Lift truck manufacturer Crown Equipment Corp. said it has opened its first company-owned Crown Lift Trucks operation in Brazil. The facility is located in the Anhanguera Logistics Center in Jundiaí, a district of the country's fast-growing São Paulo region.

New Bremen, Ohio-based Crown chose to open its own direct sales and service operation in Brazil because many of the company's customers are expanding in that market, said President Jim Dicke III, in a statement. As those customers increase their own businesses in Brazil, there will be corresponding growth opportunities for Crown's products and services, he said.

The Crown Brazil operation includes a showroom and warehouse located in a new 35,000 square-foot facility. General Manager Evandro Martins said that the direct retail operation would be different from material handling options currently available in Brazil, bringing improved product and parts availability, a full suite of service and support programs, and an array of rental and finance options to customers in Brazil.

This is the second international direct retail opening for Crown in the past few months. Earlier this year, Crown opened its first company-owned branch location and administrative office in Spain.