Mainfreight is a publicly listed company in New Zealand and 2008 see's the company celebrate 30 years of continuous operation in Australia. The business incorporates a number of different brands with activities ranging from door to door domestic transportation, through to supply chain management for customers and international capabilities.

Mainfreight operates large distribution and warehousing facilities in each of the major cities and a number of regional facilities around the country. A brand new, purpose built "super hub" was officially opened in early June 2008. The distribution centre ideally situated in Prestons in Sydney's outer west and close to the M7, is 48000m2 with 15000m2 of dock space compared to the previous DC which was 9000m2 in total with 3500m2 of dock space, quite an upgrade!

Mainfreight has a national 'preferred supplier agreement' with Powerlift Nissan and runs a fleet totaling 150 forklifts on a fully maintained rental agreement. The fleet features various types of forklifts and includes UNS Reach trucks and OPS order pickers, mainly operating in the Mainfreight Logistics business and 1F and LX series LPG trucks and a quantity of FO4 LPG trucks in the Mainfreight Distribution business.

"The new 'super hub' is strategically very important to the business," said Dean Morrow, AM Operations Manager for Mainfreight. "It's more than twice the size of the previous DC and designed to cope with the expected growth over the next 10 years. It's a seriously busy DC operating 3 shifts over a 24 hour period and we're handling anything from full pallets loads, to aluminum extrusions, through to large ride on movers!" he said.

"We run 15 Nissan LX series LPG forklifts at this DC and they operate 24 hours a day, so their performance is pretty much critical to our operation."

Nissan's LX series forklifts have been specifically designed to increase, operator efficiency, comfort and safety and to improve the work environment.

Exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, noise and vibration have all been reduced to new industry leading standards.

The LX series also incorporates many advanced automotive technologies, providing a line of forklifts with superior speed and lifting power as well as greater reliability.

The LX series features Nissan's ECCS (Electronic Concentrated Engine Controlled System), resulting in one of the cleanest industrial vehicle engines in the world.

Both petrol and LPG models satisfy the latest United States EPA regulations (applicable from January 2004), reducing the emission of harmful materials such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides by more than 90% compared to conventional models.

Nissan's application of advanced automotive technologies is most apparent in its Vehicle Control Module (VCM), which manages a variety of engine and transmission controls, safety and information functions to assist in increased safety and reduced downtime.

With operator safety in mind, a number of devices are fitted as standard on the LX series.

An anti-sway Roll Control System incorporates rubber dampers, between the rear axles and body to provide exceptional lateral stability and help reduce the possibility of the truck tipping over.

A Mast Lock System automatically locks lifting and tilting operations when the operator leaves the seat, helping to prevent operators being caught in the mast and forks.

Other safety features include a convenient automobile-style parking brake, with a warning buzzer sounding when the operator leaves the seat without engaging the brake.

Operator comfort is another key design element of the new LX series." This is a busy DC, especially first thing in the morning so efficiency is the key," said Morrow. "The forks are fitted with automatic tyne adjustors so no matter what size the package, the drivers can adjust the forks from the cab and pick it up, makes a lot of difference to productivity," he said. "Everyone is happy with the performance of the forklifts especially the operators, which is so important.

"Corporate image is important to Mainfreight so all forks are delivered in our livery and they get a respray once a year as part of the agreement," he said. "We're also very happy with the service we receive from Powerlift Nissan. Because of the hours we are doing the service guys are here every week and fit in with our schedule. They know we can't afford any trucks out of action during the busy times so they'll come between peak periods when it's a bit quieter," said Morrow.