Polaris Commercial has appointed Forktruck Solutions as one of the new dealerships in their expanding commercial sector. Started in 1997 as a forklift truck supplier, Forktruck Solutions has also rapidly grown its agricultural business alongside the commercial dealership, to meet demand around the Yorkshire region. Supplying a diversity of customers from large distribution centres to farms and racing stables there was a natural progression to becoming a Goupil Electric Vehicle dealership. When asked for an electric 4x4 utility vehicle, Forktruck turned to Polaris, Goupil's parent company, and found a solution in the Polaris Ranger EV.
"We then started looking at the other products in the Polaris range and it became swiftly obvious there was an ideal fit with Polaris and our existing agricultural and commercial equipment business." Says Simon Penny-Smith, of Forktruck Solutions. "A number of things came together and we had total support from Polaris' District Manager Steve Canner. The product was new to us and we had a steep learning curve." Simon added that the Polaris Brutus range offered major opportunities in the commercial sector, particularly with the accessories such as sweepers and snow blowers. Operating from its Ossett depot the company has nine engineers and three sales people covering their Local Authority, commercial, industrial and agricultural business. Their first public showing of the Polaris vehicles was at the Prince's Trust clay pigeon shooting event, on Lord Normanby's Mulgrave estate, where they were very well received.
Forktruck Solutions operate a hire fleet of over three hundred vehicles, including agricultural and industrial fork-lifts and they are now opening up the rental market with Polaris vehicles. Additional machines at lambing time and seasonal rental is fast becoming a major part of the business. The next public outing to display the range will be at the Great Yorkshire Show in July.