Konecranes Lift Trucks, experts in lifting equipment for the ports and terminals industry, has officially celebrated 25 years since it opened for business.
In a statement, the company looked back over the past quarter of a century, in particular to September 25, 1994, the day of its founding.
Back then a team of nine industry experts – Hans Carlsson, Nils-Olof Larsson, Hans Matzner, Conny and Roger Persson, Anders Sandström, Göran Skogsborn, Paul Westergren, and Olle Österlund – came together to buy a local manufacturing company in Silverdalen, in Sweden, where they produced their first reach stacker.
Since then it has been committed to building lift trucks “with heart” for their many different customers’ world.
The company produces lift trucks in Sweden, China and France, and has sold nearly 10,000 across 120 countries.
In doing so it has become renowned for the advanced technology, versatility and global service networks.
The vehicles can be used in a different range of industries, including logistics, manufacturing and energy. Customers can order standardized, partly or fully customized reach stackers, forklifts, and container handlers.
The company technical innovations have often had a significant impact: in 1999, the world’s largest barge handler came to market, with a negative capacity of 45 – 37 – 29 tons in the first three rows; in January 2019, in partnership with N.C. Nielsen, they produced the world’s largest reach stacker, with an impressive lifting capacity of 152 tons.
Environmental and social responsibility has always been part of the Konecranes brand, and this dedication led to the world’s first hybrid reach stacker in 2013.
As the company has grown over the years, there have been many important milestones. Starting out as SMV (Silverdalens Mekaniska Verkstad in Swedish, which translates to “Silverdale Mechanical Workshop”), they became part of the Konecranes Group in 2004.
Konecranes opened a factory in China in 2007, and in 2013, they added Linde container handling to the organization.
In 2017, Konecranes acquired Terex MHPS, whose lift truck business has brought Konecranes Lift Trucks substantial growth opportunities and the market leadership position they continue to hold today.
Panu Routila, CEO of Konecranes, said, “Since the acquisition of Lift Trucks the business has become an integral part of Konecranes’ operations and success, helping to expand our company’s global footprint and setting the standard for product excellence and technology leadership.
“I look forward to more growth and critical contributions from Lift Trucks in the future.”
“I’ve always felt honored to be a part of the Konecranes Lift Trucks team,” says Andreas Falk, Senior Vice President of Business Unit Lift Trucks. “A big thank you to all our employees and partners who have worked tirelessly to achieve many remarkable things.”
