Hyster Forklift

As a global leader in forklift trucks, Hyster continuously strives for excellence in product quality and safety. However, it started as a producer of lifting machinery and winches. Most of its production was concentrated in the northwest United States and dealt primarily with the wood and logging industry. A couple years after the 1st forklift trucks were invented Hyster became synonymous with quality production. Over the preceding 80 years Hyster has continued to get bigger and grow its product line. The expansion of its products coupled with its wish to stay service oriented has allowed Hyster to develop into the international player it is today.

Some of the most important 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 producing trucks. This allowed Hyster to force its costs down and, simultaneously, 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 all the way through the fifties and 60's. They began constructing container handlers in the US in 1959 to satisfy the ever expanding demand for transportation goods. In 1966, Hyster developed a system for allowing a lift truck to go both forward and backwards using the same pedal. This pedal was termed the Monotrol pedal, which revolutionized the industry. Later on in the decade Hyster opened a R and D centre in Oregon that was focused 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.

In the 1960's Hyster experienced rapid growth. Much of the business was shifting in the direction of bulk production. To keep up with the times Hyster was inclined to concentrate on the evolution of these mass markets. Consequently, in 1970, the XL design philosophy was born. The XL design philosophy allowed Hyster to provide greater quality at a more reasonable price. A further expansion in production capabilities was necessitated by the need in Europe for Internal Combustion Engine Trucks. To fill this hole, a plant in Craigavon, Ireland was opened in 1980. Through the 1980's Hyster continued to focus on developing industry leading forklifts. The Hyster company name was recognized throughout the world for its dedication towards quality. This attention to excellence brought many suitors for the company. In 1989, a large multinational corporation based in Ohio called NACCO Industries bought 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 known as the XM generation of lift trucks.

The shift in supply change management to a much more just-in-time focused approach has meant that Hyster has had to constantly invest in new-found technology. Acquisitions and investments were made in the US, Italy, Netherlands, and numerous other places all over the world. 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 consists of more than 300 various styles of forklift trucks.

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