MHD MATERIALS HANDLING
TOYOTA FORKLIFTS HELP TO RAISE THE BARS A Western Australian company creating free-standing backyard playground equipment has taken its business to new heights with the help of Toyota Material Handling Australia products.
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erth-based business Funky Monkey Bars, makers of freestanding backyard playground equipment, has enlisted the help of Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) to grow its expanding business. Operating a recently opened showroom in Fremantle and a manufacturing hub in the Perth suburb of Yangebup, the range of locally constructed Funky Monkey Bars play sets has resonated with customers, particularly during the pandemic, where play at home is more relevant than ever. With its recent growth, Funky Monkey Bars needed additional warehouse machinery, and the key pillars for which TMHA products are renowned – iconic reliability, worldleading safety, and more uptime – ensured that Toyota was at the top of the list when the time came for a new purchase. Having recently bought two Toyota 32-8FG25 forklifts, one 32-8FGJ35 forklift, and one RRE160H reach forklift with 7000mm lift height, Funky Monkey Bars Director Colin Burdle says that, with around 70 per cent of its business done through online sales, the performance of its warehouse equipment is vital to the success of the business. “We need equipment that’s fit for purpose and won’t let us down, and we’ve had nothing but really good feedback on our TMHA equipment,” Colin says. “The whole business is reliant on loading and unloading, moving stock, moving containers, unloading containers to loading vehicles, to unloading steel lorries. It’s the full lot, so our forklifts play a very important role.”
Funky Monkey Bars Director Colin Burdle says the reliability of TMHA forklifts has been vital to the success of the business.
Another reason why the TMHA forklifts have been well received has been the dual-fuel capability, with Funky Monkey Bars able to run their forklifts for longer by alternating between petrol and gas power, helping to save time otherwise spent on repeated refuelling. “With dual-fuel we can click over from petrol to gas,” Colin says. “We’ve got a couple of big workshops here, and quite a big distance between them. So dual-fuel is a great function for me – it’s made a massive difference for us in not having to drag gas cylinders all over the workshop.” Colin adds that Manufacturing Manager Glenn Brittain’s experience with TMHA equipment at a previous workplace meant that when the time came to buy new forklifts, Toyota was the clear choice. “Glenn had other forklifts at the
last place he worked at before it was recommended he buy Toyota forklifts,” Colin says. “And he never looked back. He absolutely loved them, they’re really good machines – easy to operate, easy to run, everything is at your fingertips, everything just works. “When we were looking at buying new machines, Glenn recommended Toyota straight away, and showed the products to myself and Director Shane Roberts,” he says. “We loved all the safety systems. It was just a no-brainer, virtually.” TMHA area sales manager Danny Carbery also played a pivotal role in securing the sale, providing two separate product demonstrations and conducting site visits to display the multiple advantages of Toyota equipment, which helped convince Funky Monkey Bars that Toyota forklifts are the best in the business. MHD OCTOBER 2021 | 17
