On Thursday the 27th of February 2020, members from across the Yorkshire region attended the Doosan Industrial Vehicles Best Practice event in Dewsbury.
The event, which began at 8:00 am gave over 20 members throughout the region access to their Yorkshire facility where they were given a tour, a presentation on the companies best practices, networking opportunities, as well as a look at the distribution centre that features at their Dewsbury site.
The Korean based company started back in 1896 as a corner shop in what is now South Korea. Today, the company is a worldwide company, having expanded and purchased the UK based Rushlift Ltd back in 2015.
Today, the company has, in the words of those working there, ‘Its hands in many pots.” Citing the company’s current status of having a component in 1 in every 2 iPhones. While closer to home, you’ll also find them, though not at the Yorkshire plant, producing CNC machines.
Here in the UK, across both Yorkshire and Northampton, their other site, the company produces a range of fork-lift trucks that are fueled from Diesel, Electric and LPG with support for loads from 1.3 Tonnes to 25 Tonnes.
The big focus of the Best Practice event was the environment and how the company is handling the changes in national policy. Outlining the challenges that the sector faces, Josh Emmott, the Business Manager for the site focused on the upcoming Eurostage 5 policy that will result in the following two significant changes:
- Diesel vehicles will have to be cut: This means that most diesel trucks will need a new engine that will also contain a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter).
- LPG vehicles will require a converter: If you’re running an LPG truck, you’ll be required to install a catalytic converter on your vehicle.
But from Doosan’s perspective, this is something they’ve prepared for. Another one of their Best Practice tips was to prepare for your future market, something the company has done. Not only have they created a diesel engine that is Eurostage 5 compatible, but they’re also making sure their future range of vehicles will be compatible with the policy.
These range of vehicles will encompass another key feature Doosan discussed, safety. For example, this new range of Eurostage 5 vehicles, users will be able to plug in their laptops in to set a maximum speed limit.
Likewise, another Best Practice tip shared was that, in the case of Doosan, “They’ll be your complete product range.”
You may think that if Doosan can’t supply you with what you need, then you’ll need to go somewhere else, but that’s not the case. In the words of Josh, “We’ll come to your site, look at everything on your site and provide feedback. We won’t push Doosan if it’s not the right truck.”
In this case, Josh cites Articulated trucks as an example, but for Doosan, who is also a supplier, this approach helps them secure their global status.
To end the presentation, an interesting fact was shared with us. Josh asked the members, “What does Doosan share with Made in Yorkshire?” Now, do you know?
Well, the answer is that the name Doosan comes from two Korean words meaning ‘Doo’ which means a grain of sand, and ‘San’ which means a ‘Mighty mountain.” Together the saying comes together to mean that together the little grains can build a mighty mountain. Much like how the members of Made in Yorkshire come together to build a mighty community for Yorkshire manufacturing.
If you’re a Made in Yorkshire member and would like to book onto a future Best Practice event, just follow this link to get to the booking page.