BYD has appointed Paul Grady as the UK and Ireland Country Manager for its expanding forklift division. The appointment, which takes place with immediate effect, marks a significant step in BYD’s strategy to grow its UK forklift business at a time when the changes sweeping across industry should make investment in its low-energy forklifts a strong proposition.
Paul has over 35 years’ experience in the materials handling sector, having come through the ranks as a service engineer before holding national accounts management positions, most recently at Triathlon Battery Solutions. In this latter role, he came to learn at first-hand about the strengths of the BYD offering and its suitability to the modern business climate.
Paul Grady, BYD Forklifts UK & Ireland Country Manager
“As soon as I started discussing the opportunity with BYD, I was excited by the potential,” says Paul. “BYD forklifts are manufactured to European standards using high-quality components. The unique BYD Lithium Iron Phosphate battery technology at the heart of all of its products is market-leading in terms of its performance and flexibility, and offers many significant benefits over the standard lithium ion batteries supplied to its competitors by third-party manufacturers. As a market leader in the global electric bus sector, BYD as is well-established in Europe. When you see the global partnerships formed with BYD by companies such as Daimler-Benz and Toyota, you soon see BYD’s capabilities as an innovative manufacturer stacking up favourably.”
Paul continues: “I see unique aspects of BYD Forklifts that will attract the attention of businesses in the UK and Ireland who are looking to make a cost-effective investment in a materials handling fleet whilst at the same time leaving behind the smallest-possible carbon footprint. Being part of the challenge to help grow the BYD business is one I am looking forward to.”
In welcoming Paul to BYD Europe’s growing team, Blade Feng, BYD Europe’s Forklift Director, says: “Attracting people of Paul’s capability is a real indicator of BYD’s stature in the market. At a time when we are looking to support our existing UK and Ireland dealer network, and add new dealers along the way, Paul’s position is an important part of our strategy to grow our market share in our key European territories. His knowledge and experience will help us greatly towards fulfilling our goals for the UK and Ireland markets.”
Paul has identified several areas where businesses can gain a competitive edge through specifying BYD Forklifts, and will be seeking in particular to attract the interest of logistics companies, food & beverage manufacturers and distributers, and the automotive sector with BYD’s extensive range of zero-emission forklifts.