Hyster Forklift

Hyster Forklift Training Ottawa - Hyster is known as a global leader in forklift trucks. However, it started as a producer of lifting machines and winches. Most of its production was concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and dealt primarily 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 expand and increase its product line. The growth of its products coupled with its wish to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to mature into the intercontinental player it is in the present day.

The thirty years between 1940's and the 1960's saw a huge evolution in the amount of products offered under the Hyster brand name. In 1946, Hyster opened a plant in Danville, Illinois that was exclusively committed to bulk producing trucks. This allowed Hyster to force its expenses 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, along with the entire forklift industry, continued to spread out into different product lines throughout the fifties and 60's. They started building container handlers in the US in 1959 to meet with the ever growing demand for transportation goods. In 1966, Hyster developed a process for allowing a lift truck to go both ahead and backwards using the same pedal. This pedal was referred to as the Monotrol pedal, which revolutionized the industry. Later on in the decade Hyster opened a research and development centre in Oregon that was focused on enhancing the design and functionality of lift trucks. The centre is still one of the world's greatest testing facilities in the materials handling industry.

In the 1960's Hyster experienced rapid expansion. Much of the industry was shifting in the direction of bulk manufacturing. To keep up with the times Hyster was inclined to focus on the evolution of these mass markets. Hence, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to supply better quality at a more inexpensive cost. A further expansion in production capabilities was necessitated by the need in Europe for Internal Combustion Engine Trucks. To plug this hole, 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 world 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 bought Hyster and began an aggressive growth plan. NACCO rapidly changed the XL philosophy with a more driver oriented forklift that focused on operator comfort, which is well-known as the XM generation of forklifts.

The evolving needs of Hyster's consumers, led by improvements in supply chain management, required Hyster to continuously innovate and invest in new manufacturing systems during the next few decades. 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 worldwide leader in the forklift market. In 2009, Hyster celebrated its 80th anniversary as an industry leader of materials handling equipment, which includes more than three hundred different styles of lift trucks.

Click to Download the pdf