IDSA Honors Counterbalanced Lift Truck With Top Award

Setting new design standards for operator comfort, visibility and task support, Crown Equipment Corporation receives its ninth Gold International Design Excellence Award (IDEA).

Presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Crown’s RC 5500 Series Stand-Up Counterbalanced Lift Truck wins one of 37 gold IDEA awards for 2008, out of more than 1,500 entries. The award is the 16th bestowed on Crown by the IDSA.

Exceptional versatility distinguishes the RC 5500 Series as a revolutionary design. It can be used throughout a facility including loading and unloading trailers, transporting and staging products throughout the warehouse, and storing product in racks.  Additionally, it offers unmatched visibility and operator comfort featuring the new FlexRide™ suspension and safe, industry-leading performance.

“Fresh thinking and new technology was applied to the development of the RC 5500,” said Crown Vice President – Design Center Mike Gallagher. “The quality design combines intelligent technology and practical innovation, offering a larger, more flexible operator compartment for outstanding ergonomics and comfort.”

IDSA jurors took note of Crown’s efforts. “The RC 5500 shows Crown's dedicated commitment to building lift trucks with the user in the center of the development process,” said Sudhir Bhatia, a partner of Mosaic, one of the world’s leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients.

“There isn’t a detail overlooked,” added another juror. “From operator comfort to environmental considerations, Crown’s commitment to excellent design continues to define industry standards.”

In addition to judging on innovation, design and business implications, the IDEA Award recognizes organizations for efforts related to environmental sustainability. Crown is dedicated to responsible product design, sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship. The RC 5500 Series has several components that easily separate for reuse or recycling including the steel, plastics, hydraulic fluids and lead-acid batteries.

About Crown Equipment Corporation

Crown is the number one brand of electric lift trucks in the United States and the sixth largest lift truck manufacturer in the world. Crown’s award-winning line of lift trucks has earned a reputation for exceptional product design, engineering and manufacturing. From the smallest hand pallet truck to the highest lifting turret truck, Crown seeks to provide users with safe, efficient and ergonomic lift trucks that lower total cost of ownership and maximize uptime. Headquartered in New Bremen, Ohio, Crown lift trucks are manufactured and sold throughout the world.

About IDEA and IDSA

The International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) program fosters business and public understanding about the impact of industrial design excellence on the quality of life and the economy. Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is the voice of industrial design, committed to advancing the profession through education, information, community and advocacy.