The North American forklift market contracted in 2019 after several consecutive record years. With a 6.8% decline in sales of 242398 trucks in North America, 2019 remains the third most productive year of the part of the century since the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) began keeping records. Combined revenue in the Top 20 increased to 2.9% after years of double-digit growth.
“As we approached 2020, we were cautiously optimistic,” says Jay Gusler, current PRESIDENT of ITA and Executive Vice President of Operations at Mitsubishi Logisnext America (formerly Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA). Another year like 2019 would have been for our industry. “
The market dropped even before mid-March, but Gusler says the first part of 2020 has only a 10% discount on it was in 2019.
The pandemic hasn’t been so bad for the commercial truck market. The electric forklift segment has experienced a boom in demand, driven by major online stores that buy more Class 2 and 3 equipment, according to Gusler. The same is true for corporations that are expected to close and are struggling to expand their operations to maintain speed with business.
Since the beginning of the year, the relationship between electrical and internal combustion equipment has been sold 73:27, compared to 66:34 in 2019 and 64:36 in 2018. “In periods of economic recession, we would see a decline in IQ activity rather than electricity.” Gusler says. “IC is not unusual in both structure and rental activities, part of which is intended for events. In April the faucet was closed for this type of rental application.”
Gusler says ITA has worked to ensure that the forklift industry, from brands to distributors and portion distributors, is on the lists of key corporations at the federal and state levels.
“As the essential business lists evolved, ITA worked hard to make sure the materials handling industry was included,” he says. “Everyone was thinking about the grocery, healthcare and medical supplies the country needed. Materials handling products are what moves all of those essential products around the country.”
Lift truck classes include:
Since categories one to five are mainly used in the handling of programs within the 4 walls, Modern has specified only those of our supplier table.
Other trends are very similar to last year,” Gusler says. More and more consumers are wanting a telematics solution connected to a fleet control system. “The valuable visit of a giant visitor has become the norm for a telematics system, while in the afterlife this trend has only just begun to emerge,” Gusler says. “As generation becomes more standardized and affordable, it will reach medium-sized consumers.”
The integration of the Warehouse Management System (WMS) is progressing as more and more users load forklift-mounted displays connected to the WMS. The characteristics of alternative fuels, such as fuel and lithium-ion cells, seem to multiply, Gusler stresses. Lithium will continue to be cheaper, he says, and will be used more and more every year. Automation is also an emerging segment of the market, as more and more forklift brands are automating existing models or merging with automation corporations for stand-alone or semi-autonomous functions.
Safety remains a priority. Gusler highlights the good luck of itA’s National Forklift Safety Day, which aims to reinforce the message of protection and education for operators throughout the year. This year’s occasion was held online, allowing for greater participation than the same old ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The ITA’s annual assembly in September will also be virtual.
Toyota took first place. While the company sold 282,000 games in 2019, a 7% increase over 2018, revenue remained solid after peaking 16% in 2018.Last year also marked the integration of Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) and Toyota Material Handling USA (TMHU) into Toyota Handling Material (TMH).
In early 2019, Toyota acquired Hoist Liftruck (renamed Hoist Material Handling). Headquartered in East Chicago, Indiana, with a 550,000-square-foot plant, Hoist has nearly 25 years of delight in production tire forklifts and pneumatic forklifts, success in stackers, container carts and more, with a lifting capacity ranging from 7 to 57 tons. .
In 2019, the company introduced Toyota Industrial Energy Solutions, a package that includes on-site advice, environmental assistance, batteries and power sources, chargers and accessories, and repairs. This follows the launch of a new diversity of lithium-ion battery features and a 24/7 online serving shop.
At number 2, KION reported an 8.2% increase in global commercial truck sales, with $7.173 billion in its annual report, but a 2.1% decrease in games sold worldwide. The North American market has been hit hard, with a 7.6% drop to 266,800 games sold. That’s less than 288,800 in 2018. By contrast, KION’s Asia-Pacific business grew 3.9% in 2019.
Third, Jungheinrich recorded a 7% increase in profits despite a similar decrease in incoming orders and games sold, from 121,000 games in 2018 to 112900 in 2019.
Europe accounted for 87% of sales, driven by increases in Germany, Austria, Italy and the UK, despite the uncertainties surrounding Brexit. New truck activity increased by 6% and short-term rental activity and used appliances remained unchanged. After-sales income rose to 8% and monetary activity was 20% higher than last year.
The company has introduced several new products in 2019, adding a new generation of mid/high level EKS order preparers with a sampling height of 46 feet and a 1.6-foot lifting rate consistent with the second. It has also launched a cloud-based fleet control solution and a redesigned modular Internet tool.
Jungheinrich also acquired ISI Automation, a specialist in turnkey automation solutions. The company’s products will expand Jungheinrich’s digitization portfolio in the domain between the company’s resource creation plans and the workshop.
Jungheinrich and Triathlon have introduced a joint lithium-ion generation joint venture to shape JT Energy Systems. A momentary joint venture with Fricke Group will be the sale of spare parts abroad, where any of the corporations sees a forward-looking expansion in the momentary independent market and the e-commerce channel.
Mitsubishi Logisnext held fourth place after a slight drop in revenue, attributed through a spokesman at an unfavourable exchange rate. The company sold 103,000 games in 2019, up from 116,000 last year.
Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Inc. (MLA), the corporate holding company of Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), has acquired Pon Material Handling NA, a U.S. handling equipment dealer. Operating under the name Equipment Depot. The acquisition adds full-service management operations in nine states. MCFA now has 110 legal distributors covering more than 730 sites in North, Central and South America.
Mitsubishi Logisnext represents Jungheinrich in North America, a market that now has access to several new and past European models.
The company released a new Mitsubishi 4,500- to 6,500-pound capacity electric cushion tire forklift series, and both Cat and Mitsubishi 3,000- to 4,000-pound capacity electric cushion tire lift trucks. It expanded its full range of forklifts to include a new generation of automation capabilities, including two AGV solutions: an automatic guided electric tow tractor and an automatic guided medium-to-high-level stacker.
Crown Equipment remains in fifth place after reporting a 7% revenue increase to $3.72 billion.
Hyster Yale rose by nearly 4% to rank sixth with $3.29 billion in revenue. The company sold 100,300 games in 2019, up from 101,900 games in 2018.
Hyster-Yale’s new product systems include products covering internal combustion engines and electric trucks. This year, it brought a new diversity of counterweight trucks. A line of trucks manufactured through Hyster-Yale Maximal in China has also been announced, which are internationally announced under the Hyster UT and Yale UX brands to serve low-intensity visitor applications. In 2019, a new finishing driving force and a new automated retractable mast trolley were announced in the North American market, and in some markets a variety of new lower-cost Class 3 forklifts were sold, adding global walkie and geror products.
In early 2020, Hyster-Yale introduced a new built-in 3 to 5-ton lithium-ion forklift for the markets in the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and plans to launch a 7-9 ton edition later in 2020. The company plans to launch a new style of retractable mast tank for the Americas market by 2020.
The Worldwide Industrial Truck Statistics (WITS) organization tracks quarterly and monthly statistics on lift truck sales and its report is compiled by six trade groups based in North America, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Europe and China.
According to WITS 2019 figures, orders fell by 2% and shipments were up 0.3%.
Seventh, Anhui’s revenues increase after a jump of more than 14% in unit sales to 152,380 units.
Eighth-place Hangcha grew revenues by 4.9% in local currency, which equates to a 3.2% increase in dollars to $1.27 billion. The company sold 139,436 units in 2019. In 2019, the company introduced nearly 200 models of more than 40 product series to new markets.
In 2019, Hangcha invested $150 million in asset acquisition and capital, adding an increase in capital investments in Pengcheng New Energy to increase the capacity of lithium batteries and the acquisition of all French shares of Hangzhou Mani Machinerytou Equipment Co. The ninth on our list is Doosan, which increased its revenue by 4% in 2019.
Rounding out the Top 10, Clark Material Handling reported virtually unchanged revenues to finish 2019 with $783 million.
Hyundai’s No. 12 sold 16515 games in 2019, less than in 2018, but Hyundai Construction Equipment (HCE) has also become the first Korean company to expand autonomous driverless forklifts. According to the company, the autonomous forklift can determine the optimal directions and be guided remotely using an expanded steering formula. It also has a formula for vehicles with 2D laser protection scanners that can understand the vehicle environment, trip over obstacles and avoid collisions.
Combilift climbed one spot to 14 after selling 6,400 units, a 13% increase from 2018, and earning $335 million in revenue. Combilift continues its policy of investing 7% of turnover back into R&D and innovation, according to a Combilift spokesperson, who says the company’s range of products has seen a significant increase in sales, particularly in the North American market where the warehousing sector has shown interest in Combilift’s Aisle-Master and high-capacity Powered Pallet Trucks (PPT). In 2019, it introduced the new Combi-CBE model, a compact, electric 8,000-pound capacity multi-directional forklift truck.
Newcomer LiuGong debuts on our list at number 18 with $9 four million in revenue. The company sold 1093 and five commercial cars internationally in 2018, an increase of 18.1% over 2017, and then sold 12262 commercial cars in 2019, an increase of 12%. The company has brought a new generation of Class five pneumatic forklifts, as well as Class 1 and four next generation pneumatic forklifts designed for the U.S. market.
The Indian company Godrej-Boyce, No. 19, sold 3668 commercial motorized trucks in 2019 and targeted the market for three-wheel electric forklifts with the launch of its Bravo range, which the company says can help capture 20% of the Indian industry. place of the electric forklift market before the end of the next fiscal year. The product designed and manufactured in India after 24 months of study and development.
To be eligible for Modern’s annual Top 20 lift truck suppliers ranking, companies must manufacture and sell lift trucks in at least one of the Industrial Truck Association’s seven truck classes: electric motor rider; electric motor hand trucks; internal combustion engine; pneumatic tire; electric and internal combustion engine tow tractors; and rough terrain lift trucks.
Ratings are based on the overall revenue of motorized commercial trucks in each company’s recent maximum fiscal year. Income presented in foreign currency is calculated at the exchange rate of December 31, 2019.
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Thu, August 13, 2020 – 2:00 pm EDT