A forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various companies, including Clark, which made transmissions, and Yale & Towne Manufacturing, which made hoists. Since World War II, the use and development of the forklift truck have greatly expanded worldwide. Forklifts have become an indispensable piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehousing. In 2013, the top 20 manufacturers worldwide posted sales of $30.4 billion, with 944,405 machines sold.
Eaton Corporation plc is an American-Irish multinational power management company with sales in 2022 of $20.75 billion, founded in the United States with global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and a secondary administrative center in Beachwood, Ohio. Eaton has more than 92,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.
Komatsu Ltd. or Komatsu (コマツ) is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures construction, mining, forestry and military equipment, as well as diesel engines and industrial equipment like press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The corporation was named after the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, where the company was founded in 1921. Worldwide, the Komatsu Group consists of Komatsu Ltd. and 258 other companies.
Toyota Industries Corporation is a Japanese machine maker. Originally, and still actively, a manufacturer of automatic looms, it is the company from which Toyota Motor Corporation developed. It is the world's largest manufacturer of forklift trucks measured by revenues.
Linde plc is a global multinational chemical company founded in Germany and, since 2018, domiciled in Ireland and headquartered in the United Kingdom. Linde is the world's largest industrial gas company by market share and revenue. It serves customers in the healthcare, petroleum refining, manufacturing, food, beverage carbonation, fiber-optics, steel making, aerospace, material handling equipment (MHE), chemicals, electronics and water treatment industries. The company's primary business is the manufacturing and distribution of atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases, and process gases, including carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, ammonia, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.
Hydrauliska Industri AB (HIAB) is a Swedish manufacturer of loader cranes, demountable container handlers, forestry cranes, truck-mounted forklifts and tail lifts. The company is owned by the Cargotec Corporation. HIAB has also become a generic name for any vehicle with a mounted crane, boom lift or loader crane, regardless of manufacturer.
Doosan Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. In 2009, the corporation was placed in the Fortune Global 500 index. It is the parent company of Bobcat and Škoda Power. Doosan Group is the oldest running company in South Korea and is ranked as one of the world's top 10 largest heavy equipment manufacturers in 2018.
NACCO Industries, Inc. is an American publicly traded holding company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Through a portfolio of mining and natural resources businesses, the company operates under three business segments: Coal Mining, North American Mining, and Minerals Management. The Coal Mining segment operates surface coal mines under long-term contracts with power generation companies and an activated carbon producer pursuant to a service-based business model. The North American Mining segment provides value-added contract mining and other services for producers of aggregates, lithium, and other minerals. The Minerals Management segment promotes the development of the Company’s oil, gas, and coal reserves, generating income primarily from royalty-based lease payments from third parties. In addition, the Company has a business providing stream and wetland mitigation solutions.
Kion Group AG is a German multinational manufacturer of materials handling equipment, with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. Its principal products are intralogistics, warehouse automation equipment, and industrial (forklift) trucks. KION Group was founded in 2006 by the demerger of Linde's materials handling equipment operations. It is the world's second-largest manufacturer of forklifts measured by revenues.
Dover Corporation is an American conglomerate manufacturer of industrial products. The Downers Grove, Illinois-based company was founded in 1955. As of 2021, Dover's business was divided into five segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy and Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Climate and Sustainability Technologies. Dover is a constituent of the S&P 500 index and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV". Dover was ranked 433rd in the 2022 Fortune 500. The company relocated its headquarters to Illinois from New York in mid-2010.
Hyster is an American manufacturing company specializing in forklifts and other materials-handling equipment. Hyster was founded in 1929 as the Willamette-Ersted Company in Portland, Oregon. The company was purchased in 1989 by NACCO Industries, Inc. and became a part of NACCO Materials Handling Group. NACCO spun off the materials handling business in 2012 as Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., which continues to market products under the Hyster brand name.
A straddle carrier or straddle truck is a freight-carrying vehicle that carries its load underneath by "straddling" it, rather than carrying it on top like a conventional truck. The advantage of the straddle carrier is its ability to load and unload without the assistance of cranes or forklifts. The lifting apparatus under the carrier is operated by the driver without any outside assistance and without leaving the driver's seat.
A privately held, family-owned U.S. company, Crown Equipment Corporation is the fifth largest manufacturer of powered industrial forklift trucks in the world, as Crown had $4.69 billion in worldwide sales revenue for fiscal year 2022. Crown has appeared at least ten times on Forbes’ list of the largest private companies in the United States. In 2022, the company ranked 136th on that list.
Yale is among the world's most venerable lock manufacturers and is a subsidiary of Assa Abloy, its parent company. With a rich history spanning decades, Yale has been granted patents for numerous innovative products, and the company has distributed its wares to over 120 countries, including Australia, Greece, India, Kuwait, and more. Yale is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklifts, Inc. is a group of multinational companies that were formed under a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Caterpillar Inc. in order to manufacture and market trucks. The group manufactures and distributes Cat Lift Trucks, Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks and Jungheinrich warehouse products to the material handling industry.
Sammons Enterprises, Inc. is a diverse holding company composed of financial services, industrial equipment, real estate investment, and infrastructure businesses operating in six countries. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas (US), Sammons was established by Charles Sammons in 1938.
Toyota Material Handling, Inc. (TMH), also referred to as Toyota Forklift, is an American manufacturer and distributor of forklifts and tow tractors that is based in Columbus, Indiana. TMHU also is the sole United States distributor for Aichi aerial work platforms, which include scissor lifts, crawler and wheeled boom lifts. TMHU is a subsidiary of Toyota Industries Corporation. Toyota has been the number one lift truck supplier in North America since 2002.
Atlet is a company that manufactures and markets indoor and outdoor trucks. The company also provides services related to trucks and material handling, such as logistics analysis, training and service. The head office, manufacturing and training premises are located in Mölnlycke, just outside Göteborg, Sweden.
Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is the brand name used for a range of materials handling products manufactured and distributed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and several of its Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklifts subsidiaries: MCFE Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Europe, MCFA Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, MLAP Mitsubishi Logisnext Asia Pacific, and MCFC Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift (Shanghai).
A fuel cell forklift is a fuel cell powered industrial forklift used to lift and transport materials.
