Centra Forklifts traces its roots back to 1935, when the Lees Brothers company was first established. Lees Industrial Ltd began manufacturing forklifts in 1965, making it one of New Zealand’s oldest forklift businesses and ultimately the last company to produce forklifts in New Zealand before production ceased in 1987.
The expertise built up over those manufacturing years didn’t disappear when production stopped. It lives on in Centra’s team, in inherited technical knowledge, and in a genuine understanding of how this industry has evolved.
Centra began its long association with the Mitsubishi brand in the late 1970s, initially importing engines, drive axles, and transmissions for use in the Lees range, then moving to fully manufactured Mitsubishi forklifts from 1980 onwards. In 2011, Centra celebrated 30 years of that partnership. Since then, the evolution of forklift technology has continued at pace.
Here’s an updated look at the changes our team has witnessed across the decades and where things are heading next.
Today, Centra operates six branches across New Zealand including Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Tauranga, and an Auckland Ports operation, supported by a network of authorised dealers in Dunedin, Gisborne, Invercargill, Lower Hutt, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, and Whangarei. That nationwide reach means the expertise described in this article is available wherever you are in the country.
Mast Design and Visibility: From Obstructed Views to Panoramic Sightlines
In the early days, operators had to lean out the side of the forklift just to see around the mast. The hydraulic lift centre cylinder extended to the very top, blocking forward visibility, and chains ran the full height of the mast in plain sight. Hoses for side shifts and attachments were mounted externally on the mast using take-up reels, functional but bulky.
Over time, every element of the mast was rethought:
- Lift cylinders were repositioned behind the mast channels, opening up the operator’s sightline.
- Chains were concealed, and hoses were internally reeved so they no longer obstruct the view.
- Mast channels evolved from a stepped arrangement (offset by 10mm per channel) to a fully nested design where all three front faces are in line, reducing the “lost load centre” by 20mm and improving stability.
- Mast rollers were reduced in diameter, further shrinking the lost load centre and tightening up handling.
- Carriage finger bars were slimmed down from wide, vision-blocking bars to narrower profiles.
- Hydraulic cushioning was introduced to eliminate the sharp steel-on-steel crash that used to accompany mast lowering, improving operator comfort and reducing product damage.
The result is a machine that gives the operator a genuinely panoramic view through the mast, something that would have seemed remarkable to anyone who ran forklifts in the 1980s.
Steering and Manoeuvrability: Fewer Parts, Greater Agility
Early steer axles were complex assemblies involving drag links, tie rods, and quadrants. The wheels turned just 308 degrees from lock to lock, adequate but limiting in tight spaces.
Modern axles use a single steering cylinder with direct linkages to each wheel. The lock-to-lock angle has increased to 336 degrees. That’s a meaningful gain in manoeuvrability, especially in the narrower aisles that today’s warehouses demand. The reduction in parts also means fewer wear points and lower maintenance costs over the life of the machine.
Operator Comfort and Ergonomics: From an Afterthought to a Priority
Early Japanese forklifts came with a basic seat, essentially a squab with a fold-down back sized for lighter operators. The step into the cab was a tiny foot hole, too small for a standard NZ safety boot. Comfort and ergonomics simply weren’t a design priority in the way they are today.
The transformation has been significant:
Seats now include full suspension adjustable to the operator’s weight, adjustable back angle and lumbar support, retractable seat belts, hip restraints, adjustable seat height, and a seat safety switch that disables hydraulic functions until the operator is properly seated.
Steps and cab access have been redesigned with large, low entry steps and angled or rounded engine covers that make getting in and out far easier and safer.
Foot room between the pedals has been increased to accommodate the larger safety boots that are standard on NZ worksites.
Fingertip hydraulic controls, first introduced by Mitsubishi in 1992, were initially met with scepticism from the industry. Early adopters quickly became converts, and today fingertip controls are standard on most larger forklifts, a clear ergonomic win for operators doing long shifts.
These aren’t just comfort improvements. Operator fatigue is a genuine safety risk, and a well-designed cab reduces it significantly.
Tyres: From Rough and Chunky to Cushioned and Durable
Early puncture-proof tyres were made with rag fibre chopped into the rubber compound. They chunked badly on gutters or steel debris, offered no cushioning, and gave a punishing ride on uneven surfaces.
Today’s solid (puncture-proof) tyres come in a variety of tread patterns designed for specific applications, indoor smooth floors, outdoor rough surfaces, or mixed environments. Built-in cushioning is now standard, meaningfully improving ride quality and reducing wear-related failure. Keeping tyres in good condition is one of the things covered under Centra’s forklift servicing and parts programme.
Power and Fuel: From Single-Fuel Systems to Modern Electrics
Through the 1980s and early 1990s, most forklifts ran on LPG or petrol but not both. A dual-fuel system wasn’t practically achievable because carburettor-based engines didn’t transition smoothly between fuel types.
Fuel injection changed that. Modern LPG/petrol forklifts can switch cleanly between fuels, improving flexibility for operators who need to work in environments with varying fuel availability.
But the bigger shift in recent years has been electric. Battery technology has improved dramatically, and modern lithium-ion powered forklifts offer longer run times, faster charging (including opportunity charging during breaks), and lower total operating costs than their lead-acid predecessors. For indoor operations in particular, electric forklifts are increasingly the default choice, eliminating exhaust emissions and reducing noise.
Diagnostics and Telematics: The Digital Revolution
When onboard computers first appeared in forklifts, the industry was wary. People worried about reliability in wet environments, about the cost of adding complexity, and about what would happen when things went wrong.
Those concerns have long since been overtaken by the benefits. Modern diagnostic systems allow technicians to identify faults quickly and accurately, reducing time spent guessing and lowering repair costs. What used to require an experienced technician’s intuition can now often be read from a screen. Centra’s Preventative Maintenance Programme (CPMP) takes advantage of exactly this kind of diagnostic capability to keep fleets running reliably.
More recently, telematics has taken this further. Fleet management platforms can now track individual machine usage in real time, including hours, impacts, operator ID, location, and service intervals. For businesses running multiple forklifts across a site or multiple sites, this data is genuinely useful: it enables proactive maintenance scheduling, accountability for impacts and incidents, and better fleet utilisation decisions.
What It Means for Your Fleet
Decades of development have produced forklifts that are safer, more comfortable, more efficient, and more connected than anything available when the Lees Brothers were first building machines in New Zealand. The gap between an early model and a current one is enormous, and the improvements are continuing.
If you’re running older equipment, the case for upgrading is strong: not just for the efficiency and comfort gains, but because modern machines are significantly safer and easier to maintain.
If you’re building or expanding a fleet, the current range of options from electric counterbalance forklifts to narrow-aisle reach trucks and beyond is the best it has ever been. And if you need short-term capacity or want to try a model before committing, forklift hire and rental is a practical option worth considering.
Centra’s team has lived through all of these changes, and that experience informs how we advise our customers. For a deeper look at how modern fleet thinking has evolved, our expert guide to forklift hire is a useful read. And if you’d like to talk through what the right equipment looks like for your operation, get in touch with the team and we’ll be happy to help.
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