Toyota Forklift

In the United States, Toyota Materials Handling inc., or TMHU, continues to be the best selling lift truck dealer since 1992. This company has been based out of Irvine, California for well over 40 years, providing a comprehensive line of quality lift trucks. With a great reputation of resilience and reliability, Toyota lift trucks have thrived in the competitive materials handling market. Quality is the keystone of Toyota’s renowned Toyota Production System practiced at all manufacturing facilities, including TIEM, which is stands for Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, situated in Columbus, Indiana. The majority of the Toyota lift trucks sold in the U.S. are manufactured here.

All Toyota's manufacturing facilities within Canada and the United States comply with the International Organization for Standardization or ISO 14001 standard. The Columbus TIEM plant has been honored on many occasions for its commitment to continuous progress and its environmentally friendly systems. It is the first and only manufacturer to offer EPA and CARB-certified Compressed Natural Gas powered lift trucks on the market. To illustrate, the Toyota 8-Series IC lift vehicles emit 70 percent less smog forming emissions than the existing federal EPA standards and have complied with California’s strict emission standards and regulations.

TMHU, U.S.A.- Leading the Industry

Brett Wood, President of TMHU, links Toyota’s accomplishment to its robust dedication to manufacture the finest quality lift vehicles while delivering the utmost client service and support. “We must be able to learn and predict the needs of our customers,” said Brett Wood. “As a leader, our success also depends on our ability to address our customers’ operational, safety and environmental cost issues.” TMHU’s parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation, also referred to as TICO, is listed in Fortune Magazine as the world’s leading lift truck dealer and is among the magazines prestigious World’s Most Admired Companies.

Redefining Environmental Accountability

Toyota Industries Corporation, as the parent company, has instilled a rich corporate doctrine of environmental stewardship in Toyota. Not a lot of other corporations and no other lift truck manufacturer can equal Toyota’s record of protecting the natural environment while concurrently stimulating the economy. Environmental accountability is an important feature of company decision making at Toyota and they are proud to be the first and only maker to provide UL-listed, EPA- and CARB-certified Compressed Natural Gas powered lift trucks. Yet another reason they remain a leader within the industry.

Toyota originally launched the 8-Series line of lift trucks in 2006, yet again exhibiting its leadership and innovation in the industry. Featuring an exclusive emission system that eclipsed both Federal EPA emission standards, and California's more environmentally friendly emission standards. The end creation is a lift vehicle that produces 70 percent fewer smog forming emissions than the existing Federal standards allow.

Furthermore in 2006, Toyota established an affiliation with the Arbor Day Foundation, furthering their dedication to the environment. Greater than 57,000 trees have been planted in community parks and national forests damaged by environmental causes such as fires, as a result of this partnership. 10,500 seedlings have also been spread through Toyota Industrial Equipment’s system of dealers to non-profit organizations and local consumers to help sustain communities all over the U.S.

Industry-Leading Safety

Toyota's lift vehicles offer superior strength, visibility, output, ergonomics, and all the leading safety equipment that has made Toyota an industry leader. The company’s System of Active Stability, also called “SAS”, helps limit the chance of incidents and accidental injuries, and increasing productivity levels while minimizing the potential for merchandise and equipment damage.

System Active Stability can discern factors that might lead to lateral volatility and potential lateral overturn. When one of these conditions have been sensed, the SAS will instantly engage the Swing Lock Cylinder to re-stabilize the rear axle. This alters the lift truck’s stability footprint from triangular in shape to rectangular, providing a major increase in stability which substantially reduces the likelihood of a mishap from a lateral overturn. The Active Mast Function Controller or the Active Control Rear Stabilizer also assists to avoid injuries or accidents while adding stability.

The SAS systems were originally utilized on the 7-Series internal combustion lift vehicles which were put on the market in 1999. These systems helped propel Toyota into the lead for industry safety standards. Now, SAS is utilized on almost every modern internal combustion models and is standard equipment for the new 8-Series. There are more than 100,000 SAS-equipped lift trucks in operation, exceeding 450 million hours combined. The increased population of SAS-equipped vehicles in the field, along with compulsory worker education, overturn fatalities across all designs have decreased by 13.6% since 1999. Additionally, there have been an overall 35.5% decrease in industry wide collisions, loss of control, falls and tip overs from a lift vehicle for the same period.

Toyota's measure of excellence reaches far beyond its technological achievements. The company maintains an extensive Operator Safety Training course to help consumers meet OSHA standard 1910.178. Instruction services, videos and a variety of resources, covering a broad scope of subjects—from personal safety, to OSHA regulations, to surface and load conditions, are accessible through the dealer network.

Toyota's U.S. Commitment

Since the transaction of its first lift vehicle in the U.S. to the manufacture of its 350,000th lift truck produced in 2009 at Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, TMHU has maintained a unbroken presence in the U.S. This fact is demonstrated by the statistic that 99% of Toyota lift trucks bought in America now are built in the United States.

Based in Columbus, Ind., the Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg. campus equals 998,000 square feet of facilities spanning 126 acres. Facilities include a National Customer Center, as well as production operations and distribution centers for equipment and service components, with the total investment exceeding $113 million dollars.

The new National Customer Center was conceived to serve both sellers and consumers of TMHU. The facility includes a 360-degree display room, a presentation theater complete with stadium seating for 32, an area for live merchandise demonstrations with seating capacity for 120; a presentation theater; Toyota’s Hall of Fame showcasing Toyota’s story since the birth of its founder, Sakichi Toyoda, in 1867, and lastly a instruction center.

First in Customer Satisfaction and Service

TMHU has 68 authorized industrial equipment dealers, along with 189 dealership locations throughout the United States, offering the most complete and inclusive consumer support and customer service in the industry. The company’s new and Licensed Used lift trucks, service, components, and financing capabilities make Toyota dealerships a one-stop shop to guarantee overall client satisfaction.

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