Thorough Examination body appoints Mike Mathias as new Chairman

Consolidated Fork Truck Services (CFTS) has announced the appointment of Mike Mathias, of Toyota Material Handling UK, as its new Chairman. He takes over from Richard Hayes of Brindley Lift Trucks, whose two-year term of office has seen continued growth and success.

CFTS will be ten years old this year and Mike Mathias is keen to highlight what has been achieved in that time.

"It’s worth reminding ourselves that ten years ago there was no common standard for this vital and legally required safety procedure. Individual inspectors could decide for themselves what aspects of a fork lift truck should be covered and how rigorous the examination should be.

"Thanks to CFTS we can offer comprehensive, consistently high-quality Thorough Examinations that cover the requirements of both LOLER and PUWER, developed specifically for fork lift trucks and backed by a strict code of practice. 

"We now have more than 400 companies accredited to the scheme, allowing customers, wherever they are in the UK, to benefit from the peace of mind that comes with the CFTS ‘kite’ certification mark.

"Since that launch our commitment to increasing user awareness of the need for high standards in Thorough Examination, and to supporting accredited companies with expert advice and training, has gone from strength to strength.

"Increasingly our emphasis has been on making advice and guidance available to those responsible for fork lift trucks online… and to that end I would encourage everyone to explore the CFTS website in more detail to take advantage of this advice."

Toyota Material Handling UK, for which Mike has been Managing Director since 2007, is a keen advocate and national provider of CFTS-accredited Thorough Examination. Mike also holds managerial roles with Toyota in The Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.

He brings with him a wealth of materials handling industry experience spanning almost four decades. Having started out as an engineering apprentice, his extensive knowledge has been built through a wealth of service, technical, sales, aftersales and management positions.

As well as being a Board Member of CFTS, he is a Director of BITA (British Industrial Truck Association), which joined forces with the FLTA to create CFTS.