Award for Combilift's exporting expertise

Specialist materials handling manufacturer Combilift has been named the Best Overall Exporter to Germany in the Irish Exporter to Germany Awards, organised by Enterprise Ireland and the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Combilift MD Martin McVicar accepted the trophy from Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn TD in a ceremony held recently in Dublin.

The awards marked 50 years of Irish export success to Germany and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Ireland's first trade office in Frankfurt in 1962. The one off award presented to Combilift is the company's third major accolade this year following the company's success at the FLTA awards in February for its RT and CB forklift models.

Combilift entered the German market in 1999, just a year after the company was established and since then its ever increasing range of 4-way handling solutions has notched up sales in excess of €100m to German companies, with a growth rate of 22% being recorded in 2012. Combilift's success in this “away” market against large mainstream concerns such as Linde and Jungheinrich, as well as a German 4-way forklift manufacturer, is a major achievement.

The company's strong foothold in this very competitive arena, where emphasis on excellently engineered and solution based products is of uppermost importance, is chiefly down to its ethos of innovation. Combilift's policy of taking customer feedback on board to develop handling solutions according to specific requirements has gained it blue chip customers such as Liebherr, Thyssen Krupp, Weber Haus, Veka, Schüco and Hagebau, for example. Repeat orders from these companies underline the eminent suitability of the Combilift range for their operations.

“Success in Germany - a market which sets the highest possible standards for suppliers - is hard won and requires a truly high-quality offering,” said Ruairi Quinn TD.

Combilift is one of the largest employers in the Monaghan area with a workforce of 240 and many of the 60 new employment opportunities which have been created at the HQ and manufacturing facility in the last two years can be attributed to the strength of sales in Germany. With over 17,000 units sold and a network of dealerships in around 60 countries, what started as a small operation aiming to provide a niche product is now a recognised global brand with a passion for innovation.