The lift truck manufacturers Nissan Forklift Corp. North America and TCM America have merged under a new name, UniCarriers Americas Corp., effective today. The combined entity creates the world's seventh-largest lift truck manufacturer with more than 235 authorized dealers in North, Central, and South America.

UniCarriers Americas is a division of Tokyo-based UniCarriers Corp. The new company will focus solely on forklifts; previously, Nissan and TCM operated as business units within Japanese giants Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd., respectively.

UniCarriers will encompass five brands of lift truck: Nissan Forklift, TCM, Atlet, Barrett, and UniCarriers. All trucks will display a "by UniCarriers" endorsement starting June 1.

Corporate head offices will be in Marengo, Ill. There will be no change in employees or the existing dealer network, the company said in an announcement. UniCarriers said it plans to expand its product portfolio by adding sustainable and efficient products and solutions.

"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.