Toyota Material Handling Corporation is the world leader in manufacturing forklifts. In fact these forklifts are best-selling, most fuel efficient and safest forklifts on the market. Although generally known as a car manufacturer, Toyota has expanded its range of products and has managed to become one of the most successful manufacturers of forklifts and other material handling equipment. Toyota forklifts have been best ranked for lowest owning costs ten years in a row. The product range of Toyota Material Handling includes forklift trucks, reach trucks, order pickers, hand pallet trucks, pallet trucks, counterbalanced forklift trucks and narrow aisle trucks.
Everything started in 1956, when Toyota introduced the first forklift truck 1-ton model. In the following four years, the export operations have started and expanded significantly during the 1960s. As the product range of material handling equipment was increasing, Toyota was achieving very high profits. In 1985, Toyota forklifts production has reached half a million units and ten years later, the production has doubled. From internal combustion to battery-electric, from hand pallet forklift to the best counterbalance forklifts in the world, from 0.9 tonnes to 24 tonnes, Toyota offers lots of efficient and innovative solutions for material handling operations.
Toyota forklifts operate for over 20,000 hours and remain with excellent run time and minimal down time. All the operators of Toyota forklifts need to do is stick to the regular preventive maintenance plan. Each forklift is designed to last long and be extremely productive. With attention paid even to the smallest bolts, these machines are flawless. In 2002, Toyota forklifts have been named as the best-selling brand for the first time and since the brand has remained on top.
In 2008, Toyota has reached a forklift production of 2 million units, which is more than what most forklift manufacturers produce. Toyota is a market leader in Australia as well. Since the first imported Toyota forklift in 1968, Toyota forklifts are very popular and widely used for a variety of material handling operations. In 1999, the 30,000th Toyota forklift has been sold in Australia.
One of the main philosophies of Toyota is health and safety. The tireless efforts of Toyota to produce forklifts in a way that will protect the operators not by compromising their efficiency. With increased quality, Toyota forklifts are also more safer for the operators and other workers present at the site.
