for refrigerated vehicles   March 2007  

After the successful launch of DEL's new tuckunder range at last years show, DEL are pleased to announce the introduction of a new tuckunder specifically designed for refrigerated vehicles at the this years commercial vehicle show. 

The new tuckunder, with lifting capacities ranging from 500 to 1500kg, now does not need a rear bearer as previously required to ensure the reached vehicle floor. This new design helps save the precious body insulation that had to be removed to allow a DEL tuckunder to be fitted.  The most impressive feature is that DEL are the only manufacturer to produce a tuckunder with fully galvanised steelwork to maximum protection against corrosion. DEL have also managed to incorporate a lightweight aluminium platform that is easy to open and close, making it operator friendly.

  Safety first for DEL tailifts                March 2007 

6 of the lifts on DEL's stand at the Commercial Vehicle show this year will be focusing on operator safety. DEL's trimloader column tailift, which was launched at last year's show, will be demonstrating hinged side ramps and hinged rear ramps that act as trolley stops. These ramps are excellent for preventing any items from accidentally coming off the platform when in operation and also allows kerbside loading/unloading when required via the side ramps. 

Another safety feature DEL will be exhibiting on a 500kg-column lift is their wrap around side fences. This innovate design by DEL has the fences close up against the back of the vehicle when the platform is closed. When the operator wants to use the tailift, the oeprator has to open the fences and lock them into the side of the platform to allow access to the rear of the vehicle. This promotes a safe working practice every time the lift is operated.

DEL will also be exhibiting their 1500kg capacity tuckunder lift with a deeper platform and spring assisted trolley stops. The twin ram tuckunder includes a unique torsion assistance due to the size of the platform. DEL have incorporated a torsion bar in the folding section of the lift to reduce the amount of effort to open and close the platform.

  DEL move to new factory                    Dec 2006

DEL Equipment (UK) Limited, one of the UK's leading tailift & bin lifter manufacturers, has annouced their recent move to a new 64,000 square foot factory on the outskirts of Witney, Oxfordshire. "Due to our continued growth, we had to find larger premises to cope with our current order book but more importantly, to allow DEL to push confidently forward in the future." says Ian Forman, DEL's Managing Director.

"The move has allowed us to consolidate everything under on roof instead of the two we have been operating under for the past 6 years. This will improve manufacturing efficiency, reduce material movement, promote better inventory control and improve shop floor communication. All these improvements and the larger facilities will allow us to continue to add to our customer base and to introduce products, which are currently in the pipeline."

  DEL to supply Northgate PLC                                          Dec 2006     

Left: Nick Skillman, Regional director, Northgate.  Right: Ian Forman, MD, DEL Equipment

DEL Equipment (UK) Limited is proud to annouce that it has won a contract to supply Northgate PLC with tailifts. The deal sees DEL supplying 500kg column tailifts, 1000kg and 1500kg column, tuckunder and cantilever lifts.

""We are absolutely thrilled with the news" enthused DEL's Managing Director Ian Forman. "This is a brillant endorsement of DEL's commitment to customer service. We have supplied 500kg tailifts for many years to Northgate and in 2004 secured a two year contract to also supply the larger 1000 and 1500kg column,tuckunder and cantilever lifts. We are pround that our business has been able to react quickly to Northgate's changing needs over the past two years."

In a fairly mature market, DEL have managed to almost double its turnover in the past five years and will exceed £10m sales in 2006. This deal is a good foundation for the company to push further forward this year and demonstrate that they are the best tailift company in the UK.

Phill Moorhouse, Managing director UK rental of Northgate PLC said "DEL have supplied Northgate with a flawless service in their supply, aftersales and technical support. We look forward to working with them in the future."

  Lightweight lifts for vans                                      Feb 2006   

Left Picture: PC300L (Polecat)   Right Picture: DL300PLA (Parcel van lift)

With so many concerns over the way vehicle operators lift heavy items into the back of vans, DEL have helped solve this problem by manufacturing two different lifts to fit factory built vans.

The first lift internal lift DEL makes is the single pillar lift named "Polecat". This lift has a 300kg lifting capacity and only weighs 80kgs installed to protect the vital vehicle payload. The tailift has been made very simple to operate and when the lift is not in use, it sits uniquely to one side allowing unrestricted access to the rest of the vehicle. The lifts come with an aluminium platform and offers a working area of 750mm deep by 500mm wide, making it ideal for many applications such as lifting domestic appliances and oil barrels. This lift can also be fitted behind either the rear or side door.

The second lift available is their DL300PLA twin column internal tailift. Again this lift has a lifting capacity of 300kg and an installed weight of 145kgs. This lift fits between the wheel arches of the van and offers a 1000mm square platform plus 205mm-fixed ramp. With this size of platform, it makes the lift ideal for lifting more bulky items such as large photocopiers and office furniture.

When it comes to installing these lifts, it is very simple and quick to do. As the lifts are supplied completely pre-wired to save time, the lift simply needs bolting to the vehicle floor in 6 places and then connected to the vehicle battery. The lift can be fully operational and weight tested within 4 hours, making installation costs inexpensive.

To also give their customers peace of mind, DEL offer a comprehensive 12 months warranty with every lift and also offer tailor made contract maintenance packages.