Here at Toyota Material Handling, we endeavor to produce great products to serve our customers. For more than 50 years, our forklifts have supported a variety of industries. Along the way, we have celebrated many milestones and commemorated several of these special moments with forklifts, which are on display on campus in Columbus, IN!
The First Toyota Forklift sold in the U.S.A.
This Toyota Forklift was the first truck sold in the United States in 1967. It was sold to a grape harvester in California, and was in operation for almost 25 years before being tracked down. It took another five years to negotiate returning it to Toyota’s campus and included the trade of a brand new forklift to replace Mr. Anderson’s 30-year old forklift. This truck serves as a great reminder for us here at TMH of where we started, and how far we’ve come.
1st Toyota built in Columbus, IN
In 1990, Toyota Material Handling started manufacturing lifts here in Columbus, IN. This blue and orange 5-series forklift was the first to roll off the line on May 10, 1990, memorializing a start to manufacturing trucks in the United States. The Columbus, IN facility was originally established to support North American requirements, but today, this facility is builds forklifts which are shipped all over the world.
1st Toyota Designed in Columbus, IN
While this truck looks like a normal forklift, this 8-series 1-ton electric forklift was the first model that was completely designed, engineered, and manufactured at our North American headquarters.
25th Anniversary of Toyota Assembled in the USA
Toyota has been assembling forklifts in the USA since 1990, and we created this special design, that resembles the U.S. flag, in May of 2015 to celebrate 25 years of manufacturing in the United States. We have produced over 750,000 forklifts in North America, and we continue to enjoy our strong partnerships throughout the country. If you see a Toyota forklift working in your local community, chances are, that forklift was assembled here as well.
Toyotas 50th anniversary
In 2017, TMH celebrated their 50th anniversary of the first Toyota forklift sold in the U.S. by assembling a golden forklift. It was a special celebration for dealers and associates here in Columbus, IN. The Columbus plant was the first Toyota forklift factory outside of Japan to produce material handling equipment and now produces approximately 180 forklifts a day. When speaking about the special day, Brett Wood said:
“Fifty years represents a golden achievement in the U.S. and today we honored the Associates, the dealers, our suppliers, and the community who supported TMHU’s journey to this major milestone. This ceremony underscored our legacy here in the U.S., but it was also designed to give a glimpse into the future of Toyota Forklifts’ ongoing leadership and growth in the rapidly changing material handling and logistics industry.”
Veteran’s Day Forklift
In 2020, Toyota Material Handling manufactured the Veteran’s Day forklift to show our appreciation to all veterans. This camouflage truck even has a dedication plate on the back with the names of over 50 TMH associates who have served or are currently serving our country. This was just a small tribute from Toyota to show how much we appreciate everything our veterans have done and will continue to do moving forward.
Toyota Material Handling values the men and women who use our products to complete their daily work. We strive to respect them by delivering safe, efficient, durable and cost-effective products that help them, “Carry the Load.”