Hyster Forklift

Hyster is an industry leader in the materials handling industry that has been in business for over eighty years. 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 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 expansion of its products coupled with its want to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to grow into the global participant it is at present.

Through the three decades between the 1940's and 1960's, Hyster made considerable strides on its path to becoming the international leader in the forklift industry it is today. In 1946, Hyster opened a plant in Danville, Illinois that was entirely dedicated to mass manufacturing trucks. This allowed Hyster to drive its expenses down and, simultaneously, 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.

The constantly changing needs of Hyster consumers and Hyster's skill to continue to innovate led to rapid development throughout the fifties and 60's. They began constructing container handlers in the US in 1959 to meet with the ever expanding demand for transportation goods. In 1966, Hyster developed a method for enabling a lift truck to go both forward and backwards using the same pedal. This pedal was labeled the Monotrol pedal, which revolutionized the industry. Later on in the decade Hyster opened a research and development centre in Oregon that was concentrated on enhancing the design and functionality 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 entire materials handling industry. Due to this, Hyster considered it necessary to refocus its approach towards these developing mass markets. Hence, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to supply better quality at a more affordable cost. A further expansion in manufacturing 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 1980's Hyster continued to concentrate on developing industry leading lift trucks. The Hyster brand name was known throughout the world for its dedication towards superiority. This attention to quality brought several suitors for the enterprise. In 1989, a large multinational business based in Ohio called NACCO Industries purchased Hyster and began an aggressive growth strategy. NACCO swiftly replaced the XL philosophy with a more driver oriented forklift that focused on operator comfort, which is known as the XM generation of forklifts.

The changing needs of Hyster's consumers, led by improvements in supply chain management, required Hyster to continuously innovate and invest in new production technology throughout the next few decades. Acquisitions and investments were made in the US, Italy, Netherlands, and numerous other places all over the globe. All of these investments have made Hyster a world 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 various models of forklift trucks.

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