Following a black year 2009, which saw an average 30% drop in order intakes in the European materials handling industry with some countries experiencing a much greater loss, the recovery that started at the end of 2009 is consolidating. Alhtough some uncertainty remains in the medium term, the current trend is promising.

Full press release available HERE

On 23rd June, Mr. Alan McIntyre, Member of FEM Board and President of the Product Group Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, gave an address on the issue of Market Surveillance at the Roundtable "Internal Market & manufacturing" organised by the European Forum for Manufacturing.

The report on the event and the content of Mr. McIntyre's address can be found here

FEM Product Group Industrial Trucks has released its annual factsheet for 2009. The industrial trucks sector was badly hit by the crisis with drops of 40% in Western Europe and 70% in Eastern Europe. So far, 2010 however shows signs of recovery.

PG IT factsheet 2009 is available on PG IT web page

FEM officially adopts a Policy Paper 2009-2014 setting out the current and midterm challenges facing the European materials handling industry and proposing a number of responses to address them.

See FEM Policy Paper 2009-2014

FEM has sent its official reply to the European Commission's consultation on standardisation. FEM reply is available here

Dott. Ambrogio Bollini was unanimously elected President of the FEM Product Group Industrial Trucks. For more information, see the Product Group News page.

John Meale, Vice-President of Fédération Européenne de la Manutention, the European Materials Handling Federation, and Managing-Director of UK-based Thorworld Industries Ltd, has said that unless regular inspections are introduced EU Directives and Regulations will continue to be undermined as counterfeit and non-compliant machinery floods the market from both inside and, more particularly, outside the EU.

The full press release is available here

FEM PG CLE and ESTA remind about basic safety requirements when operating a mobile crane under wind forces. More info available on PG news webpage

Revised EN13000 standard will be finalised by July 2010. Amended to be in line with the new Machinery Directive, it will give mobile cranes a presumption of conformity. For more info, check the Product Groups News page.

See the announcement and the CLE press release (in German) in the Product Groups News section.

Materials handling products and equipments are found in almost every manufacturing and distribution company. They are also present throughout the entire supply and logistic chain, and more generally during the entire lifecycle of a product.

As images speak more than words, FEM has put together a brochure that provides a presentation of the various types of materials handling products and equipments, and of their many uses through illustrated examples.

The brochure can be downloaded here.

In addition, FEM has created a simple presentation of its structure, mission, objectives and activities. The presentation, available for free download on FEM website’s homepage, is currently in English but versions in other languages will soon be uploaded.

On 4th February, FEM Secretary General Olivier Janin met the members of the “CML Committee” of CEOC international (inspection and certification organisations). Mr. Janin’s presentation can be downloaded here.

FEM publishes a press release on the publication of the first edition of the European Commission’s guidelines on the new Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

The FEM press release can be downloaded here.

The European Commission has published the first edition of its guidelines on the new Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, and specifically on the preamble, Articles and Annexes I & II.

FEM has substantially contributed to the development of these guidelines, and in particular on Annex I, which defines the essential health and safety requirements on issues such as fixed guards, lifting of people and risks linked to the mobility of machinery.

FEM will continue assisting the European Commission with the remaining guidelines on Annexes III to XI (due by mid 2010) and in providing advice wherever necessary and on future revisions. The guidelines are available here.

Cranes Today reports on the upcoming entry into force of amendments to EN 13000 and the effect on mobile cranes manufacturers, who will have to adapt their Rated Capacity Limiter.

To check the report please click here.

The document is available in our Product Groups News page, as well as in the Industrial Trucks page together with a list of Annual Factsheets from 2005.

The position paper is available in our Product Groups News page.

FEM provides detailed input from the materials handling sector on the upcoming revision of the Outdoor Noise Directive.

The document is available here.

The information paper is available in our new Product Groups News page

The presentation is available in our new Product Groups News page

FEM replies to a European Commission’s letter regarding a possible extension of the flexibility scheme for adapting the combustion engines of non-road mobile machinery to new emission levels according to Directive 97/68/EC.

The position paper is available in our Internal Market section.

On 29 May, around 50 CEOs from large and smaller European companies in the materials handling, lifting and storage equipment sectors, and exhibiting at CeMAT 2008, met for a CEO breakfast organised by FEM to discuss the business climate and economic outlook for the
Mechanical Engineering industry at large, and for the Materials Handling sector in particular.

Download the full press release here

The CeMAT organisers are pleased to announce that CeMAT 2008 has been endorsed by FEM, the European manufacturers association of materials handling, lifting and storage equipment. This endorsement consolidates the European base and leading position of the CeMAT international show in the materials handling and intralogistics sector...Download the full press release here.

To download the latest CeMAT Newsletter, click here.

FEM issued its initial comments on the Study on the experience in the implementation of Directive 2000/14/EC relating to the noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors (NOMEVAL), in order to give its contribution before publication of the final Article 20 Report by the European Commission.