Forkway Group
Forkway Group is a UK-based distributor of materials handling equipment and provider of sales, hire, maintenance, training, and parts services, serving industrial and logistics customers as the exclusive UK distributor for Hyster and Yale and an authorized dealer for multiple specialist forklift and equipment brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAmersham, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Forkway Group does
Forkway Group is a UK-based distributor and service provider of materials handling equipment, founded in 1961 and operating as a subsidiary of US conglomerate Sammons Enterprises Inc. The company serves industrial and logistics customers across the UK through three regional offices in Yorkshire (Dewsbury), Berkshire (Maidenhead, head office), and Hampshire (Romsey). Forkway is the exclusive UK distributor for Hyster and Yale forklifts and an authorized dealer for Combilift, Aisle Master, Hako, AUSA, and JLG, giving it a multi-brand portfolio spanning counterbalance forklifts, narrow-aisle and multi-directional trucks, articulated loaders, cleaning machines, and aerial work platforms.
The company operates a full-stack business model that combines equipment sales, short-term hire and rental, contract maintenance, operator training, spare parts, and racking solutions. Service quality is supported by a 96.4% first-time fix rate and resident engineers serving long-tenured enterprise customers including Premdor (20+ years), Stelrad (15+ years), and Simpson Packaging (15+ years). Forkway has also begun extending into higher-value, software-adjacent offerings through its FleetSafe safety system and Avaltar AI-driven safety solutions, though these remain product-level rather than core to the business.
The underlying technology stack is conventional distribution and service infrastructure: OEM relationships, regional warehousing, technician dispatch, and parts inventory. The forward-looking differentiator is the layering of safety technology and AI-enabled monitoring onto the existing install base, supported by a 60+ year brand and exclusive OEM franchises that competing independent dealers cannot replicate.
Forkway Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forkway Group
- Legal name
- Forkway Ltd
- Website
- https://forkway.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Forkway Group is a UK-based distributor of materials handling equipment and provider of sales, hire, maintenance, training, and parts services, serving industrial and logistics customers as the exclusive UK distributor for Hyster and Yale and an authorized dealer for multiple specialist forklift and equipment brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forkway Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Materials Handling Equipment Distribution and Services
- NAICS
- Construction and Mining (except Oil Well) Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42381), Construction and Mining (except Oil Well) Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (423810), Motor Vehicle Supplies and New Parts Merchant Wholesalers (42312)
- SIC
- Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Forklifts & Industrial Trucks (IC & Electric) (IMAHABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Workshop Tools, Equipment & Lift Systems Distribution (TLAKAOAM)
Keywords
Where Forkway Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amersham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Forkway Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- New Equipment Sales: Sales of new forklift trucks, pallet trucks, and materials handling equipment from manufacturers including Yale, Combilift, Aisle Master, and others.
- Used Equipment Sales: Buying and selling quality pre-owned forklifts across the UK.
- Forklift Hire/Rental: Short-term hire from 1 day and long-term rental from 1-5 years. Flexible rental packages including fully inclusive options with parts and labour.
- Service and Maintenance: Service and maintenance of forklifts and materials handling equipment, including 96.4% first-time fix rate. Catering for most makes and models with extensive spare parts holdings.
- Parts Supply: Supply of forklift parts, accessories, tyres, oils, lubricants, and consumables.
- Driver Training: Forklift operator training accredited by ITSSAR, delivered nationwide at customer sites or approved training centres.
- Racking and Storage Solutions: Design, supply, and installation of new and used racking systems, including adjustable pallet racking, drive-in racking, and mobile racking.
- Finance Services: Flexible financing options including lease, contract hire, and seasonal hire.
- Health, Safety and Environment Services: Safety products including FleetSafe, site safety assessments, and compliance services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Short-Term Forklift Hire |
| Subscription | Monthly | Long-Term Forklift Hire |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Lease-Purchase |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Contract Hire/Leasing |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | FleetSafe Safety System |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Insurance Waiver - Band A |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Insurance Waiver - Band B |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Insurance Waiver - Band C |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Insurance Waiver - Band D |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Forkway Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forkway Group distributes and sells new and used forklift trucks, pallet trucks, warehousing equipment, racking systems, sweepers, cleaning machines, and forklift parts and accessories as the authorized UK dealer for multiple OEMs (Yale, Hyster, Combilift, Aisle Master, Hako, AUSA, JLG, Loadmac, Mariotti). It complements equipment sales with short and long-term hire/rental, ITSSAR-accredited driver training, planned and reactive service and maintenance, finance and lease options, free site surveys, and its own FleetSafe telematics/safety ecosystem and Avaltar AI safety offering.
Product overview
Forkway Group is a UK-based materials handling solutions provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of equipment, services, and safety systems. The core offering centers on distributed forklift brands including Yale, Combilift, Aisle Master, Hako, Loadmac, AUSA, Mariotti, HUGO Lift, and Elevah aerial platforms. The product portfolio spans electric and diesel/LPG counterbalance forklifts, reach trucks, articulated narrow-aisle trucks, rough terrain equipment, truck-mounted forklifts, powered pallet trucks, and warehouse racking systems. Safety and telematics capabilities are delivered through the FleetSafe ecosystem (including ZoneSafe, ReverseSafe, SpeedZone), while ancillary offerings include JLG access equipment, cleaning solutions, winter products, and a full range of attachments and parts. Services encompass new and used equipment sales, flexible short and long-term hire (1 day to 5 years), comprehensive maintenance with 96.4% first-time fix rate, ITSSAR-accredited driver training, racking design and installation, and finance options. The company operates from three regional centers in Yorkshire, Berkshire, and Hampshire serving customers near London, Leeds, Wakefield, Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster, Bradford, and Southampton.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fleetsafe: Forklift safety and telematics system including collision alerts, speed limiting, and pedestrian detection
- Avaltar
Quantifiable outcome
- 96.4% First-time Fix Rate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Forkway Group
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Forkway Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Forkway Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Yale (Hyster Yale)coreOfficial UK distributor for Yale Forklifts and Warehousing Equipment. Yale is one of the world's leading forklift truck manufacturers.
- CombiliftcoreAuthorized dealer for Combilift multi-way handling forklift trucks.
- Aisle MastercoreRegional Dealer of the Year award winner for 3 consecutive years. Authorized dealer for Aisle-Master articulated forklift trucks.
- HakocoreAuthorized dealer for Hako cleaning solutions including sweepers, scrubber-driers, and vacuums.
- AUSAcoreAuthorized dealer for AUSA industrial equipment including forklifts and handling equipment.
- JLGcoreAuthorized dealer for JLG access platforms including articulating booms, scissor lifts, and mobile vertical lifts.
- HystercoreExclusive UK distributor for Hyster range of forklift trucks and materials handling equipment.
- LoadmacminorAuthorized dealer for Loadmac truck-mounted forklifts.
- MariottiminorAuthorized dealer for Mariotti materials handling equipment.
- KärcherminorDealer for Kärcher professional snow throwers including STH 5.56 W and STH 8.66 W models.
- ShellminorSupplier of Shell lubricants including Shell Spirax and Shell Rimula oil products.
- Sammons Enterprises InccoreUltimate parent company headquartered in the United States of America. Forkway Group operates as part of Sammons Enterprises' UK and Ireland businesses with over 2,000 employees.
- Ideal Stelrad GroupcoreParent company of Stelrad, one of Forkway's key customers. Stelrad is the UK's largest radiator manufacturer.
- ITSSARcoreThe Independent Training Standards Scheme and Register. Forkway Group is accredited by ITSSAR for delivering forklift operator training nationwide.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Forkway Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Linde Material Handling UK: Direct UK competitor owned by KION Group. Competes across counterbalance, reach trucks, and fleet management with direct sales/service; pivoting into automation and telematics.
- Briggs Equipment: One of the largest UK materials handling distributors and Yale/Hyster dealers. Directly comparable to Forkway with overlapping product lines, rental fleet, service, and parts operations across multiple UK sites.
- Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK: OEM competitor with UK dealer network. Overlaps with Forkway's heavy-duty and rough-terrain forklift offerings, including industrial and warehouse equipment.
- Toyota Material Handling UK: UK arm of the world's largest forklift manufacturer. Direct competitor in new equipment sales, rental, and service; competes with Forkway's Yale/Hyster portfolio for the same warehouse and manufacturing customers.
- Midland Forklifts: UK forklift distributor and service provider overlapping with Forkway in used equipment sales, hire, and service coverage. Comparable regional distributor model.
- Jungheinrich UK: Major German OEM with direct UK sales, rental, and service. Competes head-to-head with Forkway across electric forklifts, reach trucks, and warehouse equipment, with growing telematics integration.
- Crown Equipment UK: US-based OEM with UK presence selling electric forklifts, reach trucks, and warehouse equipment. Direct competitor in mid-to-large warehouse segments with comparable telematics offerings.
- STILL UK: KION Group sister brand to Linde, offering forklifts, warehouse equipment, and intralogistics solutions. Direct competitor in the UK mid-market forklift segment.
- Britannia Forklift Trucks: UK forklift dealer and rental provider offering competing brands, service, and training. Comparable size and structure to Forkway with multi-region UK presence.
Broad incumbents
- Manitou UK: French OEM of telehandlers, rough-terrain forklifts, and access platforms. Partial overlap with Forkway's AUSA and JLG product lines; competes in selected material handling verticals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forkway Group social profiles
Digital presenceForkway Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forkway Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Forkway Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forkway Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forkway Group
What does Forkway Group do?
Forkway Group distributes and sells new and used forklift trucks, pallet trucks, warehousing equipment, racking systems, sweepers, cleaning machines, and forklift parts and accessories as the authorized UK dealer for multiple OEMs (Yale, Hyster, Combilift, Aisle Master, Hako, AUSA, JLG, Loadmac, Mariotti). It complements equipment sales with short and long-term hire/rental, ITSSAR-accredited driver training, planned and reactive service and maintenance, finance and lease options, free site surveys, and its own FleetSafe telematics/safety ecosystem and Avaltar AI safety offering.
Is Forkway Group a public or private company?
Forkway Group is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Forkway Group founded?
Forkway Group was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Forkway Group based?
Forkway Group is headquartered in Amersham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Forkway Group make money?
Nine revenue lines are on record. New Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are used Equipment Sales, forklift Hire/Rental, service and Maintenance, parts Supply, driver Training, racking and Storage Solutions, finance Services and health, Safety and Environment Services.
Who are Forkway Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Linde Material Handling UK, Briggs Equipment, Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK, Toyota Material Handling UK, Midland Forklifts, Jungheinrich UK, Crown Equipment UK, STILL UK and Britannia Forklift Trucks. Manitou UK is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Forkway Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forkway Group.
What industry is Forkway Group in?
Forkway Group's product category is Materials Handling Equipment Distribution and Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHABAA, Forklifts & Industrial Trucks (IC & Electric), with a secondary code of TLAKAOAM, Workshop Tools, Equipment & Lift Systems Distribution. Its NAICS code is 42381 and its SIC code is 3537.