Kaunas FEZ launches an innovative service: forklift sharing point

Idea dictated by the market

“When analyzing our clients’ needs, we have noticed that there are companies that don’t need to use the machine often, so it is not worth for them to buy their own equipment. Other companies experience rush hours or their equipment breaks down, and it is very difficult to hire a forklift quickly for a day or a half day. That is how the idea to set up a quick and convenient solution – a forklift sharing point in places with a high number of companies – was born,” Aistė Šimkienė, Alwark marketing director explains. According to her, the idea is not new, but the decision itself in the market of forklift renting is modern and progressive.

The idea was supported not only by Kaunas Free Economic Zone’s administration but also by the head of Skubios siuntos company renowned for its innovativeness. The director of the company proposed to set up a forklift sharing point in his territory.

Rent without middlemen

Companies operating in the territory of Kaunas Free Economic Zone will be able to rent a modern Linde E16P Li-ion forklift with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery without any middlemen. Forklift’s Linde Connect system automatically records its working hours, impacts and accidents, and sends all the error and fault codes to Alwark service.

The service is easy to use: the electronic key provided allows you to pick up and return a 1,600 kg electric forklift with a modern safety system.

“We believe that the service which doesn’t have similar forklift renting point examples in the market will bring an added value to the companies located in Kaunas Free Economic Zone, especially, since most of the 65 industrial entities here engage in production or logistics/distribution services,” says Vytautas Petružis, the director of Kaunas Free Economic Zone management company.

Currently, the system is being tested, and to encourage companies to test both the principle of rent and the forklift itself, the service providers will give the first three hours of forklift use for free until the 1st of April.