IN Brief:
- UKMHA has opened a new 8,000 sq ft headquarters in Kibworth, Leicestershire.
- The facility will support training, technical committees, demonstrations, meetings, and member collaboration.
- The site will also house Consolidated Fork Truck Services, bringing UKMHA and CFTS closer together operationally.
The UK Material Handling Association has opened its new headquarters in Kibworth, Leicestershire, creating a national hub for training, safety, collaboration, and technical standards across the material handling sector.
The 8,000 sq ft facility was formally opened on 8 June 2026 at a member Open Day. The event brought together UKMHA members, partners, and industry supporters to mark the association’s move into a purpose-developed Midlands base.
Rob Fisher, CEO of UKMHA, said: “The opening of our new headquarters marks an exciting chapter for UKMHA. I am delighted to say that our Open Day was a tremendous success, made all the more special by our members. Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the occasion, and to those whose hard work and commitment helped turn this vision into reality.”
The Kibworth site has been developed as a central hub for learning, collaboration, and technical excellence. It includes modern training suites, workshop and demonstration areas, space for technical committees, meeting rooms, and areas for member events and industry networking.
Andrew Woodward, President of UKMHA, said: “This facility represents far more than just a new building. It is a strategic investment in the future of the material handling sector and in the people who will help shape it.”
Woodward added: “It has been designed as a centre for learning, collaboration and innovation that will help advance safety standards, support skills development and strengthen connections across our industry.”
The building will serve as the headquarters for both UKMHA and Consolidated Fork Truck Services. Bringing the two organisations closer together operationally will support accredited training, technical guidance, on-site assessments, and safety initiatives, while regional events continue to support members nationwide.
Creative Commercial Environments designed the facility with training and member engagement in mind. Andrew Hobson, Managing Director of Creative Commercial Environments, said the aim was to create training environments that feel inspiring rather than clinical, with social spaces that encourage collaboration.
The facility was put into use immediately after opening, with the next day marking the launch of the 2026 National Forklift Safety Day campaign. This year’s campaign focused on technician safety, supported by UKMHA workplace injury data showing that UK forklift suppliers lost more than 1,000 working days every year between 2019 and 2025 as a result of workplace injuries.
David Goss, Technical Director of UKMHA, said: “Our data from 2019 to 2025 shows that UK forklift suppliers lost more than 1,000 working days every year as a result of workplace injuries. What’s particularly striking is that nearly 30% of those incidents occurred when people were not working directly on the equipment, demonstrating that safety risks extend well beyond forklift operation itself.”
The association’s 2026 focus on forklift technician safety has already highlighted customer-site risk, manual handling, slips, trips, site induction, and safe working areas. The Kibworth headquarters gives UKMHA a permanent base from which to expand that safety and training work.
Material handling is becoming more technically demanding as electric trucks, lithium-ion batteries, telematics, automated interfaces, charging infrastructure, and data-led maintenance models change equipment fleets. Technicians, trainers, supervisors, and fleet managers need practical learning environments that reflect those changes.
Paul Dancer, Head of Learning and Development at UKMHA, said: “We believe that learning and skills development are just as critical to the future of the sector as the equipment itself. The opening of our new facility gives us the capability to deliver high-quality training in an environment specifically designed to support professional development.”
The Open Day also included a demonstration of the new CFTS app by Matthew Kennedy, Technical Manager at CFTS. The app has been developed to support Thorough Examination engineers and businesses managing inspection records, site information, and operational oversight.
The Kibworth headquarters gives UKMHA a stronger platform for skills, safety, technical standards, market intelligence, and member collaboration at a point when warehouse and industrial operations are asking more from material handling equipment and the people who support it.
