The forklift has become such an important piece of machine found and utilized in most warehousing and industrial operations, since its introduction to the market more than 90 years ago in the 1920's. Amongst the forklift's pioneers, Clark has grown to become an industry leading supplier in the material handling industry. Other popular names in the making of these machinery include: Hyster, Nissan, Yale Toyota, Mitsubishi and Cat.
Hyster has grown to become among the most popular units of lift trucks within the industry. In fact, in several regions, the word "Hyster" is synonymous with forklift. Various other names for this industrial lifting machinery consist of: stacker truck, fork truck, high/low, lift truck and jitney.
It was in the 19th century that the equipment ancestors of the forklift was initially developed. At this time, small, battery-powered models were invented for the purpose of transporting traveler's baggage within Pennsylvania at the Altoona train station. During the First World War, various versions were developed in England specifically to be utilized in the material handling business. These equipment evolved as a solution to the manpower shortage at that time.
The modern equivalents come in a variety of configurations and sizes. There are the big truck-mounted forklift units which are also referred to as sod loaders and then the opposite end of the spectrum has small hand truck models. There are also a line of automated versions known as forklift automated guided vehicles that are basically robotic in nature. These units were developed as a way of lowering operational costs and to improve productivity.
Attachments have been made to fit onto lots of regular forklifts, giving them the capability of performing a wider selection of jobs. The motors could be IC or internal combustion units, running on gasoline, propane or diesel, or there are battery operated options which need regular charging. Typical warehouse models would normally be rated to lift between around 1 and 5 tons.
The lift truck has become a priceless part in the material handling business. Many of these models are used on a daily basis all over the globe to complete tasks which used to need much more man-power. Operators need to take stringent training courses so as to operate these heavy equipment safely and legally. Numerous workers have longer careers now and better overall health due to their not having to raise things manually anymore because the forklifts are capable of handling those situations now instead.