Hyster Forklift

As a international leader in forklift trucks, Hyster consistently strives for superiority in product quality and safety. However, it began as a producer of lifting equipment as well as winches. Most of its production was concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and dealt primarily with the timber and logging industry. A couple years after the 1st forklift trucks were invented Hyster became synonymous with quality production. Over the previous eighty years Hyster has continued to get bigger and grow its product line. The growth of its products coupled with its wish to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to develop into the global player it is today.

Hyster experienced major innovations through the 1940's and 1960's. In 1946, Hyster opened a plant in Danville, Illinois that was totally dedicated to mass producing trucks. This allowed Hyster to drive its costs down and, at the same time, offer a better quality product at industry competitive rates. 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.

Hyster continued to aggressively expand its production operations throughout the 1950's and 60's. They started building container handlers in the US in 1959 to meet with the ever expanding demand for transportation goods. In 1966, Hyster developed a means for allowing a lift truck to go both ahead and backwards using the same pedal. This pedal was known as 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 forklifts. The centre is still one of the world's top testing facilities in the materials handling industry.

The sixties was characterized by rapid growth right through the whole materials handling industry. Due to this, Hyster needed to refocus its strategy towards these developing mass markets. Hence, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to supply superior quality at a more reasonable cost. A further expansion in production capabilities was necessitated by the demand in Europe for Internal Combustion Engine Trucks. To plug this gap, a plant in Craigavon, Ireland was opened in 1980. Through the eighties Hyster continued to focus on developing industry leading forklifts. The Hyster company name was recognized throughout the globe for its dedication towards excellence. This attention to quality produced many suitors for the company. In 1989, a large international company based in Ohio called NACCO Industries purchased Hyster and started an aggressive expansion strategy. NACCO swiftly replaced the XL philosophy with a more driver oriented forklift that focused on operator comfort, which is well-known as the XM generation of trucks.

The shift in supply change management to a much more just-in-time focused structure has meant that Hyster has had to constantly make investments in brand new technology. Acquisitions and investments were made in the United States, Italy, Netherlands, and a lot of other places throughout the globe. All of these investments have made Hyster a global leader in the forklift market. In 2009, Hyster celebrated its 80th anniversary as an industry leader of materials handling equipment, which includes over three hundred different versions of forklift trucks.

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