Hyster Forklift

Hyster is well-known as a world leader in forklift trucks. However, it started as a producer of lifting machines and winches. Most of its production was focused in the Pacific Northwest and dealt mostly with the timber and logging industry. A couple years after the 1st forklift trucks were invented Hyster became synonymous with quality manufacturing. Over the previous 80 years Hyster has continued to expand and develop its product line. The expansion of its products coupled with its want to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to develop into the international player it is at the moment.

Some of the major inflection points in Hyster's past occurred between the 1940's and the 1960's. In 1946, Hyster opened a plant in Danville, Illinois that was exclusively devoted to mass manufacturing trucks. This allowed Hyster to drive its costs 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 50's through the sixties, Hyster continued to expand into new markets. 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 method 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 research and development centre in Oregon that was focused on improving the design and performance of forklifts. The centre is still one of the world's greatest testing facilities in the materials handling industry.

As demand for materials handling equipment continued to expand swiftly during the 60's, Hyster needed to reorient its concentration towards these new mass markets. As a result, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to afford greater 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 concentrate on developing industry leading forklifts. The Hyster brand name was known throughout the globe for its commitment towards quality. This attention to quality produced numerous suitors for the company. In 1989, a large multinational company based in Ohio called NACCO Industries bought Hyster and started an aggressive growth plan. NACCO rapidly replaced the XL philosophy with a more driver oriented lift truck that concentrated on operator comfort, which is recognized as the XM generation of forklifts.

The evolving needs of Hyster's clientele, led by changes in supply chain management, required Hyster to continuously innovate and invest in modern manufacturing technology throughout the next few decades. Acquisitions and investments were made in the United States, Italy, Netherlands, and numerous other places throughout the world. All of these investments have made Hyster a global leader in the lift truck market. In 2009, Hyster celebrated its 80th anniversary as an industry leader of materials handling equipment, which comprises over three hundred different types of forklift trucks.

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