ST Andrews Timber & Building Supplies has announced it has completed the first phase of a significant investment in its electric fleet with the purchase of two new fork lift trucks.
The firm has taken delivery of the 80V counter-balanced vehicles at its Livingston depot. St Andrews now has four of the CAT Lift trucks at its disposal, with the other two located at its Prestonfield HQ in Edinburgh.
Plans are in place to further expand the electric fork lift fleet, with similar vehicles earmarked for the company’s second location in the capital at Stenhouse, as well as its west coast base in Paisley, in 2024.
Designed to cope with intensive duties and tough conditions with a lifting weight limit of three tonnes to a maximum height of 4.8 metres, St Andrews explained that the machines are ‘more capable’ than the traditional diesel forklifts and come with a high standard specification which includes Presence Detection System+ (PDS+), maintenance-free wet disc brakes and IP54 sealing of main components.
MD Ronnie Robinson said, “The new fork lift trucks are not only cheaper on fuel costs and more sustainable but also boast better specification in lifting weight, turning circles and smoothness of operation.”
The purchases follow the recent installation of EV charging points at all four of the company’s depots across Scotland.
“The electric fork lifts are a lot more expensive but they are worth the investment,” added Mr Robinson. “We are constantly looking at how we can do things better as a company, whether that be in the office, on the shop floor or out in the field.
“We are very conscious of our responsibility to the environment and adding to our fleet of electric fork lifts continues our sustainability plans for the business, with more exciting developments lined up for next year.”
