Combilift, the Irish manufacturer of four-directional, side-loading and articulated forklifts with a North American headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., gifted its 75,000th truck to Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit humanitarian and disaster relief organization to mark its 25th anniversary.

In a release, the manufacturer said the truck, an Aisle Master articulated forklift, was being donated to an organization that aligns with the company’s core values and knows that as demand for these types of services increases, the gift will be put to good use.

“The work that Convoy of Hope does is invaluable to relieve suffering around the world,” said Martin McVicar, Combilift’s CEO and co-founder, said during remarks at a gala dinner in Chicago during the ProMat trade show. “We wanted to make our own contribution by donating our 75,000th truck to this very worthwhile charity.”

Convoy of Hope works alongside a wide network of volunteer organizations to alleviate poverty and hunger; its global distribution center is based in Springfield, Mo. Aid is dispersed throughout the United States and globally from the Springfield warehouse, and Combilift delivered its first truck to the nonprofit there in 2019. With this gift, the relief organization now has five Combilift Air Masters at its warehouse, according to the release. 

“A lot of our exponential growth has been down to the Aisle Masters as they enable us to get more loads in and out faster,” said a grateful Jeff Smethers, Convoy of Hope’s senior director. “Thanks to Combilift’s free warehouse layout service and the Aisle Master’s narrow aisle capability, we’ve achieved the best possible storage density and a very efficient operation.” 

Erick Meier, senior vice president of Supply Chain at Convoy of Hope, echoed Smethers’ remarks.

“We are so grateful that Combilift and Martin and the whole team have actually given us one of these trucks for our operations," he said. "[It] is going to help people for years – and ensure that every day someone in the world will receive aid — and that brings hope.”

For more information about Combilift, visit combilift.com. For more information about Convoy of Hope, visit convoyofhope.org.