PALFINGER RATCLIFF Q3 NEWSLETTER

THE UP LIFTING NEWSLETTER

The PALFINGER Ratcliff quarterly newsletter Up Lifting News, gives you an overview of the key initiatives and stories happening at our UK Commercial & Mobility manufacturing plant.

In Q1 and Q2 we have seen a positive development in the UK and export business. 

The second half of the year promises further development of our Mobility and Commercial Divisions with new product introduction and improvements to our manufacturing facility. 

At the heart of this change is our commitment to the recruitment, retention and development of our employees. This investment has the full support of PALFINGER AG and signifies the greatest period of training, development and learning within PALFINGER Ratcliff’s history. The company has also been proactive in the recruitment of the best people to add new skills and experience to our team and some of these are highlighted throughout the newsletter.

In the previous newsletter, the importance of collaboration was featured. This is an approach that the management team and company has embraced, particularly with regard to the production facility where we see improvements supported by PALFINGER AG, ranging from the development of Welding Competence to Assembly Flow Lines.

Hopefully, many of you will have an opportunity to see first-hand the improvements that we have made during our Open Day’s on the 17th and 18th September 2014. On the Commercial side we have enjoyed great success through intensive collaboration and project management with our sister company PALFINGER MBB (Germany). This collaboration allowed us to develop two Level Ride Retractable solutions for Brakes’ (Grocery & Fresh Food Suppliers to Catering Businesses) retrofit and new vehicle investment programmes.

Finally, the team at our National Parts Centre (NPC) is successfully managing the relocation to the Welwyn Garden City plant, regretfully resulting in the closure of the Garforth facility in September 2014. The team have continued to work tirelessly to support customers in challenging conditions while also assisting with the transfer of materials and processes.

THE NEW MOBILITY RANGE - ENDURANCE AND EVOLUTION

PALFINGER Ratcliff is proud to announce that its Testing & Development Competence Centre is very busy designing and testing a new generation of Mobility lifts to be launched in 2014.

Customers will have a wider selection of cost-efficient Mobility lifts to choose from, aligned with personalised Customer Care, a No-Catch Warranty and relevant Operators Training.

MP GRANT SHAPPS LAUNCHES APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME

The Conservative Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield, The Rt. Hon. Grant Shapps, launched an Adult Apprenticeship Scheme at PALFINGER Ratcliff on Friday 14th March 2014. The programme will train 30% of PALFINGER Ratcliff ’s workforce and will have a positive impact on processes, production and quality. It will also support change initiatives running through the business with a focus on quality, efficiency and customer satisfaction.