On 8 June 2026, the UK Materials Dealing with Affiliation (UKMHA) formally opened the doorways to its brand-new headquarters in Kibworth, Leicestershire, with a particular Open Day to welcome friends. The occasion marked a big milestone for the affiliation, bringing collectively members, companions and plenty of of those that have supported UKMHA’s progress and growth through the years.
Rob Fisher, CEO of UKMHA, stated: “The opening of our new headquarters marks an thrilling chapter for UKMHA. I’m delighted to say that our Open Day was an incredible success, made all of the extra particular by our members. Thanks to everybody who joined us to have fun the event, and to these whose exhausting work and dedication helped flip this imaginative and prescient into actuality.”
Company heard about UKMHA’s ambitions for the brand new facility throughout a welcome tackle from the affiliation’s President.
Andrew Woodward, President of UKMHA, commented: “This facility represents excess of only a new constructing. It’s a strategic funding in the way forward for the fabric dealing with sector and within the individuals who will assist form it.”
He added: “It has been designed as a centre for studying, collaboration and innovation that may assist advance security requirements, help expertise growth and strengthen connections throughout our {industry}.”
The funding displays UKMHA’s long-term dedication to elevating requirements, supporting workforce growth and bettering security throughout the UK’s materials dealing with sector.
The brand new 8,000 sq. ft. Kibworth headquarters has been developed as a central hub for coaching, collaboration and technical excellence inside the materials dealing with {industry}. Positioned within the Midlands with wonderful street and rail connections, the power offers improved accessibility for members from throughout the UK.
The constructing will function the headquarters for each UKMHA and Consolidated Fork Truck Companies (CFTS), bringing the organisations nearer collectively operationally while persevering with to help members nationwide by way of regional occasions and on-site assessments.
The positioning options fashionable coaching suites, workshop and demonstration areas, along with devoted areas for technical committees, conferences and {industry} occasions. Designed by Inventive Industrial Environments with members in thoughts, the power provides a welcoming {and professional} atmosphere for conferences, workshops and networking alternatives.
Andrew Hobson, Managing Director of Inventive Industrial Environments (CCE), stated: “We have been delighted to be chosen for the Kibworth mission. Our goal was to grasp the aim behind the transient and create an area that helps the way in which individuals study, collaborate and have interaction. We wished coaching environments that really feel inspiring slightly than scientific, while making certain social areas encourage significant interplay and collaboration.”
The brand new headquarters will strengthen UKMHA’s potential to help members by way of accredited coaching, technical steerage and industry-leading security initiatives. It should additionally help the continued enlargement of the affiliation’s in-house coaching provision and its funding in future expertise growth.
Paul Dancer, Head of Studying and Improvement at UKMHA, commented: “We consider that studying and expertise growth are simply as important to the way forward for the sector because the gear itself. The opening of our new facility offers us the potential to ship high-quality coaching in an atmosphere particularly designed to help skilled growth.”
The Open Day was designed not solely to showcase the brand new facility, but in addition to supply members with updates on key UKMHA initiatives spanning security, coaching, technical requirements and market intelligence.
Matthew Kennedy, Technical Supervisor at CFTS, demonstrated the brand new CFTS app, developed to help Thorough Examination engineers and the companies they serve by way of improved entry to inspection info, report administration and operational oversight.
He stated: “We’re at all times on the lookout for methods to enhance processes for our members while sustaining the consistency and high quality requirements that CFTS is thought for. The app has been designed across the sensible wants of Thorough Examination engineers, enabling them to entry info shortly, handle data effectively and work extra successfully throughout a number of websites. For companies managing groups of engineers, it additionally offers a clearer method to keep oversight and preserve inspection info organised.”
Company additionally heard from Richard Elphee, Gross sales Director, and Tasha Coleman, Space Gross sales Supervisor at A-SAFE, who explored the evolution of safety techniques and their function in bettering security throughout industrial environments.
Jeremy Leonard, Managing Director of International Trade Companies at Oxford Economics, supplied an unique overview of the UK forklift truck market, utilizing evaluation produced particularly for UKMHA. His presentation examined the most recent forklift truck forecast, recession dangers regardless of a stronger-than-expected first quarter, and the potential financial influence of the continued battle within the Center East. The session additionally included {industry} briefings masking distribution, transport companies, meals, drinks and tobacco, and development, providing members beneficial perception into the sectors that drive demand for materials dealing with gear.
The ability was instantly put into motion following its opening. The following day noticed the launch of the 2026 Nationwide Forklift Security Day (NFSD) marketing campaign, which introduced collectively {industry} sources and actions geared toward bettering security consciousness throughout the sector.
This yr’s marketing campaign centered on technician security and was underpinned by UKMHA office damage information, which highlighted a number of key security issues.
David Goss, Technical Director of UKMHA, stated: “Our information from 2019 to 2025 exhibits that UK forklift suppliers misplaced greater than 1,000 working days yearly because of office accidents. What’s significantly hanging is that almost 30% of these incidents occurred when individuals weren’t working straight on the gear, demonstrating that security dangers prolong effectively past forklift operation itself.”
He continued: “Our long-term goal is to cut back the variety of accidents and incidents involving materials dealing with gear. Our new centre will play an important function in serving to us obtain that purpose by offering the house, sources and accessibility wanted to coach extra individuals and attain extra companies.”
Along with NFSD, inside days of the brand new headquarters being opened, the subsequent part of UKMHA’s coaching programme was launched, with the primary in-person programs efficiently delivered on the new facility.
The opening of the Kibworth headquarters represents a significant funding in the way forward for the fabric dealing with {industry}, strengthening UKMHA’s potential to champion security, develop expertise, help members and drive innovation for years to come back.
For extra details about UKMHA, please go to https://ukmha.org.uk/.
