Toyota looking toward the future

The integrated capabilities of the companies that make up the Toyota Industries Group are on full display at ProMat. At a Monday morning briefing, Jeff Rufener, president of Toyota Material Handling U.S.A Inc, spoke about the company's future and how its innovation and product development will focus on serving customers as a single material handling solution provider.

Under its Toyota Advanced Logistics umbrella, Toyota Material Handling, in collaboration with Vanderlande, Bastian Solutions, and The Raymond Corp., has added automated technology to its center-controlled rider AGV, which is on display at the show. Within the next year or so, the company plans to add automation capabilities to their mast reach truck and three-wheeled electric trucks. The company also continues to explore new technologies such as fuel cell forklifts and pallet-handling drones to add to their product line.

Beyond the new automation solutions, here are a few additional products/services available or coming soon:

• 360 Support - a service committed to supporting Toyota lift trucks throughout their entire lifetime. Customers have access to Toyota's large dealer network, certified technicians, and more.
• E-Commerce website - customers can shop thousands of parts online from the MyToyota Store.
• T-matics - a hardware and reporting system that uses mobile or Wi-Fi to deliver big data easily and to help improve efficiency.
• Toyota Commercial Finance - for companies that require financing options, Toyota offers flexible programs that include credit lines, master leases, operating leases, one-pay leases, and more.

For more information, visit www.toyotaforklifts.com.