Award-winning North East fork lift truck specialist Permatt has reached a new milestone in its ongoing growth.
The Tyneside business has just delivered four Cat fork lift trucks to JR Holland, making a total of 103 machines supplied to regional companies in the past 12 months, since changing from the Toyota brand.
Permatt, the largest independent fork lift truck supplier in the North East, is now well on the way to building 500 vehicles in its long- and short-term fleet of materials handling equipment.
Mark Percy, managing director said: “Our shift to becoming a Cat fork lift truck dealer has given us a real boost. We are delighted that JR Holland stayed with us during our change, recognising the benefits of the new range of vehicles and the ongoing support we offer.
“Cat produce some of the world’s market-leading trucks and through our relationship we also have the option to sell heavy duty trucks with a loading capacity of up to 45 tonnes with the Kone brand
“We’re now in a much more flexible position, able to offer customers the best fork lifts for every material handling job, inside and outside.”
John Holland, owner at JR Holland, said: “We have used Permatt for the supply of our fork lifts over the last 10 years. Previously they supplied us with the Toyota brand, but we’ve now taken delivery of four new Cat machines.
“We have decided to stay with Permatt due to their service, standards and locality. We have relationships with local suppliers and, as with most businesses in the region, intend to maintain that momentum.”
Killingworth-based Permatt, on target for annual sales of £3.5m, was recently named North East Dealer of the Year by specialist Irish customised lift truck manufacturer, Combilift.
Most recently, Permatt opened a new showroom facility in Killingworth, showcasing the extensive range of CAT fork lift trucks along with the more niche and specialist trucks from CombiLift.
With a workforce of around 24 people, Permatt has identified new premises to relocate the business from Camperdown Industrial Estate to a site in South Tyneside in the next 12 months. The company will continue to also operate from a depot in Penrith, Cumbria.
Established in 1981, Permatt has longstanding business relationships with a broad range of customers across the North East and Cumbria, supplying specialist trucks, spare parts, maintenance and operator training.