Largest Forklift

The KION Group is the largest manufacturer of industrial material handling trucks in Europe and the largest manufacturer of electric forklifts in the world. They product forklifts under their brands Linde, Baoli, STILL and Dematic. The Jungheinrich Group offers new, used and rental forklifts. This factor is expected to propel the global forklift market, which garnered $33,878.7 million revenue in 2019, to $42,519.4 million by 2030, at a 2.8% CAGR between 2020 and 2030. This is because.

1. Who Makes The Best Forklifts
2. Largest Forklift Ever Built
3. Largest Forklift Manufacturer In China
4. World's Largest Forklift Truck
5. Largest Forklift Manufacturer

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Forklifts are industrial vehicles that are powered by either electric batteries or combustion engines. They feature a power-operated forked platform that is attached to its front. The platform has the ability to be raised and lowered in order to attach to cargo in order to lift or move it to another location. Forklifts are typically operated by a person that is sitting and driving the machine. They are used throughout many various industries in order to transport materials and goods. This article will present information on the top suppliers of forklifts both globally and in the U.S. Additional information concerning forklifts will also be summarized.

At A Glance:

Key Components Of A Forklift

The key components of a forklift are as follows:

• Truck Frame - The most important part of the machine. It attaches to all of the other components of a forklift including its wheels, counterweights, and mast.
• Counterweight - A cast-iron weight attached to the rear part of a forklift. Its purpose is to counterbalance the load that is being lifted.
• Power Source - Consists of either an internal combustion engine that is fueled by LPG, CNG, diesel, or natural gas. Electric-powered forklifts may use fuel cells or lead-acid batteries.
• Carriage - The base of the forklift that is fixed onto the mast rails in order to move upwards or downwards.
• Mast - The vertical part of the machine that lifts up and pushes down the loads, also consists of interlocking rails that offer horizontal control.

Types of Forklifts

Forklift designs vary, depending on the intended application and the needed lift capacity. Some of the more common types of forklifts are as shown below:

• Warehouse Forklift: Used for lifting and moving materials over short distances, typically has a loading capacity of 1 to 5 tons.
• Side Loader: Used for lifting long and heavy items such as pipes and timber, features a side compartment that moves in the same direction as the materials being lifted.
• Counterbalance Forklift: Used in situations where maneuvering in a circle is needed, features a back-mounted counterweight in order to help balance loads.
• Telehandler: Used for lifting items off the ground and onto higher elevations, they have an extendable arm attachment and articulating boom.
• Industrial Forklift: Also known as large capacity forklifts, features both the functionalities of a warehouse forklift and a telehandler.
• Rough Terrain Forklift: Used for outdoor locations that may have uneven and rocky terrain, they feature oversized tires, a reinforced cage cab, as well as a sturdy design capable of absorbing shock and vibration.
• Pallet Jack: Used for moving pallets throughout tight spaces and over long distances, features a compact size and can either be manual or battery powered.
• Walkie Stacker: Similar to a pallet jack but is used for moving pallets to higher heights, they are designed for operators to maneuver the machine from behind.
• Order Picker: Used for piece-picking units typically in warehouse inventory applications, they feature an open operator window and pallet-less handling.
• Reach Fork Truck: Used for precise and quick pallet picking indoors, they have forward extending forks as well as stabilized legs.

Forklift Uses and Applications

Forklifts are critical for efficient material handling and have a variety of uses and applications, a few of which are shown below:

• Construction Sites: Transports and unloads heavy building materials throughout various locations.
• Warehouses: One of the most common locations in which forklifts are used. They load and unload trucks as well as transport materials from one location to another.
• Recycling Operations: Unloads recycling trucks or containers and transports items to various sorting bays.
• Dockyards: Transports heavy containers from trucks onto ships, also stacks and unloads material and cargo on and off ships.
• Snow Plows: With an attachment, a forklift becomes an efficient and effective machine to clean and shovel snow.

Top 4 U.S.-Based Forklift Manufacturers

Table 1 below presents the top 4 U.S.-based manufacturers of forklifts. The table shows the company name, location city, and state, the year that the company was founded, and the approximate annual sales volume in billions of U.S. dollars.

Table 1 - Top U.S.-Based Forklift Manufacturers

Company Summaries

1. Caterpillar offers a wide range of materials handling equipment, including ride-on pallet trucks, walkie trucks, order pickers and reach trucks. Their forklift trucks feature capacities from 2,500 to 100,000-plus pounds, and they are available in either electric, liquid propane, diesel or gasoline-powered type machinery.

2. Yale Materials Handling Corporation produces forklifts powered by either diesel, liquid propane, gasoline or electricity. The company is recognized for its customer service abilities as they also provide training, financing and maintenance services relevant to their forklift offerings.

3. Crown Equipment Corporation provides forklifts with different technological innovations. They offer new, used, reconditioned and rental forklifts. The company’s product offering focuses on pallet moving, order picking, and other specialized tasks.

4. Clark manufactures material handling equipment with lifting powers from 1,500 to 100,000-plus pound capacities. One of their main product offerings includes narrow-aisle trucks to be used in warehousing situations.

Top 7 Global Forklift Manufacturers

In Table 2 below, the top 7 global forklift manufacturers are shown, listed in descending order by approximate sales volume in billions of U.S. dollars. Also shown in the table is the city and country of the company's headquarters and the year in which the company was founded.

Table 2 - Top Global Forklift Manufacturers

Company Summaries

1. Toyota Industries Corporation produces forklifts under its Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, TIEM, product line. They have been recognized for making top-of-the-line forklifts for various industries. They manufacture internal combustion forklifts, electric forklifts, pallet jacks, reach trucks, order pickers and more.

2. The KION Group is the largest manufacturer of industrial material handling trucks in Europe and the largest manufacturer of electric forklifts in the world. They product forklifts under their brands Linde, Baoli, STILL and Dematic.

3. The Jungheinrich Group offers new, used and rental forklifts. They product electric, combustion or manual powered machinery, some of their forklift product line includes pallet trucks, order pickers and reach trucks.

4. Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd. manufactures a wide range of material handling equipment. Their product offerings include electric and engine-powered forklifts. These products are available under their brands of Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, UniCarriers, Nichiyu Electric Forklift, CAT Lift Trucks, TCM, and Rocla.

5. Anhui Heli Co., Ltd. is responsible for the HELI brand of forklifts. The company’s product line includes engine-powered forklifts, electric forklifts, forklift trucks, and battery-operated forklift machinery.

Who Makes The Best Forklifts

6. Komatsu manufactures heavy-duty machinery for the materials handling industry. Some of their forklift offerings include cushioned, pneumatic, electric riders and narrow aisle forklift equipment.

7. Hangcha Group offers a complete range of material handling equipment. Their product line includes forklift trucks, electric forklifts, side-loading forklifts, and explosion-proof forklift machines.

Forklift Classification Table

Table 3 below summarizes the different classes for forklifts, including machine type, fuel, and usage.

Table 3 - Forklift Classes, Fuels, and Uses

Summary

This article summarized the top manufacturers of forklifts both in the U.S. and globally, In addition, the article outlined some general knowledge about forklifts including the key components, types, usage, and classifications. For more information on North American based commercial and industrial suppliers, visit the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform, where you will find over 500,000 commercial and industrial suppliers, including more than 1,000 forklift suppliers.

Sources:

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Miami, Florida - ( NewMediaWire ) - September 29, 2020 - The forklift industry is not like it was a few decades ago…

In fact, there are several major forklift manufacturers out there nowadays, each of which builds unique and innovative lifts for different types of jobs. This can make narrowing down your choices as a buyer a bit difficult.

This is why we have decided to compile a list of the ten best forklift brands around! Do note that these are not listed in any particular order, as we are well aware that every manufacturer makes forklifts that are dedicated to particular uses and applications.

Top Ten Best Forklift Brands#1 Yale

Yale is a forklift brand that has been around since the 1800s, though it began as a lock company rather than a lift company. The company produced the very first Yale forklift in 1920. If you look at Yale now, you can see that they supply forklifts to companies all over the world.

Yale is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, though ships its forklifts across the world. The company is a single-source supplier of ride-on lift trucks in both three- and four-wheel designs. Yale has a wide range of material handling vehicles as well, some of which are as small as 3,500 pounds and some of which are as heavy as 35,000 pounds. Whether you are on the construction site, warehouse, dock, or farm, a Yale lift is a great lift.

#2 Hyster

Hyster might just be one of the most popular forklift manufacturers around. Anyone who works in the materials handling industry knows the company name. Hyster was born back in 1929, providing consumers with top-notch material handling solutions and durable lifting equipment. Fast forward to today and Hyster has spread its wings over 130 countries with millions of lift machines coming out of its massive distribution centers.

People love Hyster, as the company has proven to be both trustworthy and reliable, especially when it comes to service. The brand has a wide range of lifts that would take us forever to discuss, though each is low-maintenance, top-performing, and promises increased productivity while cutting costs. If you’re searching for an all-around forklift brand to get the job done, Hyster is a great choice.

Largest Forklift Ever Built

#3 Bendi

Bendi manufactures a wide variety of electric forklifts that are wonderful for narrow workspaces. We highly recommend Bendi forklifts to those who are loading and unloading on docks, racking and handling materials within interior warehouses or other narrow-aisle applications.

The Bendi electric narrow-aisle forklifts come with both three- and four-stage masts. They each have unique carrying and stacking capabilities that work for either standard, double-deep, or drive-in layouts. If you are working within doorways or long, narrow corridors, you should note that this is exactly where Bendi narrow-aisle forklifts excel. They are incredibly maneuverable and can fit around tight corners, both interior and exterior.

The load capacities for Bendi forklifts vary, though most of them start around 3,500-5,500 pounds. In terms of stacking height, the standard Bendi forklift can go up to 63” or higher, anywhere up to 84”. If you are working with less real estate and you need a forklift that is nimble and flexible to improve your organization and racking capabilities, Bendi is a great choice.

#4 Drexel

Drexel is a brand that produces both front and side-loading, multi-purpose forklifts. These user-friendly lifts are excellent for both manufacturing and industrial environments. Drexel forklifts have the capabilities of four unique vehicles constructed into one and are designed around a unique loading swing mast. Essentially, Drexel forklifts combine a reach truck, a turret truck, a side loader, and of course, a standard counter-balanced lift truck.

Drexel has many forklifts in their lineup, which can be purchased as electric or IC-powered forklifts. You can purchase Drexel forklifts in standard sizes, as well as both narrow-aisle or very-narrow-aisle configurations. The very-narrow-aisle configurations are perfect for those spaces that are less than five feet wide.

Drexel has load capacities that start out around 3,000 pounds and move up to about 12,000 pounds. In terms of lift heights, they go up to about 31 feet. You can perform unique loading functions from the front or side thanks to the fact that the swing mast has the ability to rotate cargo at 90-degrees in any direction. Whether you are dealing with traditional pallet stacking or long-load stacking, Drexel lifts can get the job done.

#5 Combilift

Combilift is a company that was born in Ireland, though currently distributes forklifts to over 85 countries around the world thanks to its massive dealer network. Combilift forklifts specialize in working with heavy or oversized loads. If you are looking for some of the largest forklift models that are purely functional without all of the bells and whistles, Combilift is one of the best brands of forklifts. They focus heavily on creating more muscle for their machines rather than implementing new tech.

Largest Forklift Manufacturer In China

The company has greatly expanded its lineup and now features a few new, high-quality machines, including the Combi-MR, the Combi-CS, and the Combi-WR. Combilift provides robust and durable forklifts that are great for both heavy-load and long-load lifting.

Ask any major forklift users around the world and they will tell you how much they respect Combilift for building purely practical and functional machines. They are somewhat of an industry standard when it comes to dealing with oversized loads, including concrete, steel, shipping containers, timber, and more.

#6 Toyota

You likely know Toyota as just about the biggest automotive manufacturer on the face of the Earth. However, the company has been producing forklifts for well over five decades now, giving them a sure spot on our list. In the United States alone, the company has produced over 500,000 forklifts. As with their automotive sector, Toyota produces a diverse lineup of material handling machines, including counter-balance lifts and pallet jacks.

The great thing about getting a Toyota forklift is that you can take advantage of their excellent financing options and their top-notch maintenance agreements. We have to say that Toyota forklifts are most popular in the shipping and receiving industry.

#7 Crown

Crown Equipment has been manufacturing some of the best forklift models since the early 1940s. They are currently headquartered in Ohio, though they are also one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of industrial forklifts in the world. When it comes to new technology, Crown is at the top. They are known for their fleet management systems and automation technology. The company has a variety of basic lifts that can lift up to 4,000 pounds, though they also produce heavy lifts that can lift up to 6,500 pounds as well.

It is important to note that while Crown sells new material handling machines, they also sell those that have been used and factory-reconditioned. The company puts a ton of focus on servicing, warranties, and component supplies, making sure that customers can use their lifts for years after they purchase them. If you work in the agricultural or warehousing industry, we highly recommend Crown forklifts.

#8 Komatsu

Komatsu started out in 1921 in Japan, though it moved into the United States around the 1970s. This Japanese manufacturer is well-known for constructing mining equipment, military equipment, and construction machinery. Komatsu has a huge dealer of lifts in North America now. They are probably known best for the KOMTRAX monitoring system, which is integrated into every modern forklift design that they have. The KOMTRAX system utilizes remote monitoring to keep owners up to date with the status of their machines at all times.

World's Largest Forklift Truck

#9 JCB

JCB is one of the best private forklift companies around the world today. The company was named after Joseph Cyril Bamford, who was the founder. Nowadays, Joseph runs 22 plants on four different continents and has almost 800 dealers around the world! JBC lifts can be seen almost anywhere, as the company produces a wide range of models. They also provide customers with full-service packages and excellent financing options.

If you are working in a warehouse, on a farm, or around a construction site, we highly recommend looking into getting a JCB forklift. They are also wonderful for military applications!

#10 Clark Material Handling

Clark Material Handling company has been around for well over 100 years now. They built the very first company forklift back in 1917 and have been going strong ever since. The Clark Material Handling company is currently based in Lexington, Kentucky. They have a number of production and distribution plants around the world. The company has manufactured well over 350,000 material handling vehicles, ranging from order pickers to pallet jacks to stackers.

Clark Material Handling mostly focuses on manufacturing mid-grade lifts, which are great for warehouses, construction, and manufacturing applications.

Finding the Right Forklift Brands And Models For The Job

Like we said before, there are hundreds of different forklift brands and forklifts companies out there, meaning there are thousands of different lift trucks around the world. To find the right one, you must use the considerations listed above to find the right one for your applications. Of course, it is also important that you find a reliable brand to purchase from too!

Largest Forklift Manufacturer

We wish you the best of luck in finding the right forklift for your needs!