Nissan Forklift Corporation, North America announced that it has joined forces with TCM America under a new name, UniCarriers Americas Corporation effective April 1, 2013, with head offices in Marengo, Ill.. UniCarriers Americas Corporation is a division of UniCarriers Corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. UniCarriers Holdings is the parent company of UniCarriers.
According to Modern Materials Handling‘s 2012 Top 20 Lift Truck Suppliers, published shortly after the merger was initially announced in August 2012, Nissan Forklift was ranked 8th in the world with $1 billion in 2011 revenues, and TCM was ranked 11th with $746 million in 2011 revenues.
“We are excited to combine the resources, service and strong brand promise of these two companies to form a stronger market presence that will offer a broader range of products and technical service with the UniCarriers brand,” said Peter Kruse, president, UniCarriers Americas Corporation. Kruse is leading the management team of the new entity.
“To assume our role as a leader in the material handling industry, this merger creates a world-class global brand built on the combined strengths of Nissan Forklift and TCM,” added Kruse. “UniCarriers will be stronger and even more successful as one company.”
UniCarriers will encompass five brands: Nissan Forklift, TCM, Atlet, Barrett and UniCarriers. To transition the brand equity of the non-UniCarriers brands to UniCarriers, all trucks will display a “by UniCarriers” endorsement beginning June 1, 2013.
Material handling equipment will be the sole business of UniCarriers, rather than a peripheral business unit. Separately, the global rankings of Nissan Forklift Corporation and TCM Corporation were 11th and 15th respectively, according to the Weltrangliste 2011/2012 list of the top global manufacturers. United, UniCarriers has jumped to number seven on the list.
“To be competitive, not only do manufacturers need to deepen their local understanding of customers’ needs, they must also broaden their global presence,” said Kruse. “We’re deeply committed to making this transition successful and making it a success for our employees, dealers, suppliers, and end customers.”
The UniCarriers customer-centric approach will define everything it does from product development to service and delivery. “Our tenacious attitude, collaborative approach and innovative spirit will continue to define and drive who we are,” Kruse explains. With its focus solely on material handling equipment, UniCarriers will offer a more extensive portfolio by adding additional sustainable and efficient products and solutions to its offering. “Our customers are looking for answers to complex logistics challenges. UniCarriers will deliver,” promises Kruse. “At the core, we are the same passionate people, offering superior products and solutions. Most importantly, we are committed to excellence. This is true not only for our business enterprise, but for our customers as well.”
The company will continue its pledge to protect the environment, and operate as a green company.
