Hyster Forklift

Hyster is a global brand that builds in excess of 300 different versions of forklifts. However, it started as a manufacturer of lifting equipment as well as winches. Most of its production was concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and dealt mostly with the wood and logging industry. A couple years after the 1st forklift trucks were invented Hyster became synonymous with quality manufacturing. Over the last eighty years Hyster has continued to get bigger and increase its product line. The growth of its products coupled with its desire to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to develop into the intercontinental player it is nowadays.

Hyster experienced major innovations through the 1940's and 1960's. In 1946, Hyster opened a plant in Danville, Illinois that was completely dedicated to bulk manufacturing trucks. This allowed Hyster to force its expenses down and, simultaneously, offer a better quality product at industry aggressive prices. In 1952, Hyster began its first foray in to the international production market through opening its first plant in the Netherlands. The Netherlands plant was originally designed to produce two products: Hyster 40" and the Karry Kranes.

Between the late fifties through the 1960's, Hyster continued to expand into new markets. They began building container handlers in the United states in 1959 to meet with the ever growing demand for transportation goods. In 1966, Hyster developed a means for enabling a lift truck to go both ahead and backwards using the same pedal. This pedal was called the Monotrol pedal, which revolutionized the industry. Later in the decade Hyster opened a R&D centre in Oregon that was concentrated on enhancing the design and performance of lift trucks. The centre is still one of the world's top testing facilities in the materials handling industry.

The 60's was characterized by rapid growth right through the whole materials handling industry. Due to this, Hyster needed to refocus its approach towards these growing mass markets. Hence, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to provide superior quality at a more inexpensive cost. A further expansion in production capabilities was necessitated by the demand in Europe for Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles. To fill this gap, a plant in Craigavon, Ireland was opened in 1980. Through the 80's Hyster continued to focus on developing industry leading forklifts. The Hyster company name was known throughout the globe for its dedication towards excellence. This attention to quality produced several suitors for the company. In 1989, a large international corporation based in Ohio called NACCO Industries purchased Hyster and started an aggressive expansion strategy. NACCO swiftly changed the XL philosophy with a more driver oriented truck that focused on operator comfort, which is identified as the XM generation of lift trucks.

With the global shift towards just-in-time management procedures, Hyster has been required to keep up with the trends through investment in new and diverse technologies. Acquisitions and investments were made in the US, Italy, Netherlands, and a lot of other places all over the globe. All of these investments have made Hyster a world leader in the lift truck market. Recently, Hyster celebrated its eightieth anniversary as an industry leader of materials handling equipment, which consists of more than 300 various versions of forklift trucks.

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