The forklift market - France (2024)

1.2 A fast-growing global market

A forklift truck is an industrial vehicle with an attached fork device that can be lowered or raised to be inserted under a load to move or lift it. It is used to transport and lift heavy objects for operations in industrial facilities, warehouses, distribution centers and outdoor environments. The global forklift market is experiencing strong growth, which is set to continue into the future. Indeed, as we can see from the following graph, the size of the forklift market is estimated at $**.* billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *. *% over the period ****-****, reaching a value of $**.* billion in ****[***].

According to Interact Analysis, worldwide demand for material handling equipment is set to rise from * million units sold in **** to * million within ten years. Despite an expected decline of *% in ****, affected by weak demand in China, America and Europe, the market is showing signs of resilience, with sales growth of **% to the end of August ****, reaching $**.* billion. The study also forecasts a sharp rise in the electrification of forklift trucks, with adoption expected to exceed **% worldwide by ****[***].

Global forklift market size World, **** - *****, in billions of USD Source: ****

International trade in forklift trucks is stabilizing worldwide.Asia ...

1.3 Forklift market dynamics in France

According to the Syndicat des Équipements pour Construction, Infrastructures, Sidérurgie et Manutention (***).

Breakdown of forklift sales, by product category France, ****, in Source: ****

The market for new forklift truck deliveries in France in**** was therefore around *** million eurosof which*** millionfor thermal front ends,*** million forfor electric front-loaders and*** million forfor warehouse equipment (***).

Then, after a sharp fall in ****, the market rose sharply in **** (***) to reach approximately **,*** units sold [DLRwhich, using the same reasoning as above, means a market size of around *.** billion euros in ****.

Growth in forklift sales by value France, ****-****, € billion Source: ****

for illustrative purposes, we can look at the market size for the manufacture of lifting and handling equipment, which includes the manufacture of forklift trucks, to gain a better understanding of the temporal evolution of this market.

Thus, after a period of growth between **** and ****, we can see that the market has been hit hard by the health crisis in ****, with a drop of **.*% on the previous year. Indeed, in ****, business in industrial lifting was firmly affected by the health crisis. A decline of over **% was recorded compared with ****. Continuous handling also saw a drop in activity. However, according to Evolis, the decline was much less significant ...

1.4 Foreign trade

To analyze foreign trade, we're looking at international trade in self-propelled industrial trucks, with lifting devices for heights >= * m (***).

The following graphs show that France's trade balance for this type of product has gone from strongly positive in ****, to negative in ****(***).

Exports of self-propelled industrial trucks, with lifting device to a height >= * m France, ****-*****, in millions of euros and thousands of units *data for the last ** sliding months as of March **** Source: ****

Foreign trade in self-propelled industrial trucks, with lifting device for heights >= * m France, ****, in millions of euros and thousands of units Source: ****

France's main customer countries are the UK and Poland, followed by Germany and Spain.

Main customer countries France, ****, in Source: ****

On the import side, the UK and Germany are the two main suppliers. China, Italy and Romania follow.

Main supplier countries France, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

For this type of product, France trades mainly with other European countries, with the exception of China.

1.5 The COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-** crisis has led to a sudden halt in the production of construction equipment, and to the permanent or temporary closure of construction sites. The Manitou Group, one of the leading players in the telescopic forklift market, is a prime example of the difficulties facing the sector. Manitou reported sales for Q* ****, which were severely penalized by the Covid-** economic crisis. In the first three months of the year, the construction equipment manufacturer posted worldwide sales of €*** million, down **%. Sales in Southern Europe fell by **% and those in Northern Europe by **%. In mid-March, the family-owned group was forced to halt production activities in France, Italy and India.

The impact was similar for industrial forklifts. Customers froze new investments and did not renew all expiring contracts.

Several major outlets for the forklift truck market came to an abrupt halt. In the events sector, for example, the cancellation of various trade fairs and open-air events. The aeronautical and automotive sectors were also affected, with a massive impact on the fabric of subcontractors. This led to a significant drop in the materials handling equipment rental business, and in particular to the virtual cessation of short-term rental.

From a commercial point of view, the ...

2.1 Demand segments

Since the **s, the market has shifted from purchase to long-term rental. Today, long-term leasing accounts for over **% of equipment delivered to the French market every year. If we consider only large industrial companies, they lease around **% of the handling equipment they use.

For many market players, renting materials handling equipment offers a number of advantages over buying it outright. These include flexibility, less capital tied up, lower insurance premiums, the ability to book rental costs as a business expense, and so on. In addition, companies that rent materials handling equipment can have access to the most appropriate equipment for the job in hand, while at the same time optimizing the size of their fleet so that it can be better exploited.

Other advantages of forklift leasing highlighted by leasing companies:

Theeconomic advantage of long-term leasing, which limits capital consumption, as users pay monthly rentals Safety, and above all compliance with European legislation requiring the use of appropriate load-lifting equipment; Logistical simplification, by eliminating the need for mandatory *-monthly technical inspections and maintenance; Outsourcing of maintenance and liability in the event of poor equipment maintenance Immediate availabilitythe equipment is immediately available, adapted to the customer's constraints (***). Flexibility short-term rental represents a ...

2.2 The construction sector: once a buoyant segment, now of more limited interest to forklift trucks

Handling on a construction site includes unloading materials, transporting them to work areas, storing them, and loading debris for disposal. These tasks often require the use of lifting equipment such as forklifts, cranes and other specialized machinery. The main worksites likely to require the presence of forklift trucks are as follows:

Commercial and office buildings: Construction sites for large office buildings, shopping malls, hotels and other commercial establishments often require forklifts to move and organize heavy and bulky materials such as pallets of bricks, building blocks, equipment and various supplies. Warehouses and distribution centers: The construction of warehouses and logistics centers makes extensive use of forklift trucks to manage and store building materials, as well as to organize interior shelving and equipment once the structure has been erected. Industrial facilities: Construction sites for new factories, power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities require forklifts to handle heavy parts, industrial equipment and specific building materials. Public infrastructure

evolution of the construction sector in France France, ****-****, € billions

The evolution of the construction sector in France from **** to **** shows significant growth, with notable increases in all sub-sectors, especially civil engineering and specialized construction work, the main instances of forklift truck use. However, this ...

2.3 Logistics sector drives demand

The logistics sector is a natural outlet for the forklift truck market. The number of distribution platforms is multiplying throughout France, and the crisis has given a strong boost to e-commerce and the whole parcel distribution logistics sector.

In ****, *.* billion items (***) were distributed in France or exported, generating revenues of **.* billion euros excluding tax.

Number of parcels distributed in France France, ****-****, in thousands of units Source: ****

Even so, this volume has fallen by *% compared with ****, continuing a decline that began fifteen years ago, albeit less marked than before the **** crisis.

Growth in the parcels market had stabilized revenues between **** and ****, but by ****, revenues from the distribution of addressed items had fallen by *.*%. For the first time in five years, the parcel market declined in volume and value. Parcel volumes fell by *% in ****. Parcel imports fell by **.*%, accounting for **% of this decline, due to confinements in China and VAT on non-EU e-commerce products.

The volume of imported parcels, particularly those from Asia, fell by a third in ****. By contrast, parcels shipped from France fell slightly by *%. Revenue from parcel distribution fell slightly by *. *%, but remains **% higher than before the health crisis.

Airports and ports: major logistics hubs are the future of ...

2.4 Trends in other main forklift market outlets

In addition to the logistics sector, the forklift market also includes the event industry, supermarkets and all industries the aeronautics industry in particular, which is growing strongly despite the violent crisis it has undergone.

- The events sector

The events market, which covers activities linked to the organization of trade fairs, exhibitions and private events, is one of the most important outlets for short-term forklift truck rental. Althoughthe sector is characterized by a high degree of seasonality (***), business has been growing overall in recent years. The global pandemic situation had a devastating effect on the sector's activity in **** and ****, as can be seen in the following * graphs. By ****, however, the sector seems to be returning to pre-crisis levels, reaching a new peak in ****.

The economic impact of the Paris **** Olympic and Paralympic Games is estimated at several billion euros, with projections ranging from *.* to **.* billion over the ****-**** period according to various scenarios. This event will have a significant impact on tax and social revenues from the events and tourism sectors, even if themacro-economic impact remains relatively limited compared to France's annual economy[***].

Events market sales index France, **** - ****, base *** in **** INSEE - NAF code **.**Z

Seasonality of demand in the ...

3.1 Value chain

Below is a simplified value chain for the sector:

3.2 Forklift production and workforce

The forklift market is shared by a very small number of players.According to one industry expert, four global forklift manufacturers account for almost **% of the French market. While the main player in France remains the Kion group (***), Crown and Hyster Yale.

In France, German production remains dominant. The Kion group has most of the warehouse trucks in its range manufactured in France at Cenon-sur-Vienne. The Toyota group also has a factory in Ancenis where it produces its front-end forklift trucks. The Manitou group manufactures a large proportion of its products in France, but these are telescopic forklift-trucks intended for the construction and public works market rather than industrial markets. However, Chinese production is beginning to make inroads, notably through the Heli and Hangsha brands. It is interesting to note that the progress of Chinese production is held back by the reluctance of forklift distributors in France to distribute these machines, due to the problems that can exist with after-sales service and the transport of spare parts from China.

Below is an overview of French forklift production and its place in European production:

*In the absence of sufficient data for the category "Self-propelled industrial trucks with electric motor, fitted with ...

3.3 Distribution

Distribution channels are not very diversified, and focus mainly on network integration or distribution by a few independent players.

The world's leading manufacturers (***) to find distributors to penetrate the French market.

Integrated networks control around **% of the market. Only two of the world's leading manufacturers use independent distribution channels: the Mitsubishi group with its rental distributor Aprolis, and the Hyster Yale group with a network of regional distributors.

According to DLR (***). That's ** more sites than in ****, an increase of *% in * years.

Number of handling distributor sites (***) France, **** - ****, in number of sites Source: ****

In detail, Manitou and Toyota will have the most distributors in ****.

Number of distribution sites by brand France, ****, in units Source: ****

In addition, according to DLR 's **** report on materials handling equipment distribution, sales in this segment are expected to grow steadily until ****, with the exception of a slight decrease in ****, caused by the health crisis.

Evolution of average sales for handling equipment distributors France, **** - ****, in index points, base *** in **** Source: ****

3.4 Facing up to distribution, the rise of forklift rental

For many market players, renting materials handling equipment offers a number of advantages over buying. Among these advantages, Avesco Rent (***) cites flexibility, less capital tied up, lower insurance premiums, and so on. In addition, companies that rent material handling equipment can have access to the right equipment for the job, while at the same time optimizing the size of their fleet so as to make the best use of it.

In France, long-term rental of forklift trucks (***) accounts for some **% of new equipment deliveries.

Other advantages of forklift leasing put forward by leasing companies:

Economic advantage of leasing offers, compared with the purchase of equipment that is often costly and therefore takes a long time to pay off; Safety, and above all compliance with European legislation requiring the use of appropriate load-lifting equipment; Logistical simplicity, by eliminating the need for mandatory *-monthly technical inspections and maintenance; Immediate availability, adapted to customer requirements (***).

Distribution of players

The French forklift truck rental market is divided into * main categories:

Generalist rental companies, such as Loxam and Kiloutou, whose customer base is either diversified or made up of craftsmen who only use forklift trucks.e of craftsmen who only occasionally use load-lifting systems, and who ...

3.5 Market concentration calls into question the role of dealers

- Customer concentration If forklift manufacturing and rental distribution are highly concentrated, so too is demand. Indeed, according to one industry expert, major accounts- i.e. large national companies with several sites in France - account for almost **% of rental demand (***). this clientele naturally prefers large national players, capable of satisfying their needs throughout the country. Regional companies (***) turn to regional subsidiaries, which are local contacts with a better understanding of their specific needs. small and medium-sized businesses, who prefer short-term rental of forklift trucks, turn to the local dealer network - Forklift distribution Forkliftdistribution is a major challenge. While some manufacturers, such as Toyota Industries and Still, also distribute their machines, several companies specialize in forklift distribution and rental. The Aprolis and Manuloc groups are the French leaders in this segment, distributing, renting and managing forklift trucks on behalf of their customers. According to estimates by a market expert, these two groups account for almost *% of the market each . The Caterpillar and Crown brands are distributed by Aprolis, while Hyster Yale was distributed by Manuloc until ****. Alongside these major distribution players, there are asubstantial number of dealers and small regional distributors who sell and rent many other smaller brands such as ...

4.1 The preponderance of price criteria and the development of new services in the rental segment

According to Supply Chain Magazine, until the crisis of ****-****, the forklift rental market in France focused on a clash of technical specificities. Today, however, the commercial battle has evolved as a result of two trends: the homogenization of forklift performance, and the reduction in customers' equipment budgets. As a result, the main players in the French forklift truck rental market are engaged in a price war, from which they are seeking to extricate themselves by focusing on differentiating, high value-added services.

Among the innovative solutions deployed by forklift rental operators in France are the following:

The provision of information and organization systems for intra-logistics areas; After-sales service (***) that is as preventive as it is curative, with full-service maintenance packages, coupled with handling advice; A la carte rental services (***); Fleet outsourcing solutions.

4.2 Price is a determining factor in this highly competitive market

According to one industry expert, the short-term rental segment generates particularly high margins compared to other distribution modes (***). On average, margins on short-term leasing are between ** and **%, while those onlong-term leasing are closer to **-**%, and **% for sales. Margin levels depend largely on the quality of after-sales service, depreciation methods and financing schemes used at the time of purchase.

While the service life of a gas-powered forklift truck is around **,*** hours on average, the batteries of an electric forklift generally need replacing every *,*** hours on average (***).

4.3 A strong dependence between price and cart capacity

The front-end forklift market covers a wide range of equipment. The value of front-mounted forklifts ranges from around €**,*** for the smallest in capacity to over €***,*** for large-capacity forklifts over ** tonnes and harbor trucks. The same applies to warehouse trucks, where more than half the market is made up of manual or electric pallet trucks and stackers, whose average price can be estimated at between €*,*** and €*,***.

purchase price

Source: ****

for rental

According to Hyster, average monthly rental prices for machines with a load capacity of less than * tonnes are as follows:

pallet trucks: *** €/month forklift trucks: €*,***/month reach/ rough-terrain trucks: €*,***/month

Average monthly prices for machines with a load capacity of over * tonnes are as follows:

forklift trucks: €*,***/month reach/trucks: €*,***/month

4.4 Innovation at the heart of our offering

While innovation in the services offered by manufacturers enables them to expand their offerings, it is also key for them to improve their products. Improving the performance and operating efficiency of forklifts is at the heart of manufacturers' innovation challenges and R&D efforts. Load capacities and working heights on the one hand, automation and robotization on the other (***).driven by new European regulations, the market for electric forklifts is set to grow in the years ahead. However, they still lag behind gas-powered forklifts in terms of performance.

That's why manufacturers are looking to make their electric forklifts more competitive: for example, the Kion group is studying a platform for rapid inductive charging of forklifts, in addition to equipping its machines with lithium-ion batteries, which are more energy-efficient but * to * times more expensive than conventional lead batteries. To meet the ever-increasing expectations of their customers, forklift manufacturers are keeping a close eye on these developments:

Yale has launched a new electrically-controlled transmission that reduces wear on the brakes and tires of internal combustion forklift trucks; Jungheinrich has developed a new motorization system for its internal combustion forklifts, with the aim of increasing the intervals between oil changes in order to reduce ...

5.1 Tougher European regulations on greenhouse gas emissions

Since ****, combustion-powered forklifts, which account for the vast majority of the French forklift fleet, have been subject to European regulation **/**/EG, which requires diesel engines above ** kW to reduce nitrogen oxides (***), hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and soot particles.

From January ****, these thermal forklifts will also be subject to the new European fuel standard for engines from ** to ** kW, requiring a reduction in particulate emissions from ** to ** mg/kWh. Even more restrictive, this future regulation provides for strict monitoring of emissions.

5.2 Forklift rental: regulations impose reciprocal obligations

In the case of a rental without a driver, the rental company must meet several obligations (***):

The forklift must comply with current regulations(***); He must present the forklift's CE declaration of conformity; The forklift's manufacturer's instruction manual must be supplied, along with copies of forklift inspection reports; The hirer must also provide the necessary instruction on the use of the for klift, including the risks and limitations of use.

Reciprocally, the lessee has other obligations:

Ensure that the forklift complies with all applicable regulations, Examine the forklift's suitability for the task in hand; Keep the forklift in good working order; Ensure that its personnel have received the appropriate training, and issue them with the driving authorization (***) required for their CACES forklift operator; Provide forklift operators with the protective equipment required by law.

When the contract includes the provision of a driver, the obligations are slightly different:

The lessor must provide the lessee with a person qualified to drive the forklift truck in complete safety, with the appropriate CACES forklift operator certification and the required protective equipment. The lessee, for his part, must ensure that the driver is competent, and issue him with the appropriate driving authorization (***) in line with his CACES ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Manitou
• Toyota Industries
• OMG Industry Expertlift
• Heli Belgique
• Manuloc
• Aprolis Groupe
• Bouhyer
• Kion Group (Linde, Still, Fenwick)
• Jungheinrich
• Hyster-Yale Materials Handling
• Anhui HELI
• Hangsha
• Kalmar (Cargotec group)
• Konecrane
• JLG Lift Equipement (Oshkosh Corporation)
• Haulotte
• Baumann Cavaion Side loaders
• Combilift
• Charlatte Manutention (Fayat Groupe)
• Alvest TLD Group
• BA Systèmes
• Balyo