Hyster Forklift

As a global leader in forklift trucks, Hyster always strives for superiority in product quality and safety. However, it started as a manufacturer of lifting machinery as well as winches. Most of its production was focused in the Pacific Northwest and dealt mostly with the lumber and logging industry. A couple years after the first forklift trucks were invented Hyster became synonymous with quality manufacturing. Over the last 80 years Hyster has continued to expand and grow its product line. The growth of its products coupled with its want to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to develop into the global participant it is at the moment.

In the period between 1940 and 1960, Hyster sustained its development throughout the western world. In 1946, Hyster opened a plant in Illinois that was exclusively dedicated to bulk manufacturing trucks. This allowed Hyster to drive its costs down and, at the same time, offer a better quality product at industry aggressive 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, along with the whole forklift industry, continued to spread out into different product lines throughout the 50's and 60's. They began constructing container handlers in the United states in 1959 to meet with the ever growing demand for transportation goods. In 1966, Hyster developed a system for enabling a lift truck to go both ahead and backwards using the same pedal. This pedal was labeled the Monotrol pedal, which revolutionized the industry. Later in the decade Hyster opened a R and D centre in Oregon that was concentrated on enhancing the design and performance of forklifts. The centre is still one of the world's best testing facilities in the materials handling industry.

As demand for materials handling equipment continued to expand rapidly during the 1960's, Hyster considered it necessary to reorient its focus towards these new mass markets. Accordingly, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to provide better quality at a more affordable price. A further expansion in production capabilities was necessitated by the need in Europe for Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles. To plug this hole, a plant in Craigavon, Ireland was opened in 1980. Through the 1980's Hyster continued to concentrate on developing industry leading forklifts. The Hyster brand name was recognized throughout the globe for its commitment towards superiority. This attention to excellence brought a lot of suitors for the enterprise. In 1989, a large international corporation based in Ohio called NACCO Industries bought Hyster and started an aggressive growth plan. NACCO rapidly changed the XL philosophy with a more driver oriented truck that focused on operator comfort, which is known as the XM generation of trucks.

With the overall change towards just-in-time management practices, 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 throughout the globe. All of these investments have made Hyster a global leader in the lift truck market. In 2009, Hyster celebrated its eightieth anniversary as an industry leader of materials handling equipment, which includes more than three hundred different versions of forklift trucks.

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