MEP Vicky Ford visits Edmolift

On 16 October 2015, the chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee Vicky Ford visited the Edmolift company located in Haverhill, Suffolk, UK. The event was organised by FEM (European Federation of Material Handling) as part of its Mapping Initiative, which aims to present the materials handling industry to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) through company visits in or near the MEPs’ constituencies.

The meeting began with a brief introduction of FEM, its British member BMHF, the FEM Elevating Equipment Product Group, and Edmolift – a FEM member company manufacturing and supplying scissor lift tables, pallet handling products and manual handling aids.

In her presentation, FEM representative Ioana Smarandache highlighted the importance of safety standards and robust market surveillance for the sector, as well as the need to ensure global market access and align international standards in present and future trade agreements. These principles draw upon the FEM Vision and Strategy 2020 published last year.

Olivier Janin, FEM secretary general said, “This visit illustrates the three dimensions of FEM – local, national and European – united around a common objective: preserving the competitiveness of the materials handling industry. Who better than the Chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee to bring this message to the EU political arena? We thank Ms Ford for taking the time to see, listen and exchange with us.”

Susie Dicker, chairman of Edmolift, said, “Our products comply with rigorous and robust safety standards and we must ensure that our competitors’ products do so too so we can invest and grow without fear of unfair competition. To this end, it is essential that market surveillance ensures that non-compliant machinery does not enter the marketplace”.