The decision to stage this year’s Archies Awards in the middle of the biggest exhibition for the UK material handling and intralogistics sector provides the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) with an ideal platform to showcase the very best talent, solutions and innovations across this vitally important industry.
The Archies is one of the highlights of the UK material handling calendar and for 2025 it will continue with its goal of celebrating excellence across the sector.
This year’s event, being held on Wednesday 10th September at The Vox Conference Centre NEC Birmingham, promises to be extra special taking place as it does alongside the industry’s showpiece exhibition, IMHX.
IMHX 2025, which is headline sponsor for The Archies 2025, takes place at the NEC between 9-11th September 2025. This ensures the Archies will be able to draw on an influential audience of material handling decision-makers and other stakeholders.
Hosting the Archies during the trade show creates a vibrant evening centrepiece to the exhibition, offering a unique opportunity to honour the best in the industry and celebrate excellence.
Rob Fisher, CEO of the UKMHA, said: “The critical importance of the material handling and intralogistics sector to the UK’s economic performance warrants an event capable of showcasing excellence across the industry.
“The Archies therefore go hand-in-glove with IMHX in focusing attention on the successes of our industry and the people working within it.”
For 2025, the award categories have been chosen to reflect the entire material handling spectrum, with recognition set for individuals, products, services and innovation. They reflect the need to attract the best new talent to the industry – a key aim of the UKMHA – as well as the changing nature of the industry with the advances in technology such as automation and AI.
The award categories are headed by the Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest individual honour bestowed by the UKMHA and is presented to the individual who has made a significant contribution to the material handling industry.
The Intralogistics Project of the Year recognises a project that has utilised innovation and improved operational efficiencies.
In keeping with the goal of recognising young talent within the industry, the Rising Star Award honours the performance of an emerging young professional (below 30 years of age) who has demonstrated initiative and potential as a future leader.
In tandem with this, the Apprentice of the Year awards are presented to one second-year, and one third-year apprentice who, in the opinion of the judges, has demonstrated outstanding dedication and passion for the material handling industry.
The Industry Leader Award is bestowed on an individual who has consistently shown outstanding leadership qualities.
The importance of sustainability and good safety standards are recognised by the Best Safety Initiative and Sustainability Excellence awards.
The Training Provider of the Year honours the business that demonstrates outstanding service levels, while the Best New Product acknowledges a new-to-market product or solution that has had a significant and influential impact on the industry.
The Excellence in Automation categoryrecognises how technical innovation and the use of automation have played a vital part in improving efficiency and delivering growth for the user.
The Logistics Innovation Award highlights a forward-thinking logistics solution or strategy, while Best Collaborative Project recognises a successful partnership between companies or teams.
The prestigious UKMHA Dealer Member of the Year is one of the evening’s most eagerly-awaited awards. Open to all UKMHA forklift dealer members, this award recognises the company which has consistently operated its business to the highest standards.
Finally, the Customer Service Excellence Award honours the team delivering exceptional levels of customer service.
Entries for this year’s award are now being invited and the deadline for submissions is 28th May.
For more details on The Archies 2025 visit: www.ukmha.org.uk/events/the-archies-awards/
The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) has announced the return of its showpiece awards celebrating excellence across the material handling and intralogistics sector.
The Archies is one of the highlights of the UK material handling calendar and for 2025 the event will be extra special as it takes place alongside the industry’s showpiece exhibition, IMHX.
Taking place on Wednesday 10th September at The Vox Conference Centre, within the Resorts World complex, at the NEC Birmingham – the host venue for IMHX 2025.
IMHX 2025, which is headline sponsor for The Archies 2025, takes place between 9-11 September 2025, ensuring the Archies will be able to draw on an influential audience of material handling decision-makers and other stakeholders.
Hosting the Archies during the trade show also creates a vibrant evening centrepiece to the exhibition, offering a unique opportunity to honour the best in the industry and celebrate excellence.
Rob Fisher, CEO of the UKMHA, said: “We believe that IMHX is an ideal headline sponsor for the 2025 Archies’ awards. Both events serve a similar purpose – to demonstrate that the material handling and intralogistics industry is regarded as one of the UK’s most crucial sectors and to support the industry with effective networking opportunities.”
Archies award categories for 2025
For more information, and to explore sponsorship opportunities, visit the Archies website here. The entry platform for The Archies ’25 opens in March.
Despite continuing economic headwinds and market volatility UK orders for new forklift trucks are, in the main part, positive – although material handling solution providers remain cautious, economic experts have said.
The snapshot of the industry is contained in the 2024 UK Forklift Truck Market Outlook, compiled exclusively for the UKMHA by analysts at Oxford Economics. The report focuses on the third quarter of 2024, a period which has been characterised by a shift in fiscal policy under the new Labour government.
Confidence among UKMHA members over the period is mixed. The members’ survey shows that compared to the spring report, a higher proportion of respondents feel more confident about the general prospects of the forklift market over the next year. While a higher share of firms are less optimistic about the outlook compared to six months ago, the percentage of respondents feeling more optimistic (32%) still outweighs the proportion who feel less optimistic (14%).
Most respondents (46%) said labour shortages continued to be the most significant challenge to their businesses. That said, a higher proportion of firms feel that other problems such as inflation and low demand are also negatively impacting their operations.
Commenting, Rob Fisher, UKMHA CEO, said: “While it is pleasing to see that forklift orders are set to rise across this year, confidence levels among members remains a matter of concern.
“The focus on labour shortages bears out our own findings, which is why we have chosen to focus on attracting new talent through apprenticeship schemes and upskilling programmes. By encouraging more young people into the sector we will bolster the long term prospects for the material handling and intralogistics industries.”
The economic analysis contained in the report suggests total forklift orders will grow by 6.1% in 2024 and 1.5% in 2025. The strong expansion [in 2024] will be driven by warehouse orders, supported by improved consumer spending.
Growth is forecast to slow in 2025 as warehouse orders revert back to their long-term trend following the upheaval of recent years.
However, many of the predictions have had to be tempered following the decisions taken by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her first Budget.
Despite inflation falling below the Government’s 2% target threshold, the economy remains volatile, with the picture muddied by declining levels of optimism.
“The fiscal tightening announced in the October Budget presents a key headwind to consumer spending and will add to the impact of the expected extension of the freeze in most income tax thresholds,” states the report, with the analysts adding “industrial production, which has been more impacted by higher financing costs, is expected to trail GDP at 0.9% growth in 2025, following stagnation this year.”
With market growth being driven by warehouse orders, the picture for the Counterbalance truck market is less rosy where a modest expansion in investment alongside stagnant industrial production will be the likely trend.
“Counterbalance orders are set to contract for a third consecutive year due to weak investment, but then enter a period of recovery from 2025,” states the report. It adds: “Total forklift shipments exceeded our expectations in 2024 Q1, so we now expect a smaller contraction of – 11.7% [for 2024]. As we expect the recovery in total orders for 2025 will be more muted, there will be a slightly larger decline in shipments (4.4%) than forecast in the Spring 2024 report.”
The expectation for the counterbalance market is that orders for class 1 trucks will decline by 14.3% in 2024 followed by 7.9% in 2025. Demand for class 4/5 trucks is predicted to recover following sizeable contractions in 2022 and 2023, despite recent issues with LPG fuel contamination.
Commenting on the picture, David Goss, UKMHA Technical Director, said: “The weakness in orders during 2023 for traditional internal combustion-powered counterbalance trucks was felt in both the diesel and LPG segments of the market. This suggests that it’s unlikely that LPG fuel contamination negatively impacted overall demand.
“Nevertheless, there are concerns in some quarters that the decline in sales of ICE-powered trucks may be happening too fast as the long-term trend towards electric-powered trucks continues to re-shape the market.”
The resolute demand in online shopping continues to support Warehouse orders. As the consumer environment improved over 2024, warehouse orders expanded during the first half of 2024. This has led analysts to forecast a growth in orders overall of 15.1%, marking a partial recovery from the contraction experienced in 2023. They predict orders will continue to grow but at a slower rate over the medium term, reverting back to their long-term trend. Taking this into account, the forecast is for orders to grow at 1.2% and 1.1% in 2025 and 2026 respectively and remain broadly stagnant in 2027 with a 0.3% expansion.
The outlook for class 2 forklifts is stronger than for class 3. Class 2 orders saw larger contractions in 2022 and 2023, and a sharper recovery is forecast. The expectation is that class 2 orders will grow by 23.9% in 2024 and 15.7% in 2025. Meanwhile, class 3 orders are set to expand by 13% in 2024 but contract by 2.7% in 2025.
“Having access to such detailed economic forecasting is a great help to our members allowing them to formulate their strategies for the second half of the year and beyond,” said Mr Fisher. “The UKMHA is pleased to offer this as a valuable member benefit.”
The decision to extend the UK’s annual National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD) campaign for 2024 in support of their ambition to ‘Make Every Day National Forklift Safety Day’ has proved to be a major success, the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) has said. Spreading the safety campaign over the seven-month period between June and December enabled extra detail to be provided in support of the key messages, heightening the important theme behind the national event.
When NFSD was launched in 2019 it was with the intention of highlighting a particular safety theme, complementing UKMHA’s ethos of lifting safety standards throughout the material handling sector.
Previous campaigns focused on issues including seat belt use, the segregation of workers from workplace vehicles, Thorough Examination (the material handling industry’s equivalent to a MoT test) and the importance of Operator Training and Supervision. Material from previous years remains relevant and freely available for download from the National Forklift Safety Day website.
In 2024, UKMHA added longevity to the event, thereby enabling greater detail to be provided in support of the key themes, which focussed on incident prevention and response.
Supported by the tagline ‘Prevent – Manage – Learn’, the campaign considered the Seven Stages of the Forklift Incident Cycle. Each month, a different aspect of the overall topic was explored with the release of new resources.
The seven stages were:
The final stage of the campaign included looking at the use of lift truck telematics to improve both safety and efficiency. UKMHA conducted a series of interviews with leading manufacturing members to outline the different types of telematics systems now available and how the data they gather can massively reduce risk in the workplace.
The ‘Prevent’ resources also included a harrowing interview with Lisa Ramos, whose life was irrevocably changed in 2006 when she became an above-knee amputee after an accident where a forklift truck reversed into her while she was in a designated walkway area in the warehouse where she worked with her husband.
She describes how the accident, which happened on her son’s 13th birthday, devastated her life and that of her family. She now campaigns for greater safety awareness in the workplace and urges businesses to take greater responsibility for the safety of their workforce.
Other resources include practical guidance on segregating pedestrians and advice on near miss reporting.
All the resources are available to download from the NFSD website – www.nationalforkliftsafetyday.co.uk
David Goss, Technical Director, UKMHA said: “The radical approach we have taken for the 2024 NFSD campaign has enabled us to provide detailed information about what to do in the event of an incident. The extended duration of the campaign has seen the UKMHA provide a wealth of crucial resource that will enhance workplace safety and minimise the impact of an incident.
The theme for the National Forklift Safety Day 2025 will be announced shortly.
Striving to make workplaces where material handling equipment is in constant use safer environments for all has been the cornerstone of National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD).
Supported by the tagline ‘Prevent – Manage – Learn’, the 2024 campaign has been spread across the past seven months which aligns with the ethos of ‘Make Every Day National Forklift Safety Day’.
Each stage of the campaign has seen the release of new resources designed to reinforce a particular message. The final stage of the campaign looks at accident prevention and the tools available to operators looking to improve the efficiency of their lift truck operations and the safety of their sites.
There is a strong focus on the use of lift truck telematics to improve safety and efficiency. The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA), which organises NFSD, conducted a series of interviews with leading manufacturing members to outline the different types of telematics systems and how the data they gather can massively reduce risk in the workplace.
To conclude NFSD 2024, there is a harrowing video interview with Lisa Ramos, whose life was irrevocably changed in 2006 after an accident where a fork lift truck reversed into her while she was in a designated walkway area in the warehouse where she worked with her husband.
She describes how the accident, which happened on her son’s 13th birthday, devastated her life and that of her family. She now campaigns for greater safety awareness in the workplace and urges businesses to take greater responsibility for the safety of their workforce.
There is an article available on the importance of segregating pedestrians in the workplace from moving material handling equipment and how the use of physical barriers is vital to achieving this. It outlines how to assess risk and safely manage worksite traffic.
A proactive approach to Near Miss reporting is also a major aspect of the prevention campaign. This identifies what is classed as a ‘near miss’ and how lessons can be learned from them in order to improve future site safety plans.
All these resources are available to download from the NFSD website – www.nationalforkliftsafetyday.co.uk
David Goss, Technical Director, UKMHA said: “The radical approach we have taken has enabled us to provide detailed information about what to do in the event of an incident. The extended duration of the campaign has seen the UKMHA provide a wealth of crucial resource that will enhance workplace safety and minimise the impact of an incident.”
The outgoing year marked the end of an era for the UK Material Handling Association and with 2025 set to be such an important twelve months for the industry, the sector’s premier trade association is preparing for the challenges ahead with a twin focus on attracting new talent to the industry and improving safety standards.
Following the retirement of long-serving stalwart Tim Waples, the man charged with delivering the combined strategy is new chief executive, Rob Fisher. In addition to driving member engagement and overseeing day-to-day operations, the association will be looking at the bigger picture. Receiving special attention will be the attraction of new talent to secure the long-term future of the material handling industry.
Key to this is the launch of the association’s first apprenticeship scheme. This initiative has been created to help UKMHA members and the wider material handling industry develop and nurture the next generation of skilled workers.
“UKMHA recognises that apprentices can deliver a vast array of benefits to businesses,” said Rob. “Our scheme is a fantastic opportunity for businesses across the UK to ensure they have a highly skilled workforce in place so they can look to the future with confidence. Firms taking on new apprentices also benefit from funding schemes to cover training costs.”
To deliver the strategy, the UKMHA has partnered with SMB College Group to ensure the skills programme continues to meet the needs of the industry. With automation and new technology continuing to characterise future generation lift trucks, it is vital new recruits can keep pace with innovation.
In addition to the apprenticeship programme, UKMHA is also promoting 11 new technical training courses, including Lift Truck LPG Fuel Systems (Operating Safely), Working on High Voltage Lift Trucks, Lift Truck Electrical Charger Connection and Isolation, Lift Truck Hydraulics and many more. Taking place at the SMB’s Stephenson Campus in Leicestershire, each course is delivered by highly trained professionals.
Promotion of the apprenticeship and training programmes will be a key aspect of UKMHA’s involvement with IMHX 2025. The industry showpiece, taking place at the NEC Birmingham in September, will highlight all that is new in the industry, especially the advances in MHE design and the growing importance of automation.
Unlike previous years, National Forklift Safety Day 2024 was a multi-stage campaign involving the phased release of resources across a seven-month period. Focussed on incident prevention and response, and supported by the tagline ‘Prevent – Manage – Learn’, the programme helped to widen the scope of NFSD beyond a single day, helping achieve the ambition of making ‘every day National Forklift Safety Day’.
Rob added: “Our goal is to ensure that everyone working in the material handling industry can do so safely and securely. NFSD will continue to be the association’s strongest tool in the promotion of a safer industry.”
The long-term future of the UK material handling sector is being threatened by the twin challenges of an aging workforce and a lack of young talent being attracted to pursue careers in the industry. The perfect storm could also threaten the long-term viability of the myriad businesses which rely on efficient material handling equipment to fulfil their operations. In order to effectively tackle this growing skills shortage the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) has taken the proactive step of launching a series of new initiatives.
Since its formation in 2020,UKMHA has offered a diverse array of training opportunities for its members, as well as the wider industry. It does so to help businesses gain the necessary skills to perform tasks more effectively. The recent launch of its 11 new technical training courses, representing an impressive three-fold increase, is designed to equip companies in the material handling sector with the appropriate skills their workers need.
UKMHA’s training offer, combined with the association’s new dedicated apprenticeship initiative, is designed to support the industry in cultivating future talent whilst also enhancing the skills of the current workforce.
Rob Fisher, UKMHA CEO said: “We are excited to work in partnership with SMB College Group on these two fantastic initiatives which have been designed to address the unique requirements of the material handling industry.”
He continued: “SMB College Group is renowned for providing outstanding learning experiences, delivered at their impressive facility in Leicestershire.”
To launch its apprenticeship scheme, the UKMHA held an Open Day to showcase the programme to companies across the UK. Esteemed brands like Crown Lift Trucks, Linde, STILL and Toyota Material Handling UK have already committed to utilising the scheme to train their apprentices.
“Forklift truck service engineers play a crucial role in maintaining material handling equipment (MHE) to the highest standards, whilst reducing downtime and keeping operations running smoothly, which in turn keeps the whole logistic operation moving forward,” said Amit Mistry, Technical Product and Training Engineer at Toyota Material Handling UK.
He added: “Currently there is a shortage of skilled forklift truck service engineers. Forklift truck apprenticeship standards were developed to fill the skills gap in the industry. Having worked with MHE apprentices for over a decade, the Forklift Truck apprenticeship offers a great opportunity to jump start your career with prospects of progression in the industry.”
The UKMHA apprenticeship programme is an excellent choice for companies aiming to develop talent internally. It also offers aspiring material handling professionals a valuable opportunity to earn while they learn.
Commenting on the collaborative partnership between Crown Lift Trucks and SMB College, Crown’s Apprentice Training Manager Sam Ivey said: “At Crown, we are dedicated to developing the next generation of material handling talent, and partnering with SMB College has enabled us to provide our apprentices with exceptional training. Offering state-of-the-art facilities, a team of experienced tutors and outstanding student support services, SMB College goes above and beyond to provide the best possible education for aspiring engineers and technicians.”
Sam continued: “The relationship we have built with SMB College helps us ensure that our apprentices are trained to the high standards Crown is known for.”
Rob Fisher concluded: “Ensuring you have the right individuals for each role is crucial. This is why hiring an apprentice presents an excellent opportunity for businesses to recruit, train, and nurture future talent.” For more information, please visit: https://ukmha.org.uk/training-and-apprenticeships/
After months of eager anticipation, the esteemed winners of the Archies 2024 were announced during a spectacular awards ceremony and dinner held on Saturday 14th September.
This renowned event drew around 400 attendees, including UKMHA members and representatives from the broader material handling industry. They came together to celebrate the exceptional contributions made by inspiring individuals and teams over the past year.
Founded more than 30 years ago, the Archies’ enduring success serves as a testament to the industry’s innovative spirit and forward-thinking mindset. Their dedication to striving for improvement continues to enhance the environment for everyone involved in the industry.
The 2024 Archies awards winners are:
Highly commended: Hoppecke Industrial Batteries
Rob Fisher, UKMHA CEO said: “The Archies awards celebrate and acknowledge the exceptional talent and passion within our industry that propels our sector forward every day. This event allows us to highlight individuals who tirelessly demonstrate the creativity, dynamism, and innovative spirit of the material handling sector. Once more, we extend our warmest congratulations to all the winners this year.”
The fabulous evening was filled with entertainment including a fantastic after dinner party with live music, courtesy of the Kings. The compere for the evening was well-known actress, comedian and TV presenter Sally Phillips, whose natural wit and presenting style made this year’s awards ceremony an unforgettable occasion.
Andrew Woodward, UKMHA President said: “None of this would have been possible without the hard work and support of many people. On behalf of the UKMHA, I’d like to express gratitude to our sponsors, partners, volunteers and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this event happen.”
The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) is excited to announce the launch of its first apprenticeship scheme. This initiative has been created to help UKMHA members and the wider material handling industry to develop their own future talent.
UKMHA is a not-for-profit organisation representing all aspects of the UK’s material handling industry, including manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and other stakeholders. It is dedicated to advancing excellence in the sector.
The association is fully aware of the industry-wide challenge of bridging the current skills gap. It is paramount that the material handling sector attracts young individuals, along with experienced professionals from other sectors, and provides them with the required skills to join our fast moving, growing, and vibrant industry.
UKMHA recognises that apprentices can deliver a vast array of benefits to businesses. The skills developed, via our scheme, will add tangible benefits and value and, in addition to this, there are government funding schemes that cover apprentice training costs.
Rob Fisher, Chief Executive of UKMHA said: “Our scheme provides such a fantastic opportunity for businesses across the UK to ensure they have the right people with the best possible skills. Hiring an apprentice is a great way for many companies to recruit, train and retain future talent. Our initiative aligns well with the UK Government’s launch of its Skills England body which has been formed to boost the nation’s skills.”
The UKMHA apprenticeship scheme is specifically designed for the material handling industry with a focus on industry best practices. This ensures apprentices are trained to the highest standards and gain the relevant skills to support their career. All delivered by a scheme that is approved by UKMHA, which is recognised as the voice of the UK material handling industry.
Rob Fisher commented: “We are thrilled to have partnered with SMB College Group to develop and deliver a tailored apprenticeship scheme which will meet the needs of our industry.”
For more information, please visit: https://ukmha.org.uk/training-and-apprenticeships/
The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) recognises the crucial role material handling equipment and solutions play in the UK economy. Dedicated to future-proofing the sector’s workforce, UKMHA is thrilled to introduce 11 new technical training courses to help its members and the wider material handling industry ensure their teams have the right skills.
The provision of these new training courses recognises that it is crucial for material handling equipment organisations to have skilled workforces. UKMHA acknowledges that there is a pressing need to continually upskill staff through technical training, both for talent retention and to ensure that future staffing targets are met. The courses are designed to help businesses retain their engineers by providing them with professional development opportunities.
UKMHA is a not-for-profit organisation representing all aspects of the UK’s material handling industry, including manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and other stakeholders. The completion of a UKMHA training course carries a level weighting and recognition which demonstrates that the person has been trained to the highest standard in the relevant skills for the material handling industry.
The new courses start this autumn and include Lift Truck LPG Fuel Systems (Operating Safely), Working on High Voltage Lift Trucks, Lift Truck Electrical Charger Connection and Isolation, Lift Truck Hydraulics and many more.
The training provided by UKMHA, in partnership with the SMB College Group, will deliver fantastic benefits to members and non-members. These courses are a ‘must’ for any business within the material handling industry. Through improving their teams’ skills, they can become a ‘one-stop-shop’ for their customers by providing improved support and maintenance for a wide range of equipment.
Courses will be held at the SMB’s Stephenson Campus in Leicestershire and will be delivered by highly trained professionals. Along with classroom sessions, there will also be the opportunity to work with a wide range of material handling equipment. Additionally, UKMHA members receive discounted rates on any of these courses.
The new training programme is part of UKMHA’s plan to tackle the talent shortage that the sector is experiencing. This initiative also includes the first UKMHA apprenticeship scheme that has been created to attract new talent into the material handling industry, training the engineers of the future in best practice to support this vital industry.
For more information, please visit: https://ukmha.org.uk/training-and-apprenticeships/
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Enter now for the prestigious Archies Awards!
Taking place on Wednesday 10 September at the Vox Conference Centre, the Archies gives you the chance to showcase your accomplishments.
Submit your entry before 28 May to ensure you or your colleagues get the recognition you deserve!
