Celebrating over 40 years of operations in the United States, Irvine, Calif.-based Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc., (TMHU) has been the number-one selling lift truck supplier in the U.S. since 2002 and currently offers a full line of high-quality lift trucks sold under the Toyota brand. Built on a reputation of excellence, Toyota remains popular due to its quality, reliability and durability. Quality is the hallmark of Toyota’s world-renowned Toyota Production System practiced at all Toyota manufacturing facilities, including Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) in Columbus, Ind. Most of the Toyota lift trucks sold in the United States are manufactured at TIEM.

TIEM, and all Toyota manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada, comply with the ISO 14001 standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and have been honored for their environmental management systems and dedication to continuous improvement. TMHU remains the first and only manufacturer to offer EPA and CARB-certified Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered lift trucks. The recently-introduced Toyota 8-Series IC lift trucks produce 70 percent less smog-forming emissions than the 2007 federal EPA standard and have met California’s 2010 emission standards three years early

Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU), headquartered in Irvine, Calif., is the number one selling lift truck supplier in the United States.¹

Reflecting on more than 40 years of U.S. lift truck operations, Dr. Shankar Basu, president and CEO of TMHU, attributes Toyota’s success to its undeterred commitment to produce the highest quality lift trucks and customer service and support. “We must be able to learn and predict the needs of our customers,” said Dr. Basu. “As a leader, our success also depends on our ability to address our customers’ operational, safety and environmental cost issues.”

Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), TMHU’s parent company, is among FORTUNE Magazine’s prestigious World’s Most Admired Companies and is the world’s largest lift truck supplier.²

Toyota has a rich history of environmental stewardship that stems from the corporate doctrine of parent company Toyota Industries Corporation. No other lift truck manufacturer, and not many companies in general, can match Toyota’s history of protecting the environment while advancing the economy.

Toyota has made environmental accounting a key aspect of corporate decision-making.

Toyota remains the first and only manufacturer to offer UL-listed, EPA- and CARB-certified Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered lift trucks.

In 2006, Toyota introduced the new 8-Series line, the world’s cleanest internal combustion lift truck. The 8-Series signifies both Toyota’s leadership and innovation, as it features an exclusive emission system that not only surpasses 2007 Federal EPA emission standards, but also meets California’s stringent 2010 emission standards well ahead of schedule. The result is a lift truck that produces 70 percent less smog-forming emissions than the 2007 Federal standard.

Toyota has further enhanced its commitment to responsible stewardship of the environment by partnering with The National Arbor Day Foundation. For every 8-Series Toyota lift truck delivered in 2007, Toyota will make a donation to The National Arbor Day Foundation, which will in turn plant a tree in a national forest.

Toyota is working on a line of other types of environmentally friendly and recyclable vehicles, including the industry’s first fuel cell lift truck—the prototype of which debuted at ProMat 2007.

Toyota’s culture of shared environmental responsibility has enabled the company's manufacturing facility to implement 1,700 energy-saving measures over the past five years—resulting in a CO₂-emission reduction result of 120,000 tons. As you can see, our philosophy of continuous improvement affects our actions as much as our products.

Toyota’s lift trucks offer improved visibility, ergonomics, productivity and durability, and most importantly, the industry’s leading safety technology. The company’s System of Active Stability™ (SAS) helps reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, minimizes the potential for product and equipment damage, and increases overall productivity levels. SAS senses various factors that lead to lateral instability and potential lateral overturn. When those conditions are detected, SAS instantly engages the Swing Lock Cylinder to stabilize the rear axle, changing the lift truck’s stability footprint from triangular in shape to rectangular. The resulting increase in stability substantially reduces the likelihood of a lateral overturn. The Active Control Rear Stabilizer or the Active Mast Function Controller also adds stability and helps avoid accidents or injuries. SAS catapulted Toyota into the industry leader for safety when it was first introduced on the 7-Series internal combustion models in 1999. Since then, SAS has been integrated into the majority of Toyota’s internal combustion models and is standard equipment on the new 8-Series.

There are more than 100,000 SAS-equipped lift trucks in the field with over 450 million hours of operation. With an increased population of SAS-equipped trucks in the field and in conjunction with mandatory operator training, overturn fatalities across all brands have decreased by 13.6 percent since 1999.4 In addition, there has been an overall 35.5 percent reduction industry wide in overturn, collision, loss of control and falls from a lift truck for the same period.5

Toyota’s uncompromising safety commitment extends beyond technology. The company offers extensive Operator Safety Training programs to help customers meet and exceed OSHA standard 1910.178. Training programs, materials and videos covering a wide scope of topics—from OSHA regulations, to surface and load conditions, to personal safety—are available through the dealer network.

Since the sale of its first lift truck in the United States to the production of its 250,000th lift truck produced at the Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) facility in early 2006, TMHU has enjoyed a solid presence in the United States. Today, 99 percent of the Toyota lift trucks sold in the United States are manufactured in North America. Based in Columbus, Ind., TIEM’s facility opened in 1990 and recently underwent an $11 million expansion that included a new National Customer Center (NCC), larger national field office and distribution center. The expanded campus is now the size of 15 football fields with 870,000 square feet of manufacturing and support space. TIEM facility in Columbus, Indiana The new NCC was designed expressly to serve TMHU customers and dealers, and includes a 360-degree showroom; a facility for live product demonstrations with seating for 120; a presentation theater with stadium seating for 32; a national training center; and Toyota’s Hall of Fame showcasing Toyota’s history since the birth of its founder, Sakichi Toyoda, in 1867.