Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) has once again topped the list of leading materials handling manufacturers in rankings released by leading industry publications DHF, Logistik Journal and Modern Materials Handling.
The world leader in materials handling since 2001, Toyota finished first in the rankings compiled by DHF, Logistik Journal and Modern Materials Handling rankings, based on its performance in the fiscal year ended 31 March 2009. DHF and Logistik Journal’s rankings were released in late 2009, while the Modern Materials Handling list was released earlier in the year.
In a challenging market that saw overall sales of materials handling equipment decline for the first time in nearly a decade, Toyota remained ahead based on a complete offer of materials handling products, services and solutions.
Toyota’s results are especially noteworthy in light of the company’s truly global operations. With a very strong presence in the key markets of Japan, North America and Europe, Toyota had to withstand the full effects of the global economic downturn, which began in the US and spread to Japan and Europe.
In Europe, Toyota’s materials handling operations are managed by Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE). TMHE offers businesses across Europe a complete range of Toyota counterbalanced forklifts and BT warehouse equipment, supported by services and solutions including Toyota I_Site fleet management and consulting, short term rental, used equipment and a comprehensive service offer.
Commenting on the world rankings, TMHE President Håkan Dahllöf said: “Today’s economic challenges have provided an opportunity for us to work even more closely with our customers to find the right materials handling solutions that add value for their business.”
Håkan Dahllöf continued: “For years, customers around the world have counted on Toyota as a stable, reliable business partner. Toyota Material Handling Europe is committed to delivering quality materials handling products, services and solutions that help companies protect their bottom line and add value in today’s economy.”
Part of the Toyota Group, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) was founded by Sakichi Toyoda in 1926 to manufacture automatic looms. Its business activities include materials handling equipment, automobiles and related products, logistics and textile machinery. TICO ranked 46th in FORTUNE magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies list (2009), and 396th in the Forbes Global 2000 (2009). TICO’s total net sales for all business units was more than €11 billion in fiscal year 2009, with materials handling sales amounting to approximately €4.5 billion.*
*TICO financial results are reported in Japanese Yen (JPY). These euro figures are calculated from Japanese Yen at rate of ¥143/ Euro.
