For over 40 years, Reid Stockfeeds has helped livestock producers across Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales deliver strong nutritional outcomes for their animals. Behind that commitment is a business built on trusted performance, operational reliability, and partnerships that keep feed moving every day.
With five sites, including a major manufacturing plant in Trafalgar and a high-output bagging facility in Cobden, the company’s daily operations rely heavily on its forklifts to keep product moving.
With each site presenting different operational challenges - gravel roads to high pallet volumes - finding the right mix of equipment was essential. To support that need, Reid Stockfeeds transitioned to a long-term rental agreement with Linde Material Handling, opting for a customised fleet of six forklifts - three Linde H25 hydrostatic IC units and three Baoli KBE25 electric forklifts.
A reliable fit, tailored to site conditions
Jason Shelley, Transport Manager at Reid Stockfeeds, was in charge of finding a new long-term solution after previously relying on another provider.
“Our forklifts are critical to running our mills. If one goes down, the whole site feels it,” says Jason. “So we needed equipment that was reliable - and a partner who could respond quickly when we need servicing.”
While the team initially hoped to go fully electric, site surveys conducted by Linde Account Manager Mia Whiteoak guided them toward a blended fleet.
“Mia came out to site and really looked at what we needed,” Jason adds. “That was a big factor. It gave us confidence we were making the right call. Some of our sites, like Cobden for example, are fully concreted and better suited for electric forklifts,” explains Jason.
For the team’s outdoor operations, which includes an instance where the forklift has to cross the road, the Linde H25 Series 1220 hydrostatic trucks deliver the performance and comfort the team needs.
Keeping up with demand in comfort
Reid Stockfeeds runs two shifts daily across most sites, and across all their locations, their forklifts are in near-constant use to keep up with operational demand.
“In Cobden, we’re producing bagged feed that’s stacked onto pallets, so we’re moving hundreds of pallets every day,” Jason explains. “Add in the daily deliveries of mineral additives like salt and sugar, and you’ve got constant forklift movement.”
“Our guys are moving bags and bulk pallets all day,” Jason says. “That’s why comfort, reliability, and easy handling were non-negotiables.
“We had a different supplier’s units before, but the drivers were getting jolted around on rough ground - some even ended up with bruises. When we tested the Linde hydrostatic unit, the difference in comfort was huge,” Jason recalls.
Cleaner and greener with Baoli’s Electric Forklifts
Inside Reid Stockfeeds’ production facilities, sustainability and air quality are just as important as productivity. That’s why the business now runs Baoli electric units inside their warehouses and production areas.
“We’ve used gas forklifts in our warehouses before, and having fumes indoors wasn’t ideal,” says Jason. “Now with the electric Baoli units, it’s cleaner, greener, and we’re not paying for gas anymore.”
The electric forklifts deliver zero emissions, quieter operation, and tighter turning circles, making them ideal for working around pallet racking, particularly in Cobden.
“No fumes, lower running costs, and it’s better for the environment,” Jason adds. “As long as we put them on charge overnight, we can get a full day’s usage out of the machines.”
FleetFOCUS for safety and visibility
Reid Stockfeeds’ forklifts are fitted with Linde FleetFOCUS, a fleet management system offering digital pre-start checklists, electronic tag-outs, impact monitoring, and driver-specific logins.
“For us, it’s about safety and compliance,” Jason says. “Pre-start checks, individual operator logins, impact monitoring - from a safety perspective it’s a real benefit to the company as it all adds up to a safer worksite.”
The system also provides greater confidence when it comes to accountability and incident tracking - particularly valuable in high-traffic sites like Cobden.
Locking out unauthorised users, it ensures only licensed staff can operate the forklifts. “It gives us peace of mind,” he says. “As you can appreciate, having a forklift around with a key in it is a recipe for disaster. You don’t want an unlicensed person jumping on and using it. With FleetFOCUS, only authorised operators can use the equipment, which provides that additional reassurance.”
Reid Stockfeeds also opted for the Linde BlueSpot warning lights to help protect pedestrians in shared zones. And all of their units are also fitted with fork positioners to suit the varying pallet sizes used across the business, including everything from narrow pallets to bulk bags.
“Our operators like that they don’t have to manually adjust the tynes. They now have the ability to do that while sitting on the machines, which saves them a lot of time,” Jason adds.
Responsive support, reliable service
Like many regional businesses, access to reliable servicing was a key consideration.
“Whenever we’ve needed support, Mia and the service team have been responsive,” Jason says. “We’re in country Victoria, so we understand delays happen - but with Linde, we usually have someone onsite within a day or two. That wasn’t the case with our previous provider - it could take days, sometimes weeks.”
“It was important for Reid Stockfeeds to know they had a contact on hand for service who could get out to site as soon as possible if something went wrong,” Mia says. “They wanted someone at their fingertips for maintenance and support, and that’s why they went with Linde. We offer 24/7, 365-day support nationwide - whether our customer are based in metropolitan or regional areas.”
A partner that understands your ground game
For Jason, the long-term rental model with Linde just made sense: a fixed monthly cost, bundled servicing, and the ability to test equipment before committing.
Would he recommend Linde to other businesses?
“Absolutely. The equipment’s reliable, our operators are happy, and we know we’ve got support when we need it. That’s what matters.”