Expanding North East fork lift truck specialist Permatt has invested more than £300,000 in new machines to improve customer responsiveness and accelerate its own growth plans.
The Killingworth based business has invested a record amount of money in 35 new Toyota fork lift trucks for its long and short term fleet.
Permatt, the largest independent fork lift truck supplier in the North East, is now well on the way to reaching 400 vehicles in its fleet of materials handling equipment.
Mark Percy, managing director, said: “Adding these machines into our fleet separates us from our competitors. We are now able to offer brand new Toyota machines for hire for periods as short as one week up to five years.
“Already more than half are committed to customers on long term hire and others on casual rental. This all means we can be more flexible as a business and can respond promptly to customer demand, whether that’s ongoing growth or a spike in business.”
The new vehicles include a range of electric, gas and diesel one to four tonne trucks that can handle a range of diverse products from fruit and veg, automotive parts, animal feeds and engineered steel.
Permatt, which employs 24 people at its custom-built premises on Camperdown Industrial Estate, Killingworth and depot in Penrith, has seen annual turnover rise to almost £3m. The company has enjoyed significant recent growth since becoming a main Toyota fork lift truck supplier for the North East and Cumbria.
Established in 1981, Permatt has longstanding business relationships with a broad range of customers across the region, supplying specialist trucks, spare parts, maintenance and operator training.
