BITA (the British Industrial Truck Association) has recently announced that sales of forklift trucks increased by 20% in 2011, continuing the recovery from the market low point two years ago.

In the year to December 2011, BITA members reported sales of 26,100 forklift trucks — 4,300 units more than in 2010.  Since December 2009, the industry has bounced back strongly with a 48% increase in unit orders to recover 60% of its recessionary losses.

Engine counterbalance trucks accounted for more than a third of all orders, with 8,800 sales in 2011—a 26% increase year-on-year.  The growth was driven chiefly by significant orders from the automotive and road haulage industries and the supply chain to the construction industry, along with a much-publicised renewal of several BITA members’ own short-term hire fleets.

The powered pallet truck market, meanwhile, witnessed an impressive 50% year-on-year increase during 2011. This resulted from a combination of underlying market recovery for this type of truck, as well as several large individual orders.

James Clark, Secretary-General of BITA, added: “It would be foolish to claim the general economic backdrop in the UK does not remain challenging, but there are many reasons to be positive for the year ahead. Warehouse and distribution centre capacity will expand to support planned supermarket store openings and the transition of other retailers to greater reliance on e-commerce. We may not see the same high levels of growth in forklift truck orders over the coming months that BITA members enjoyed in 2010 and 2011, but there is every reason to expect that market demand will continue to increase.”

BITA’s sales statistics provide an on-going illustration of market conditions. External overviews are published twice-yearly in February and September.