Two of North America’s largest lift truck vendors will integrate their operations under a plan that will unite Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA) and UniCarriers Americas Corp. in order to create a “one-stop resource” for expanded material handling, automation, and fleet solutions offerings, the firms said today.
The two vendors were already siblings, with both being owned by parent company Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Inc., but this move will create an even tighter connection between them.
The integration won’t have any impact on the companies’ physical facilities, as both will continue to go to market using their current distribution channels and manufacturing facilities located in Houston, Texas and Marengo, Illinois. However, the new strategy will have a large digital impact, as the parent company has launched a new corporate website that is designed to house its complete portfolio of brands under one roof, including Cat lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks, and the UniCarriers, Jungheinrich, and Rocla product lines.
According to Mitsubishi Logisnext, the site will serve as a single source for the material handling industry, providing customers with access to the full suite of solutions from material handling to automation and more.
"Our goal is to have a stronger, more efficient business to support our customers and dealers. As one unified operation, we will work together to further enhance our customer product offering and leverage the full strengths and experience of our collective employees and dealers to support customers in the future,” Ken Barina, president of Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas, said in a release. "We know that customers today have high expectations and rising business demands, and we are excited to provide an even broader range of services and solutions to support them in the years ahead.”
Among those rising business demands, the company particularly has its eye on “the growing trend towards automation and digital fleet management solutions,” according to a statement by John Sneddon, executive vice president, sales and marketing at Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas. The combined website will provide customers with additional educational resources and the ability to connect with experienced experts within the company, he said.
Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas is part of the global Mitsubishi Logisnext group – Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. Ltd. – based in Kyoto, Japan. And in turn, Mitsubishi Logisnext is itself part of one of the world's largest companies, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) group.
