Contact Attachments innovation and UK forklift attachment manufacturing heritage

In 1974, two engineers working out of a rented unit in Rochester, Kent, designed and built the UK’s first range of mechanical forklift attachments. It would have been easy for that single achievement to become the whole story, but instead, it became the starting point for over 50 years of continuous engineering development.

1 The Moment That Started It All

Contact Attachments began life as Contact Poweriser Ltd, founded by John Cufley and Robert Taylor. The early business took on whatever fabrication work came its way and quickly branched into automatic palletising and dispensing systems — work that won contracts with major names including Cadbury’s, Tate & Lyle and Tayto Crisps.

Alongside this, the team began building one-off forklift attachments for local businesses. That side project grew into something much bigger — the UK’s first complete range of mechanical forklift attachments. By 1979, demand had outgrown the original site, and the company relocated to Newtown, Powys — still our base today.

Historic UK manufacturing workshop and early forklift attachment engineering

From early engineering beginnings to a dedicated focus on forklift attachment innovation.

2 Choosing to Specialise Was Innovation Too

Invention gets the headlines, but some of the most important decisions in our history weren’t about creating something new — they were about choosing where to focus.

By the late 1980s, our directors took the decision to streamline the business and concentrate solely on forklift and telehandler attachments, rather than continuing to diversify across palletising and dispensing equipment. That focus is what allowed decades of refinement, and it’s a reminder that innovation isn’t always about adding something — sometimes it’s about having the discipline to do one thing properly.

3 Staying Ahead Means Solving Today’s Problems

The attachment that made us the first in the UK market in the 1970s wouldn’t meet the standards operators rely on today. Legislation, certification and operating environments have all moved on — and we’ve had to move with them.

  • Compliance has evolved from informal good practice into formal UKCA/CE marking, Declarations of Conformity and LOLER Thorough Examination — all of which are now built into how every attachment is designed and supplied.
  • Sectors that barely existed as priorities in 1974 — ATEX hazardous environments, cold storage, food production and recycling — now drive a significant share of our bespoke design work.
  • Operators are asking for attachments that fit into wider systems — telematics, fleet management and load sensors — rather than standalone tools, and our design process has adapted accordingly.
Modern forklift attachment design and UK engineering development

Continuous innovation means designing attachments for today’s compliance, safety and performance requirements.

4 Fifty Years On, the Approach Hasn’t Changed

Being first matters far less than staying relevant. The same problem-solving approach that produced the UK’s first range of mechanical forklift attachments now shows up in the bespoke designs, on-site Thorough Examinations, attachment training and ATEX certification we provide today.

Invention earns you a place in the history books — but it’s continued innovation that keeps customers coming back five decades later.

If you’re reviewing your current attachments or have a handling challenge that off-the-shelf equipment can’t solve, our team can help.

Contact us on 01686 611200.