SMH® Will Be at The Rental Show in Las Vegas!

Come visit us at The Rental Show Feb. 28th through March 2nd at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

The Rental Show is the American Rental Association"s Annual Convention and Trade Show for the equipment rental industry.

While you may know us for our extensive forklift parts offering, we also have a considerable line of products supporting Aerial Work Platform, Sweeper Scrubber, and Personnel and Burden Carrier applications. Our complete line of replacement parts will fit JLG, Genie, Grove/Manlift, Factory Cat, SKYJACK, Tennant Advance, Cushman, E-Z-Go, American Lincoln, Taylor Dunn and many other brands...

Visit our Booth in the Construction/Industrial Equipment Area ( #5764)

SMH® is now providing to its French speaking customers French IRMN training and a French IRMN user guide

As an international company, SMH® is willing to provide the easiest access to its website for its customers. Therefore the IRMN User guide is now available on the main page of IRMN in both French and Spanish.

The training guide and the online training were already available in English.
To go a little bit further SMH® is now able to train its customers with an online class in both French and Spanish to ease the use of IRMN.

The classes are available upon request on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please feel free to sign up for any classes under the “Support” tab on your IRMN main page OR

For Spanish Classes please contact Alejandra.Alvarez@smhco.com
For French Classes please contact AnneCharlotte.Bourgault@smhco.com

SMH® is proud to announce the opening of a new distribution facility in Pennsylvania

With a strong presence in Pennsylvania for nearly 3 years now, SMH® is pleased to announce the opening of a larger distribution facility in Harrisburg, PA on December 6,2010.

The new 50,000 Sq.Ft distribution center will have a larger variety of stock for local customers. Customers located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, parts of New York, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio will still receive one-day ground service from this location.

Operation hours are from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm with customer pick up available during these hours. Facility information is as follows:

Systems Material Handling
1530 B Bobali Dr
Harrisburg, PA 17104

Please note that the new distribution center is located 4 miles away from the original location.

View Larger Map

Come visit us at the ISSA INTERCLEAN Trade Show in Orlando!

Interested in meeting companies from the cleaning, maintenance, and janitorial industries? Then the ISSA Trade Show is for you!

SMH will be attending the ISSA INTERCLEAN 2010 Trade Show in Orlando on November 10th-12th and we have an exciting booth set up just for you. The Trade Show is at the Orange County Convention Center and the hours are from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Wednesday, 10 am to 4:30 pm on Thursday and 9 am to 1 pm on Friday. Look for booth number 3277!

"The ISSA Trade show is The ONE SHOW for the Cleaning Industry!" Hope to see you there.

Click here for more information.

SMH Open House in Illinois

SMH would like for you to join us for an Open House at our facility in Grayslake, IL. We will be hosting IRMN training sessions, tours, food, drinks and much more. The Open House will be held on September 23, 2010 at 4 PM at our Grayslake location, 95 South Route 83 Grayslake, IL 60030, location just north of Chicago. Please RSVP by September 10, 2010 to marketing@smhco.com or to your Sales Representative.

Come to our SMHU Parts Professional Training September 21-23 in Grayslake and then stay for the Open House! You can find more information about the Parts Professional seminar under SMHU.

SMH Headquarters can now be accessed from I-35 on Lone Elm Road.

The City of Olathe's Grand Opening of the Lone Elm Interchange was conducted on July 1, 2010. Construction crews have removed barriers and activated the traffic signals. Traffic has begun to use the entrance and exit ramps for I-35. Please be aware that portions of Lone Elm Road and the area around the intersection of 151st Street remain as designated "Work Zones". Posted speeds in those areas remain at 30 mph. Be aware of the highway workers in the area completing the project. Construction crews are continuing detail work and landscaping around the area. When traveling on I-35 to SMH, take the Lone Elm Road exit #214 and head south for 1/2 mile on Lone Elm to 164th Street.

SMH Headquarters
16355 South Lone Elm Road
Olathe, KS 66062

Click here to see the map

SMH cordially invites you to an Open House! Please join us at our facility in Port Coquitlam,BC

SMH would like for you to join us at our British Columbia facility in Port Coquitlam,BC. We will have our Train the Trainer class, along with tours, food, drinks and much more.

The Open House will be held on September 9, 2010 at 4 PM at our British Columbia location, 1556 Kebet WayPort Coquitlam, B.C.V3C 5M5 Canada.

Please RSVP by August, 27 2010 to marketing@smhco.com or to your Sales Representative.

Come to our SMHU Train the Trainer class September 9th in BC, and then stay for the Open House!You can find more information about the Train the Trainer class under SMHU.

SMH hosts 21st Annual Invitational Golf Tournament

This past Saturday ninety-two players joined SMH for its 21st Annual Invitational Golf Tournament at the Gardner International Golf and Social Club. SMH designated The Olathe Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund as the 2010 tournament's charity. The Olathe Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund aids Olathe charities that focus on providing for youth in need including the Children's Shoe Fund, CASA, SAFEHOME, TLC for Children & Families, KVC Behavioral Healthcare, The Salvation Army, and Kansas Foster & Adoptive Children, Inc. With generous donations from SMH employees, the tournament raised over $1700.00 to be donated to this wonderful charity!

SMH Open House in Illinois

SMH would like for you to join us for an Open House at our facility in Grayslake, IL. We will be hosting IRMN training sessions, tours, food, drinks and much more. The Open House will be held on September 23, 2010 at 4 PM at our Grayslake location, 95 South Route 83 Grayslake, IL 60030, location just north of Chicago.

Please RSVP by September 10, 2010 to marketing@smhco.com or to your Sales Representative.

Come to our SMHU Part Professional Training September 21-23 in Grayslake and then stay for the Open House! You can find more information about the Parts Professional seminar under SMHU.

Improved delivery times for SMH Mexico Customers!

With delivery times now averaging at about a week, ordering parts from SMH of Mexico has never been easier. In the item information page in IRMN, you can see if we have stock of a particular item in our main USA warehouse. With daily shipments* to Mexico, our fast and reliable service has drastically increased the products available to you in Mexico. Here at SMH, we strive to be your One Stop Shop for all your forklift needs.

*Excluding heavy and oversized items

SMH employees donate over 300 shoes

In 1998, Honduras was devastated by Hurricane Mitch which set back the country’s progress by 20 years making Honduras the poorest country in Central America. Helping Hands for Honduras was established to help communities in Honduras recover from this devastation.

SMH employees participate regularly in philanthropic events and are active in the community. SMH donated a total of 337 new and used shoes to the citizens of Honduras. In Olathe, 238 shoes were collected, 45 shoes from California and 54 from Grayslake.

Visit SMH at MHEDA

SMH will be at MHEDA's 55th Annual Convention May 1-5, 2010 Marco Island, Florida. Come visit us at booth number 13. We will have new product information, as well as Xpart and IRMN demonstrations. See us at the show and ask about our MHEDA product special. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Visit the MHEDA website, www.mheda.org for more information.

Iceland Volcano Halts Air Travel and Goods Traffic

Smoke and steam hangs over the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, which has erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. Volcanic ash drifting across the Atlantic forced the cancellation of flights in Britain and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe, stranding thousands of passengers. Flights in and out of London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, were halted, and the shutdowns and cancellations spread to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland.

The volcano's smoke and ash poses a threat to aircraft because it can affect visibility, and microscopic debris can get sucked into airplane engines and can cause them to shut down. Flights in these areas are currently canceled until Saturday, April 17, 2010. This unfortunately has caused delays in goods traffic as well. While we are doing our best to predict shipment dates, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and will keep all customers informed as the situation progresses.

Xpart has been redesigned!

Xpart is a powerful search feature for the parts professional that provides access to more than 14,000,000 parts by make, model, serial number and/or lot number for most forklifts in use in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Xpart’s easy-to-use interface is designed to fit all your business online ordering needs, making SMH the One-Stop-Shop when searching for the right replacement part for the right application. 

Xpart Features:

• Easier and faster to use
• Integrated fully into the IRMN
• Search by OEM make model number, serial number and lot number
• Images are available by section of the truck
• Advanced search features
• Short cut to technical specifications
• Part numbers can be easily moved to part inquiry or quotes
• Helpful hints
• And much more…

Go to www.IRMN.com to view the NEW Xpart!

SMH employees participate in blood drive to benefit the American Red Cross.

On Monday, March 1st, SMH employees took time out of their day to benefit local blood centers in both the Olathe and Grayslake locations. The American Red Cross visited SMH and set up collection stations on site for blood drive participants. In Olathe, 39 units of blood were collected from 44 donors that will benefit The Kansas City Community Blood Center. In Grayslake, 11 units of blood were collected from 13 donors that will benefit Lake County Blood Center.

SMH would like to thank the American Red Cross and all blood drive participants for their commitment to improving our communities!

SMH is deeply saddened by the devastation from the earthquake in Chile.

On Saturday, February 27, 2010 a devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded.   According to Chilean authorities, over 700 people are now known to have been killed and more than 1.5 million people were without power in and around the capital of Santiago.  We are deeply saddened by the devastation from the earthquake in Chile and know that the rescue mission and re-building of Chile will be a long and costly task.  We may never know the full impact of the disaster, but we must have great faith for the recovery and healing of Chile.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all Chileans, but especially our customers and their families stricken by the earthquake. 

The first Parts Professional of 2010 is almost here!

The first Parts Professional Training of 2010 is coming up on March 23-25 at the SMH Headquarters in Olathe, KS. The course was designed to help attendees strengthen their parts departments through increasing productivity. The skills presented during the training have proven to be important in the down economy.

Participants will experience a “Hands on” learning environment where they study all areas of the forklift truck along with truck classifications and carriage classifications of the Industrial Truck Association. The training concludes with inventory training, and parts department management training. Attendees will have the opportunity to brainstorm and strategize with other attendees in which they will create a strategic plan for improvement specific to their own needs within their parts department.

To enroll in the SMHU Parts Professional Training, Visit the SMHU tab on www.smhco.com and select “Enrollment Forms,” or contact your sales representative today

SMH Promotions

SMH is pleased to announce the promotion of Jeremy McEver to Sales Manager of our Mexico facility.   Jeremy has worked for SMH since 2007 and has worked the Sales department both domestically and internationally.  He is currently the Regional Manager of Business Development in the Western Region.   Jeremy started with SMH in March 2007 working in our International Sales Department.   Jeremy was responsible for business development in all of Latin America and also managed Chile, Puerto Rico and exporters on the border.   Jeremy is fluent Spanish and has traveled extensively in Europe and South America.   

SMH is pleased to announce the promotion of Mark Fanelli to Regional Manager of Business Development in the Western Region.  Mark comes to us from our Superior Signals division and will be transferring over to SMH effective March 1, 2010.  Mark has extensive experience in the material handling industry.  SMH is excited to have Mark’s experience and to welcome him to the SMH division.

SMH publishes their First ever Aerial Work Platform Catalog

The Aerial Work Platform catalog is now on IRMN.  The Aerial Work Platform catalog is the first aerial catalog that SMH has published.  The catalog is a great informational and reference tool for those who work in the aerial platform industry.  This catalog is filled with thousands of application based parts numbers and hundreds of photographs. Stop by www.IRMN.com click on the Literature tab, here you can view the catalog under the catalog section.  

Visit SMH at the ARA Show

The American Rental Association show is the largest rental trade show in United States.  The ARA show returns to Orlando, Florida, Feb. 7-10. You'll find three days of trade show, new-full day educational workshops, morning seminars and new networking activities, all designed to provide you with tools for business success.

SMH will be in the heavy construction booth number # 4838.  If your attending the show please stop by the SMH booth and talk with us, we look forward to seeing you there. 

SMH Aids in Haiti Relief Efforts

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010 a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude Earthquake struck the nation of Haiti. Thousands were injured or killed in the quake and tens of thousands of people trapped in rubble are feared dead.  Many have called the disaster the biggest loss of human life in a single incident. We are deeply saddened by the devastation from the earthquake in Haiti and know that the rescue mission and re-building of Haiti will be a long and costly task. We may never know the full impact of the disaster, but we must have great faith for the recovery and healing of Haiti.

Like many other concerned people and companies, SMH and its employees are making donations to help those in need. Should you also wish to contribute, below are two trusted organizations devoted to relief efforts for your consideration:

American Red Cross
Doctors Without Borders

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected in this time of crisis.

Sincerely,

All your Friends at SMH  

SMHU Year End

The last two SMHU training classes of the year were held in November at the SMH Headquarters in Olathe, KS. The Parts Professional Training was held Nov 3 – 5 with nine customers in attendance from six different companies. Participants experienced a “Hands on” learning environment where they studied all areas of the forklift truck along with truck classifications and carriage classifications of the Industrial Truck Association. The training concluded with Inventory training, and Parts Department Management training. Attendees had the opportunity to brainstorm and strategize with other attendees in which they created a strategic plan for improvement specific to their own needs within their parts department.

Along with the Parts Professional Training, the last Spectrum Training of the year was held in November as well. Four customers from 3 different companies attended the Nov 10 – 11 training. Attendees participated in Spectrum systems components and operation tools training and learned information about the diagnostics and spectrum software display screens. Attendees also trained on a live running engine and were instructed on EPA and CARB legislation specific to Spectrum.

As the SMHU 2009 schedule comes to an end, watch for the new training schedule and new training seminars for 2010. The year concludes with successful attendance rates. In 2009, 74 SMH customers attended an SMHU Training Seminar from 43 different companies.   

The First ever SMHU Spanish Electric Truck Training

The First ever SMHU Spanish Electric Truck Training was held at the SMH Olathe, KS Headquarters. The training was successful with eight customers in attendance. The customers in attendance represented six different companies from six different countries. The countries represented at the training included Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, and the United States.

The first day of the seminar included training over basic electric circuits and components found on all types of electric vehicles. The second day of training incorporated training on Motor Controls and SCR controls for Electric vehicles. The training concluded with sessions that focused on Troubleshooting exercises over SCR & A.C. Transistor Motor Controls. In addition to the SMHU Spanish Electric Truck Training Seminar, SMHU currently offers The Parts Professional Training in Spanish and will continue to expand in Spanish Training in 2010.

SMH Social Networking

Social Networking is the new phrase that is being used to describe the online communities where information is shared publicly. Some examples of these networking sites are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace. While Social Networking started as merely a forum for personal relationships in recent years this technology has moved into the business community.

Companies around the world are using Social Networking as another way to connect to their customers. With 200 million users on Facebook, 14 million users on Twitter, 42 million users on LinkedIn, and 185 million users on MySpace, Social Networking has become a global phenomenon.  With continuous growth, Social Networking is now used to link professionals and businesses in related industries or careers for mutual advantages and opportunities.

In an effort to always use innovative business practices we are beginning to use the technology here at SMH. We can be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The value for our customers is that it gives you the ability to find out more information on SMH and view the latest company news on your social network.

SMH now posts pictures from events including, SMHU training classes, tradeshows, open house events, and much more on the SMHCO Facebook page. SMH also encourages you to upload the mobile phone device option on Twitter for free. With Mobile Twitter you can receive text messages with SMH updates, which allows you to stay current while you’re on the road or out of the office. Search SMHCO on Facebook and Twitter today. 

Train the Trainer

SMHU Train the Trainer was held at the SMH Olathe, KS Headquarters on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009. This was the fourth Train the Trainer held this year. The training was successful with nine customers in attendance from seven different companies. Total, 46 customers have attended the Train the Trainer course in 2009.

SMHU Electric Truck Training

SMHU Electric Truck Training was held at the SMH Olathe, KS Headquarters. This was the third Electric Truck training held this year. The training was successful with eight customers in attendance from four different companies. Total, 24 customers have attended Electric Truck Training in 2009.
The next Electric Truck Training will be held on Oct 26 – Oct 30 in Olathe, KS. This training will be the first ever Electric Truck Training in Spanish. There are limited spaces available. Contact your sales representative as soon as possible if you are interested. 

Pictures from the Electric Truck Training can be seen on our SMHCO Facebook page. Become our fan today to view the latest pictures of events and stay up to date on SMH news.
http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/#/pages/Olathe-KS/SMHCO/182128440045

Canadian Open House

On September 10, 2009 we held our first Canadian Open house at our Mississauga Ontario facility. We would like to personally thank all of our customers who attended the event. We appreciate the time that you took out of your busy schedules to visit our facility and meet the SMH staff from the Kansas, British Columbia and Ontario facilities.
Our Ontario warehouse opened in early 2000 and we now have over 40,000 part numbers stocked in Ontario. With more than 20 employees in Mississauga we are shipping over 300 orders each day. It was nice to be able to show off our facilities to both our local customers as well as to customers from Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Pictures from the Canada Open House event can bee seen on our SMHCO facebook page. Become our fan today to view the latest pictures of events and stay up to date on SMH news.
http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/#/pages/Olathe-KS/SMHCO/182128440045

SMHU Upcoming Classes

SMH University has continued to develop Spanish Training Seminars. The popular response to the SMHU Spanish Parts Professional Training sparked a need for the Electric Truck Training seminar in Spanish. The SMHU development team is currently working to translate Electric Truck Training Materials to Spanish. The first Spanish Electric Truck Training will be held this fall October 26 – 30 at the SMH Olathe, KS headquarters.

In addition to the development of Spanish classes, the SMHU 2009 classes have maintained high enrollment over the last few months. SMHU Electric Truck training was held on June 2 – 5 at the SMH Facility in Grayslake, IL with customers attending from six different companies. The SMHU Spectrum Training was held June 23 -24 at the SMH Facility in Olathe with customers from three different companies. Customers representing 27 different companies have attended SMHU this year.

Watch for Fall SMHU Specials on IRMN.   

SMHU Spainsh Training

SMHU introduces its first ever Spanish Training Seminar. On June 2 – 5 SMH held the SMHU Parts Professional Spanish Training course at SMH Headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. The training was successful with twenty two customers in attendance from fourteen different companies. The different companies represented the following Countries; Honduras, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Attendees received all training material in Spanish and participated in one of the most popular SMHU courses. The Parts Professional Training course was designed to help attendees strengthen their Parts Departments through increasing productivity. The skills presented during the training have proven to be important in the down economy.

Glidden Claudio from ESB in Puerto Rico stated, “SMH gave us marvelous treatment during the seminar and the truth is, as we Puerto Ricans say, they smashed it, terrifically awesome. I hope not to miss any future training.” The overwhelming response has proven the excitement in the International Markets about the launch of the Parts Professional Training in Spanish. Forklift companies in the International markets are eager to participant in this kind of training as the current market offers very little industry related training. SMH has now provided a way for International Forklift companies to receive this kind of training. SMHU will continue to expand into the International market in the years to come. 

SMHU Train the Trainer

Train the Trainer is for SMH customers only and will give you the information to participate in our Fleet Manager program, while also learning effective training skills on how to instruct your customers more efficiently. You will have in depth training on IRMN and all of our latest features.  The class will start at 8:00 am and finish at 4:00 pm in time for the start of the Open House.  To register for the class please log on to IRMN and fill out the enrollment form under the SMHU button.

At the Open House we will have product specials, IRMN training, New product displays, facility tours and of course food and beverages.  There will also be a raffle during the e vent for prices including gift cards as well as gift bags for all in attendance.

SMH Canada’s Open House
Date            September 10, 2009
Time            4:00 pm
RSVP to marketing@smhco.com

Second Annual Latin American Conference

The SMH International Sales department held the second annual Latin American conference in June at our Olathe Headquarters. The event was successful with twenty two customers in attendance from fourteen different companies. The different companies represented the following Countries; Honduras, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

The theme for the 2009 Conference was the SMHU Parts Professional training. International customers had the chance to attend the first ever Spanish SMHU Training Course. Attendees received all training material in Spanish and participated in one of the most popular SMHU courses to date. The Parts Professional Training course was designed to help attendees strengthen their Parts Department through increased productivity. The skills presented during the training have proven to be important in the down economy for a number of customers.

Glidden Claudio from ESB in Puerto Rico stated,

“SMH gave us marvelous treatment during the seminar and the truth is, as we Puerto Ricans say, they smashed it, terrifically awesome. I hope not to miss any future training.”

The overwhelming response has proven the excitement in the International Markets about the launch of the Parts Professional Training in Spanish. Forklift companies in the International markets are eager to participate in this kind of training as the current market offers very little industry related training.

SMH has now provided a way for International Forklift companies to receive this kind of training. SMHU will continue to expand into the International market in the years to come. 

A letter from Els Thermote

In today’s challenging economic environment, we understand that it is essential that you and your business have confidence in your suppliers.  SMH continues to be a financially sound company that you can rely on to be a consistent, strong industry partner.

You can depend on us to carry the largest selection of quality replacement parts, safety equipment and accessories for the material handling and industrial equipment industry.  Whether you need product for one vehicle or a large fleet, domestic or foreign make, SMH meets the challenge, every day.

We have a dedicated product development and engineering group that assures we develop the right product at the right price at the right time.  We offer 80% same as the OEM brands for a wide range of products from our bearings to water pumps.  The brands you know such as Baldwin, Impco, Wagner, Mico, Bussmann, Curtis, Grammer, Timken, Denso, Akebono, Kyaba, etc. from a partner you can trust.

At SMH, we are committed to creating highly enthusiastic customer relationships, provide a true One-Stop-Shop experience, and always strive for operational excellence through never ending measured improvements and innovative business practices.

Let me know how we are doing email me at els.thermote@smhco.com.

Thank you,

Els Thermote

Promotions

Systems Material Handling Appoints Ed Louis as Regional Manager of Business Development-Midwest Region

Systems Material Handling, (SMH) Olathe, KS is excited to announce the addition of Ed Louis as Regional Manager of Business Development-Midwest Region. Ed is based in the Chicagoland area. He has over 20 years of industry experience as a Parts Manager and as an Aftermarket Sales Representative.  John Gaughan, Director of Business Development was quoted “The addition of Ed will support SMH’s overall sales efforts and his knowledge of aftermarket parts will help SMH continue to evolve into the world’s leading supplier of aftermarket parts. We are excited to have him on the team and feel his experience and industry knowledge will work well with our support for our existing customers and business model”.

Systems Material Handling Appoints Robert Pitzul as Territory Sales Manager for Eastern Canada

Systems Material Handling, (SMH) Mississauga, Ontario is excited to announce the addition of Robert Pitzul as Territory Sales Manager for Eastern Canada. Robert has an extensive background in the Material Handling Industry with experience in technical, sales, customer service and managing his own successful forklift company in Quebec. John Thompson, Director of Sales (SMH Canada) was quoted “The addition of Robert was an important strategic decision and is vital towards supporting the continuing efforts of positioning SMH in the marketplace. Working closely with our Inside Sales and Customer Service teams, Robert will continue to grow strong customer relationships and explore new business opportunities. We are excited to have Robert as part of our team and feel his experience and industry knowledge will be beneficial to both SMH and our customers.”

SMHU Parts Professional

The most recent SMHU Parts Professional training series was held March 10th - 12th at SMH headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. Fourteen people attended from seven different companies. The Parts Professional training is for all people involved with fork lift trucks and their parts, especially parts clerks and managers. Kellen Watkins from Material Handling Equipment said of the class, "Well done! You should write a book ‘Forklifts for Dummies’ . Admittedly, I walked into the dealership this morning with a renewed spirit and greater appreciation for parts professionals and mechanics everywhere. In fact, I spent my first hour this morning walking around the shop with my new set of fork calipers ensuring our customers trucks were OSHA compliant."

The two-day class covers a range of topics including truck classifications, inventory management and strategic planning. "I learned how to deal with different aspects of the inventory, and how to apply better strategies in our company to increase overall efficiency," said Julio Hinojosa of Lift Truck Supply.

The next class offering through SMHU is Electric Truck Training to be held June 2nd - 5th at our Midwest office in Grayslake, Illinois. Please go to smhco.com or contact your SMH representative for information, schedules and registration.

SMH Elevated Work Platform Project Complete

SMH’s new Elevated Work Platform (EWP) expansion project at the Kansas headquarters has been completed. The project consisted of building a 37,000 square foot mezzanine complete with automated conveyoring to assist in product replenishments and order pulling. The new EWP consists of 3,460 new beams and close to 65 tons of steel, adding 20,000 new stocking locations and increasing the length of the automated conveyor system to over two miles.

Additionally 17 new check-pack stations were added to bring the total number of stations to 33. These additional stations will increase order packing efficiency and help to prevent shipment errors.

For more information on the expansion contact:
Darrell Loomis, Advertising Manager, Systems Material Handling, 16355 South Lone Elm Road, Olathe, KS 66062, toll free phone 800-255-4109, phone 913-829-1000, fax 913-829-6206, www.smhco.com

The 2009 SMHU Schedule is now available!

The Parts Professional Training and the Spectrum Training Seminars are right around the corner. March is approaching fast and SMHU has two excellent Training Seminars scheduled. The Parts Professional Training will be held on March 10 – 12 at the SMH headquarters, in Olathe KS. On March 24 – 25, the Spectrum Training will move from the SMH Kansas headquarters to the SMH Mira Loma, California Location.

With hands on training learn skills that will turn your parts department around at the Part Professional Training. Truck classifications, model and serial numbers, and department managerial skills will be presented during this training. Attend the Spectrum Training and receive in-depth knowledge of the Spectrum Series II fuel system. Training Includes: systems components, operation, tools and emissions regulations.

The 2009 SMHU Schedule is now available!

With hands on training learn skills that will turn your parts department around at the Part Professional Training. Truck classifications, model and serial numbers, and department managerial skills will be presented during this training. Attend the Spectrum Training and receive in-depth knowledge of the Spectrum Series II fuel system. Training Includes: systems components, operation, tools and emissions regulations.

SMHU was created to give our customers programs to enhance their employees' knowledge of new generational mechanical systems, emerging technologies and professional skills.

Our vision is to be the leader in industry related training seminars in emerging technologies. It is our mission to grow our customer relationships through these training seminars and facilitate SMH's goal of becoming a one-stop-shop, by servicing our customers with quality training.

SMHU offers a variety of programs including Electric Truck Training, Parts Professional Training, Spectrum Training, and Train the Trainer. We use "hands on" training in all of our seminars to assure a quality learning experience.

Find more information, schedules and enrollment under the support drop-down menu or on IRMN.COM.

Women In Business

Since 2000, the Kansas City Business Journal recognizes women in for-profit businesses who are committed to excellence and have made contributions to their fields and communities. This year Els Thermote was recognized along with 24 other women at a luncheon on July 24, 2008. It is the sound, innovative business practices that make SMH one of the best companies in the Kansas City area. For example, in the past year SMH has:

• Added three new distribution centers
• Made improvements in employee benefits including 401K and long-term disability
• Increased employee training opportunities
• Increased communication about company news, training and open positions

While 2008 has been a busy and challenging year economically, SMH continues to build a strong company. Ms. Thermote said, "I do not feel this recognition is my personal accomplishment, it is OUR accomplishment." She credits the employees and their hard work for realizing SMH's mission of "highly enthusiastic customer relationships" and for continued success of SMH. She states that it's the goal of SMH to remain innovative in business practices to help SMH and its employees reach their full potential.

Visit us at ProMat 2009

Not only will we have an exciting booth set up, we will be hosting a hospitality suite as well. Stop by the hospitality suite to win prizes during the event and to enjoy cocktails and dinner compliments of SMH®. We will be raffling off digital cameras, iPods, GPS navigators and much more!

Interested? RSVP to Mallorie Pappas by Dec 12, 2008. Phone 913-829-1000, ext 3122. Email: mallorie.pappas@smhco.com

SMH® Open House in California

SMH® would like for you to join us for an Open House at our Distribution Center in Mira Loma, California . We will be hosting IRMN 5.1 training sessions, new products demonstrations along with food, drinks and much more.

This Open House will be held on October 16th, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at our Mira Loma location:

3519 Grapevine St.
Mira Loma, CA 91752

Please RSVP by September 30th to Mary Wilson at mary.wilson@smhco.com or 1-800-255-4109 ext: 3141

Visit SMH at MATTECH 2008

The International Material Handling, Manufacturing & Packing Technology, Logistics, and Supply Chain Trade Show. Its time to make your arrangements to attend now! MATTECH, is the one-stop purchasing event for the material handling, manufacturing & packaging technology, logistics and supply chain industries. At MATTECH, tou can:

• Find high quality, low cost products & services from all over the world
• Discover products that you never knew existed
• See the most dominant brands in the material handling, manufacturing packaging technology,
• Logistics and supply chainiIndustries.

Schedule:
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 10:00am - 5:00 pm
Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 10:00am - 4:00pm
Click here to visit theMATTECH website.

Welcome to our Website

SMH is committed to having highly enthusiastic customer relationships, provide a true One-Stop-Shop experience, and always strive for operational excellence through never-ending measured improvements and innovative business practices

We continually updte our site with additions to our product offering, new programs and policies, as well as industry news.

SMH® Opens SMH University

SMH has created a University designed to give companies in the Material Handling Industry programs to enhance employee knowledge of new generation mechanical systems, emerging technologies and professional skills. SMHU programs will be “hands-on” training designed to assure a quality learning experience on a wide variety of topics.





Current SMHU Programs:

Electric Truck Training

• Session 1: Industrial Electronics for Electric Vehicles
• Session 2: Motor Controls in General & SCR Controls for Electric Vehicles
• Session 3: “Hands-on” Troubleshooting SCR & Transistor Motor Controls
• Session 4: A.C. Transistor Control Systems & Troubleshooting

Spectrum Series II Fuel Management

• Explanation of the new legislation and regulations governing the engine emissions as adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
• The seminar will include in depth information and hands on training on system components, operation and tools.
• Attendees will be shown the diagnostics and display screens and plug into a live running spectrum engine as part of a hands on session.

Train the Trainer

• Learn effective training skills on how to train other employees and customers more efficiently.
• You will also have in depth training on IRMN 5.1 & our latest features.

It is SMHU’s goal to continue to develop and offer relevant training programs as emerging technologies are introduced to the material handling industry.

For more information on SMHU click here.

New SMH® Distribution Center in Pennsylvania

Due to continued growth and an ongoing effort to improve service to customers, SMH® is pleased to announce the opening of a distribution facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

SMH® will reach a large number of our customers using one-day ground service from the Harrisburg location to all of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and parts of New York, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio.

Operation hours are from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm with customer pick up available during these hours. Facility information is as follows:

SMH® Pennsylvania
3982 Paxton St. Suite 1
Harrisburg, PA. 17111

New South Carolina Facility

Due to continued growth and an ongoing effort to improve service to customers, SMH® is pleased to announce the opening of a distribution facility in Duncan, South Carolina

The distribution center located between Spartanburg and Greenville, South Caroliina. Adjacent to I-85. Research shows that SMH® can reach customers with one-day ground shpping across South Carolina, parts of Georgia, Alabama, Tenessee, Virginia and North Carolina. Also we can reach a greater number of customers with tw and three day ground shippign thanks to UPS.

Operation hours are from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm

SMH® Headquarters Phase II Expansion

This weekend is the "psychological" start of fall. The college football season opens, the NFL begins the regular season the middle of next week, and the days start to grow noticeably shorter. So do the number of days before our project is complete and we open the facility for everyday storage and use.

Over the past two weeks we have created the fire lane around the north and east sides of the facility. The HVAC system has been tested and "tied in" to the building management system. The rest rooms have been completed along with all of the other plumbing portions of the project. The final grading has been completed around the facility in preparation for seeding once the cooler fall weather sets in.

The preliminary occupancy inspection by the city is scheduled for this upcoming week. During the next two days prior to that inspection we will be completing the installation of the fire protection system and "tying up" the some of the other loose ends. Additionally, we will be completing the installation of the data and communication cabling. Following the inspection and issuance of our occupancy permit we will begin to prepare for the installation of the racking and other equipment that is planned for this portion of our operation.

As everything continues to "fall into place" we still plan on beginning operations October in the new portion, just five short months after starting this project.

SMH® California Warehouse is Moving

SMH® is pleased to announce SMH® California Warehouse is moving to new location at 3519 Grapevine Street in Mira Loma California. The new location is effective on January 8th, 2007. New address, and other contact information are as below.

New Address: 3519 Grapevine St., Mira Loma, CA 91752
Phone: 800-255-4109
Fax: 913-764-7278

SMH® Open House

SMH® held its grand opening and open house Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16, 2006.

There were guided tours of the 250,000 square-foot facility giving vendors, customers and guests an up close showing of the operations.

Sixteen vendors set up booths in order to display their products and offer customers product discounts. Customers and guests were treated to product demonstrations and a preview of the release of IRMN 5.1.

More than 1,200 visitors from the US, Canada, Mexico and South America made the SMH® Open House a success.

TVH acquires IMC Holding, Inc

TVH Forklifts Parts NV (TVH) is pleased to announce that it has acquired the world-wide material handling related businesses of IMC Holding, Inc. (IMC); which includes the Intrupa, LPM, and CMC entities. This important acquisition will augment the material handling offerings of TVH, Systems Material Handling (SMH) and their affiliates.

SMH® Headquarters Have been Moved

SMH® is pleased to announce we have moved into our new corporate headquarters located at 16355 South Lone Elm Road in Olathe Kansas. All phone and fax numbers will remain the same.

Address: 16355 South Lone Elm Road, Olathe, KS 66062
Phone: 913-829-1000 | Toll-Free: 800-255-4109 | Fax: 913-829-9208

100 Years Forklift Trucks

New premises in Belgium, United States and Canada, a new story. The TVH/SMH® group considers this to be a milestone in the evolution of the company and don’t want to let the moment pass without some special attention. The publication of the book “100 years Forklift Trucks” has a remarkable symbolical value: the history of the forklift truck closely linked to the future of the company.

International edition.
The history of the forklift truck starts early in the twentieth century with the creation of a three-wheeled cart for use in a factory. Some time later, the front of the cart is equipped with a lifting system and in the back, space was created for a driver. The forklift truck is born and over the years, it will undergo many technical improvements. Today, the modern forklift truck is a piece of advanced technology with a wide array of possibilities and applications all over the world.

With the book “100 years Forklift Trucks”, the TVH/SMH® group has bundled an interesting history by means of valuable information and splendid pictures. The 200 pages of text and color photographs are bundled in a hardcover edition, which is available in two versions: Dutch/French (9799523) and English/German (9799528). The book is available all over the world through TVH Forklift Parts NV (Belgium), TVH Australasia and SMH® (USA). The book can be ordered through the sales staff of the different departments. For US$35.00 you can put the interesting history of the forklift truck on your bookshelf!

SMH® Opens Indiana Distribution Center

Due to continued growth and an ongoing effort to improve service to customers, SMH® has opened a distribution facility located in South Bend, Indiana. An existing 32,000 sq. ft. building has been leased near the South Bend airport, close to the UPS and Federal Express terminals. Research indicated SMH® could reach a larger share of the market in one day using ground service from South Bend. Jason Witman, Facility Manager states “South Bend provides us an excellent “one-day” ground coverage due to its location as a feeder hub for larger UPS hubs in Chicago, Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis. With “one-day” ground service, we expect to significantly increase our business in this important region of the United States.”

Further, SMH® expects to pick up additional business in areas to the east of South Bend as we increase service levels by one and two days to dealers that are now two and four days away from Olathe using ground service. SMH® estimates that up to 25% of our forklift business can be serviced out of this new facility.

SMH® LTD Opens New Warehouse

In an effort to meet increased customer demand, SMH® LTD. has begun operations in their new 38,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario.

The new warehouse located at 1039 Cardiff Blvd., is more than twice the size of the previous location and offers a large inventory of replacement parts for material handling and industrial equipment vehicles.

In addition the warehouse offers customer pick-up until 5:00 p.m. EST, same day shipping on orders placed by 4:00 p.m. EST and next day air service availability.

Helping Hands

Read about how SMH® and it's employees are helping those in the Gulf in this open letter to customers, staff and friends from SMH®.

SMH® Adds Dirk Von Holt as Vice President, Sales & Marketing

Systems Material Handling Co. is proud to announce that Dirk von Holt has joined the company in the capacity of Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Dirk will have direct responsibility for Domestic Sales, International Sales, OEM Sales, Business Development, and Marketing.

Dirk gained considerable familiarity and extensive knowledge of the US forklift industry leading Multiton MIC Corp. and Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp., both located in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to that appointment, Dirk had led Jungheinrich Denmark for three years, and was recently the President of one of the lift truck industry's most important organizations, Industrial Truck Association (ITA). With his experience and relationships, Dirk will be a valuable addition to our company.

Toyota Material Handling USA and SMH® Work Together to Strengthen StarLift Program

Systems Material Handling Co. (SMH) and Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) are pleased to announce that SMH® has been chosen as the single source provider for the STARLIFT all makes competitive parts program. Key benefits of this agreement to TMHU dealers include: improved order fill rates; extended order cut-off times; multiple warehouse shipping locations; online, "real time" parts lookup and ordering system; and access to the industry's largest inventory of over 1.6 million part numbers.