Experience matters when the application is specialized — and few applications are more specialized than moving a 20-ton steel coil or a fragile roll of aluminum sheet through a working plant floor. A coil handling forklift isn’t a truck you back into a job and hope for the best; it’s a purpose-built solution that has to match the load, the facility, and the process it’s feeding.
With more than 30 years of experience in the forklift and material handling industry, Nick Marshall specializes in coil handling forklift solutions for can manufacturing facilities, steel and aluminum coil operations, and other high-capacity forklift applications. He’s spent his career helping plant managers and procurement teams cut through spec sheets and get to the equipment that actually fits the job.
A standard forklift moves palletized freight. A coil handling forklift moves round, unstable, and often extremely heavy loads that can shift, roll, or deform if the wrong attachment or capacity rating is used. That difference shows up in three places:
Nick’s experience includes helping operations identify the right coil handling equipment for aluminum and steel coils, raw materials, and other demanding loads found throughout manufacturing and production environments. His background allows him to look beyond basic forklift specifications and focus on the application itself: load requirements, capacity, attachments, operating environment, and how the equipment will actually be used within the facility.
Steel coil and aluminum coil each present their own handling challenges. Steel coils are dense and heavy for their size, which puts the emphasis on capacity and structural rigidity in the mast and carriage. Aluminum coil, by contrast, is often lighter but more easily marred or deformed, so the priority shifts toward cradle design, padding, and operator control. In short, the right coil handling equipment depends on the metal as much as the tonnage.
Forklift Exchange’s Hoist P Series is one example of a platform built for this kind of work — a high-capacity forklift line rated from 22,000 up to 125,000 lbs. and available with coil ram, rotator, and other specialized attachments. For steel mill and heavy-duty indoor environments, the Hoist FKS Series is another option Nick and the team regularly discuss with customers evaluating coil handling equipment.
Can manufacturing plants sit at the intersection of two demanding requirements: they need a high-capacity forklift to move raw aluminum coil stock, and they need the precision to feed that stock into a production line without downtime. It’s a narrow, specific niche — and it’s one Nick has worked in throughout his career, going beyond what a typical spec sheet from the Can Manufacturers Institute covers to look at how a can plant actually runs day to day.
That same attention to the operating environment applies broadly. Whether it’s raw material handling, coil staging, or general production support, a facility running high-capacity forklifts also needs to keep operators within OSHA’s powered industrial truck requirements — another reason equipment selection and operator training go hand in hand.
As part of Forklift Exchange, Inc., Nick works with customers throughout the U.S. and internationally, assisting with both individual coil handling forklift requirements and larger fleet needs. He’s built his reputation on looking past the brochure and helping customers land on equipment that holds up in their specific facility.
We’ll be sharing more of Nick’s knowledge and experience surrounding can plant forklifts, coil handling equipment, high-capacity forklifts, and specialized material handling applications in upcoming posts. If your team is evaluating equipment for a similar application, this is a good place to start.
For questions about your facility or an upcoming equipment requirement, contact Nick directly:
Nick Marshall (LinkedIn) | Forklift Exchange, Inc.
📞 630-235-4802
✉️ nick.marshall@forkliftexchange.com
🌐 www.forkliftexchange.com
#CoilHandlingForklift #CoilHandlingEquipment #CanManufacturing #HighCapacityForklift #AluminumCoil #SteelCoil #ForkliftExchange #MaterialHandling
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