Modern materials handling top 20 lift truck suppliers

The materials handling division of Toyota added more than $630 million in revenues, comfortably passing the $8 billion mark after an 8.2% increase in revenues ($8.35 billion) and a 7.6% increase in units sold (239,000). The figures reflect the forklift business of Taiwanese manufacturer Tailift, which Toyota acquired in late 2014. In second place, KION added 6.5% for a total of $5.66 billion after introducing a new brand to North America in 2015 and acquiring Egemin Automation, a manufacturer of automatic guided vehicles. Its North American brands now include Linde, Still, Baoli and Egemin. No. 3 Jungheinrich‘s revenues were up more than 10% year over year in Euro, after a 13% increase in order intake and a 9% increase in produced units. In addition to launching a new horizontal orderpicker and narrow-aisle forklift, in October 2015 the company acquired Munichbased MIAS Group, a provider of automated warehouse solutions including stacker cranes and load handling equipment. The news accompanied the Jungheinrich board of management’s creation of a logistics systems mandate. According to a statement, the mandate will cover the entire logistics systems division, “a field of business in which the group will grow significantly and that is strongly driven by technology.” “Our performance in 2015 was very good,” says Hans- Georg Frey, chairman of the board of management of Jungheinrich AG. “This is evidenced by the double-digit growth rates posted by incoming orders, net sales, EBIT and EBT, the gains in market share in Europe and worldwide, and the important strategic projects.” Crown Equipment reported nearly 6% higher revenues for 2015 and reclaimed fourth place after three years at No. 5. At $2.64 billion, Crown surpassed Hyster-Yale by $62 million. In fifth place, Hyster-Yale‘s unit sales fell by less than a percent to 86,900, contributing to a 6.8% decline in reported revenues that the company attributed largely to the strength of the dollar in 2015 as compared to 2014. In addition, a statement explained that revenues in the Americas declined partly as a result of a shift in trucks sold from higher-priced Class 5 trucks to lower-priced Class 3 warehouse trucks. In early 2016, Hyster-Yale announced the acquisition of Penta Holding, the majority holder of Bolzoni S.p.A., a leading manufacturer of forklift attachments. Mitsubishi Nichiyu, which includes Cat Lift Trucks, retained sixth place after revenues decreased by $147 million, or 6.8%, to $2.01 billion. However, a statement from the company clarified that 2014 revenue included 15-month results for some overseas subsidiaries, whereas 2015 revenue reflects 12-month results according to the unified fiscal calendar starting April 1 and ending March 31. The company also reported a 4.4% increase in produced units for a total of 60,752 units in 2015. UniCarriers Americas again held the No. 7 spot after 6% growth to $1.6 billion in revenues. According to James J. Radous III, president of UniCarriers Americas, the past year included the addition of new factory stores, insourcing of equipment parts and a major systems upgrade. “We had a strong performance in 2015, even with the challenges that come with significant growth,” Radous says. “Vertical integration and new products will continue to be part of our high-growth strategies moving forward. While building physical and systematic infrastructure for continued growth, our success can be attributed to true reliability in both our products and our people.” No. 8 Anhui Forklift, makers of the Heli brand, shipped 74,392 units in 2015, a decrease of 10%, which contributed to a 19% fall in revenues to $907 million. In 2015 the company launched a second brand, CHL, which it says is intended mainly for the emerging market. After several years in seventh place and with revenues exceeding $1 billion, Komatsu slipped to 10th place last year. The company is now No. 9 as revenues fell a further 15% to $760 million. Hangcha, the Chinese manufacturer of the Hangcha and HC brands, dropped out of the Top 10, shedding three positions in the ranking after a 27% drop in revenues. This made way for Clark Material Handling to break into the Top 10 for the first time in the history of our list.

According to Modern Materials Handling Magazine, 2015 turned out to be a good year for lift truck sales. Study of the sales statistics and their comparison to 2014 figures show a growth in the sale of electric lift trucks and a decline in sales of internal combustion models. Electric lifts in the 1, 2 and 3 class combined grew by 8% over the previous year. Meanwhile, internal combustion lift truck sales in classes 4 and 5 declined globally by 10%. In fact, internationally, sales of electric lift trucks grew 55% and now make up 60% of global orders.

The Industrial Truck Association has identified seven classes of lift truck or forklift.

· Class 1 – Electric motor trucks with cushion or pneumatic tires. · Class 2 – Electric motor narrow aisle trucks with solid tires. · Class 3 – Electric hand trucks or hand/rider trucks with solid tires. · Class 4 – Internal Combustion engine sit down rider forklifts with cushion tires used for indoor applications on hard surfaces. · Class 5 – Internal combustion engine sit down rider forklifts with pneumatic tires for outdoor application on rough surfaces. · Class 6 – Electric or internal combustion engine powered rider units with towing ability rather than lift of at least 1,000 pounds. · Class 7- Diesel engine forklifts with pneumatic tires used on rough terrain in outdoor application.

Modern Materials Handling Magazine names Toyota top lift truck supplier. (Courtesy: Toyota Material Handling at flickr.com)

The Modern Materials Handling Magazine top 20 lift truck suppliers based on 2015 sales are:

1. Toyota 2. Kion 3. Jungheinrich 4. Crown Equipment 5. Hyster-Yale 6. Mitsubishi Nichivu 7. UniCarriers Americas 8. Anhui Forklift 9. Komatsu 10. Clark Material Handling 11. Doosan 12. Hangcha 13. Hyundai Heavy Industries 14. Combilift 15. Lonking 16. Hystu 17. Hubtex 18. LPG 19. Paletrans Equipment 20. Godrej & Boyce

For a supplier to be eligible for the top 20 list, a company must manufacture and sell lift trucks in at least one of the Industrial Truck Association’s seven truck classes. Rankings are based on worldwide revenue from powered industrial trucks during each company’s most recent fiscal year. Revenue figures submitted in foreign currency are calculated using the December 31, 1015 exchange rate.

Who is the biggest manufacturer of forklifts?

1. Toyota. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Toyota has been the leading forklift manufacturer for many years, and has produced over 700,000 forklifts for use world wide.

What is the most popular forklift type in the market today?

Counterbalance Forklift Counterbalance forklifts are the most popular model of forklift.

What industry uses forklifts most?

Forklifts are incredibly popular in the shipping industry, but they are also extensively used in warehouses and distribution centers. Warehouses and distribution facilities rely on forklifts to move materials efficiently and safely throughout the building.

What is the rank of Heli forklifts?

Heli Forklifts came in at 7th position in the “Top 20 Lift Truck Suppliers 2022” list released by Modern Materials Handling. In 2021, HELI sold 274,815 units worldwide.