Brisbane branch of Toyota Material Handling opens new, larger and purpose-built premises close to Logan Motorway at Larapinta
March 29, 2012
The Brisbane branch of Toyota Material Handling has officially opened new, larger and purpose-built premises close to the Logan Motorway at Larapinta.
The move to 20 Radius Drive, Larapinta, provides a raft of benefits for new and existing Toyota forklift and skid-steer loader customers.
Speakers at the opening ceremony were Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) President and CEO Terry Unnai, Vice President and COO Steve Takacs, Northern Region General Manager Dan Williams, MC and former rugby league great Ben Ikin and special guest speaker Linfox Executive Chairman Peter Fox.
Takacs says the move will raise service levels, reduce delivery times for new equipment and improve technician training.
“Strong market share growth in recent years and our commitment to supply industry leading after-sales service support has led to TMHA making a major investment in the future of our Brisbane-based branch,” he says.
“Currently, the branch has over 100 staff supporting our customer base, including a major investment in apprentices, OHS&E and customer service.
“TMHA’s Brisbane branch will also support the region with a larger short-term rental fleet comprising both electric and internal combustion counter-balance trucks.
“The aim is to continue to build its operations nationally ensuring world’s best products, industry leading after-market service and customer support.”
The new 6,000-square-metre workshop is state-of-the-art and three times the size of the previous premises at Darra.
“The new workshop has already increased efficiencies, through better organisation, as well as providing higher service levels to our forklift and Huski skid-steer loader customers,” Williams says.
Williams says the new premises have also increased the speed of machine delivery by bringing storage of new machines onto the same site as the pre-delivery workshop.
“The new facility has 30 repair service bays and 30 pre-delivery bays, with space to grow the workshop as required and also to handle additional products in the future,” he says.
“It has a customer lounge, spray booth, wash-bay that uses recycled water and overhead gantry, as well as storage space for new stock and short-term rental forklifts.”
There is 1,000sqm of office space, 6,000sqmof hard-stand area for loading and unloading, as well as a new unit showroom and technician training facility.
Toyota began forklift operations in Queensland in 1986, when Williams’ grandfather, the late Sir Sydney Williams, opened Willtrac.
The company moved its base to Darra in 1988 and was purchased by TMHA’s parent company TICO in 2003.
The branch changed names to Toyota Material Handling (QLD) in 2005 to reflect the full product range of Toyota forklifts, skid-steer loaders and towing tractors, BT Lift Trucks and Raymond forklifts.
Photo: Former rugby league great Ben Ikin (left) joins TMHA Northern Region General Manager Dan Williams, TMHA Vice President and COO Steve Takacs and another rugby league icon Shane Webcke at the opening.