Merger of Britannia Materials Handling and Bronze Mechanical Handling creates one of the largest forklift dealerships in the South East

By Nicky Godding

21 August 2023

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Bronze and Britannia merge

Kent-based Britannia Materials Handling has merged with Bronze Mechanical Handling in Essex to form one of the largest forklift truck organisations in the South East.

“This is the culmination of an ongoing co-ownership process which has seen both companies working ever-more closely together in order to create a single entity,” said Chris Slater, of Britannia. “We have a great deal in common. Between us, our two businesses share more than 50 years’ experience in specifying, selling, hiring and maintaining every make and model of materials handling equipment.”

Joe Bronze of Bronze Mechanical Handling says: “Joining forces is going to deliver significant benefits to customers throughout Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire and London.

“As well as the accumulated expertise of both sales and service teams, truck users will have access to an exceptionally large pool of rental trucks for short or long-term hire, along with top-class maintenance, repairs and inspections from a factory-trained field service team.”

The fact that both companies are authorised dealers for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks was a key factor in facilitating the move. The trucks have long been recognised for their legendary reliability, but over the past two decades, the Mitsubishi forklifts and warehouse equipment have scooped a host of international awards for their design innovation, operator-focused ergonomics and safety features.

“I’m delighted to say the proposed move has been warmly welcomed by the Britannia staff,” adds Chris Slater. “They feel motivated to see us taking these two great businesses to the next level, with the security and opportunities for career development that it will bring.”

Commenting on the merger, Stewart Gosling of Red Diamond Distribution, a distributor for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks UK, says: “This is a really positive move by two of our strongest and most successful dealerships. Having these two award-winning businesses join forces will provide a powerful presence for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks throughout the whole of the South East.

“Importantly, the merger maintains the philosophy of local support with world-leading technology that has made the Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks UK network such a stand-out success.”

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.