It is with great pleasure that I write my introductory column and send my first issue into the marketplace. I look forward to getting out into the industry myself in the coming months.

Heinz-Helmut Kempkes says in this issue, in reflection on his two-year term as president of the Fédération Européene de la Manutention (FEM), which concludes later this year: “The main intention was to bring together the industry with the same, strong interest.”

In many ways, my ambition as the new editor of this publication is no different. It’s finding the common ground that all our readers share – wherever they do business – that will make this job so exciting and rewarding. From the USA to China and Scandinavia to Australia there is common ground we all share. We must celebrate this. For example, reading in this issue about how Indian manufacturers work reminds me of the pressures that British manufacturing is under. As this issue explains, India’s accelerating economic growth has boosted domestic steel demand dramatically during the past few years.

Enjoy the issue and don’t forget to keep checking out www.hoistmagazine.com for all the breaking news from the industry. I look forward to meeting you soon!