CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

“A truly dependable forklift that is up to the task,” remarks Joe Shatkus, “that’s what is most important to me.” Joe is responsible for delivering meats and food-stuffs to the US military in the Middle East. In addition, the company also supplies meats and other food items to Fuddrucker’s, Quizno’s, Taco Bell, A&W, Arby’s, Ponderosa and Bennigan’s. Joe works for United Source One and took delivery on two Komatsu FB20M-3 units in December 2003. These trucks were delivered already equipped with drivein rack overhead guard, and freezer packages because United Source One keeps their freezers at 20 to 30 below zero. Since their delivery, Joe has witnessed first hand how reliable, strong and safe these forklift units are. He now refers to them as the ‘Workhorses’ of his fleet, since they last 8 to 10 hours a day in a harsh freezer environment. Joe highly recommends these units. Not only are they reliable but they perform with power and precision. He plans on replacing the competition’s less reliable units in the future because of their inability to last beyond a year. Joe wanted the latest ACdrive technology which the competitor failed to offer. The cheaper non ACdrive units were not an option. Joe needed a unit capable of handling a three stage mast that allowed racking up to 16.5 feet. When you pay to keep the air temperature 20 to 30 degrees below zero the space utilization in a freezer becomes critical. Pallets are stacked 3 deep and 5 high to maximize space. When orders are air-lifted out, especially to the Middle East, scheduling becomes critical. So dependability has to become a major factor. As far as maintenance, that is handled by Larry T. Weiss. Solid dealer support was just one of the main reasons for sealing the deal.