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Briggs Equipment drives in efficiencies at market-leading automotive remanufactu

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Date: 2nd October 2014

Briggs Equipment drives in efficiencies at market-leading automotive remanufacturer

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Caption:Car Parts Industries takes delivery of its new fleet of materials handling equipment fromBriggs Equipment.
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Materials handling services specialist Briggs Equipment has won a new contract worth £250,000 to supply forklift trucks along with lift and access equipment to Car Parts Industries (CPI), one of the leading remanufacturers of automotive parts in Europe.

Car Parts Industries remanufactures products such as brake callipers, steering racks and steering pumps for an extensive range of cars and light commercial vehicles. With sister companies in Belgium, Poland and Denmark and maximising more than 40 years' industry expertise, it is now market leader for both steering and brake remanufactured products.

Briggs has supplied CPI with a mix of forklift trucks and lift and access equipment with a capital value of £250,000. All of the equipment, which includes Hyster medium level order pickers, two Hyster counterbalanced electric forklift trucks and six JLG driveable stock pickers, will be deployed in the core and finished goods warehouses at CPI's 135,000 sq. ft. facility in Wednesbury in the West Midlands. Under the terms of the five-year rental contract, Briggs is also providing a fully comprehensive maintenance and service package.

During the past two years Car Parts Industries has seen a significant upturn in demand for its products, prompting major investment, both in plant and people. The company has set up its own research and development centre located in Manchester and has created a centre of excellence for steering units and brake callipers at its Wednesbury site. Business development has also resulted in CPI expanding its workforce and the business now employs 232 people, up from 75 in 2010.

"The cornerstone of our materials handling strategy was to invest in top quality machinery that would give us the capacity for further development as well as the ability to cover our current needs, and to partner with a well-established supplier who understands what's important to us as a business," says CPI's purchasing manager Darren Causer.

"Briggs was the only real choice. We negotiated hard to achieve a solution that would deliver the product reliability and quality of service we require, building a genuine rapport with the Briggs

sales team, for whom nothing was too much trouble, and have arrived at a package which suits both companies."

As part of the selection process Darren instigated a series of one-day trials with potential MHE suppliers and says the Hyster K range really stood out as a quality machine that was clearly purpose-built for the demands of a busy business like CPI. He was also impressed by the ease of doing business with Briggs, the company's rapid response to customer queries and the service/maintenance programme designed to keep CPI's fleet operating at peak performance.

"Car Parts Industries controls the entire remanufacturing process, from parts and production to sales and service, so it has to be able to rely on its MHE fleet," says Briggs Equipment's

Jamie Palmer.

"Having initially offered CPI advice on how they could reduce the number of working hours lost to equipment breakdowns, we've been working closely with their purchasing team for the past 18 months, taking part in equipment trials and supplying forklifts on a short-term rental basis to help the company deal with periodic spikes in demand. Ultimately, we've been able to structure a package which gives CPI the flexibility to meet both existing and future requirements as its business continues to grow."

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Editor's Notes

Briggs Equipment UK Ltd is a leading materials handling service provider and sole distributor of Yale Europe Materials Handling and exclusive Hyster products throughout the United Kingdom. Providing a wide range of equipment for a broad customer base, Briggs provides innovative, tailored and cost effective solutions on a nationwide basis. With its headquarters and national support centre in Cannock, Briggs people assist and advise in the delivery of long term solutions that enable customers to develop more efficient and results driven businesses.

View all of Briggs Equipment's latest news on theBriggs online media centre.

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