Combilift and Author Join Forces on New Kids’ Book

Combilift launched a new children’s book on November 24 just in time for Christmas!

At first glance, the pairing of a children’s book and one of the largest indigenous companies in Ireland may not seem a likely combination. But, says author Emer Conlon, “I approached Combilift just over a year ago, with a view to proposing a novel, unique way to communicate with existing and potential customers, as well as being involved in the education of the next generation. The idea was to write a children’s book which ‘cartoon-izes’ the main Combilift products and transforms them into characters that children will love.”

“I wanted to also use it as a marketing tool for the adults, and so I used the USPs [unique selling points/propositions] of the actual forklifts and turned them into the superpowers of the characters! That way both adults and children would get something from the book, she added.”

Combilift CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar liked the idea – especially the educational aspect for children – and so “The Forklift Trucks and Their Secret Superpowers” was created.

The CombiKids book highlights overcoming difficulties, the importance of friendship and that bullying is unacceptable – the hero is always a Combilift truck who “saves the day.” Also, as the forklift trucks are all different shapes and sizes, the book contains an element of, no matter what someone looks like or what shape or size they are, it is important to be accepting of others and of differences.

“It was important to achieve a balance between Combilift branding and creating a story featuring endearing characters that children would fall in love with,” said Conlon. “The Combilift adventure is a real page turner, filled with drama and excitement. The book also has a couple of ‘baddies’ – these are not Combilift trucks I may add! It is a wonderfully appealing story for children. For further enjoyment, there is a three-page Activity Section at the back of the book which includes something for all age groups.”

McVicar said, “We believe it was very important to be involved with the education of the next generation and to that end, we already have a number of programs including, apprenticeships, tours, etc. However, our new CombiKids initiative will involve even younger children with Combilift. The idea is that little ones would “buy-into” the Combilift brand when they are young by creating an association with it, thus encouraging future engineers and lots of other budding talent, as well as motivating children to read.”

With Combilift’s unique portfolio of forklifts, the company is revolutionizing the way businesses handle and store materials, especially long and awkward loads, or when space is limited. Employing more than 600 people in their headquarters in Monaghan and with customers in more than 85 countries, Combilift is a formidable force in the material handling industry. Innovation permeates throughout the company and this has now been extended to capture children’s imaginations at grassroots level.

Mindful that charities have suffered during the pandemic, Combilift is donating all proceeds from book sales to the Make a Wish charity. For more information or to purchase the book, visit www.Combi-Kids.com