Crown celebrates 25 years of manufacturing in Roding, near Munich　
Logistic managers around the world rely on Crown, one
of the world’s largest manufacturers of forklift trucks. Founded in the USA in 1945,the company offers a full range of lift trucks with technology that increases the　efficiency and productivity of lift truck fleets. For the past 25 years Crown has been　manufacturing lift trucks for the European and worldwide market in the Bavarian　town of Roding in southern Germany. The site is now one of the family-owned　company’s key manufacturing facilities.

The parallels between Roding and the town where Crown’s global head office is located –New Bremen, Ohio, USA – may well have influenced the company’s decision to choose　this location in Lower Bavaria as the site for its European manufacturing plant. While both　towns are rural in feel, they both have thriving commercial and industrial infrastructures.

“Yes, Roding is at the heart of Europe, but that’s not the only reason why we chose this　location. The key deciding factor was the ready availability of a highly qualified, highly　motivated local workforce – and that still holds true today,” explains Ken Dufford, Vice　President Europe at Crown.

25 years of development and manufacturing expertise　Engineering has always been one of Germany’s great strengths. The high quality of　German products has earned international respect. And within Germany, Bavaria is well　known for its twin traditions of craftsmanship and educational excellence. From the very　start, the region’s highly qualified, highly skilled workforce represented a key benefit for　Crown as an employer. Skilled employees help to ensure that the company’s durable,reliable products are manufactured to a consistently high standard. The company also　places a high priority on training the young engineers of the future. Crown trains more　than 40 apprentices every year in Roding alone, and most of them are offered permanent　jobs upon completion of their apprenticeships. “Our employees in Roding have always　been highly motivated and loyal self-starters,” asserts Mads Andreasen, plant manager at　Roding. “It’s simple: they’re aware that Crown, as a family-owned company, has a long-term commitment to its employees. They also appreciate the fact that Crown invests in　their future by offering additional education and training.” In fact, the majority of the　employees who worked in the original workforce back in 1986 still work for Crown in　Roding today.

From components manufacturer to key production facility　Back in 1986, Crown took over the production facilities of forklift truck manufacturer　Steinbock and started production of the PTH 20 Series of hand pallet trucks. Shortly after　that, the manufacturing facility was extended to include production of components for　other lift truck series. By 1993 the plant started to produce electric forklift trucks –customising lift truck models for the European market. In 1994 Roding started the　production of the WE range of stackers which was the first Crown product designed in　Munich and manufactured in Roding. In the next few years further European designed　models were then added to the production lines such as the GPC range of low level order　pickers and the WP range of powered pallet trucks.

As the new millennium dawned, the plant reached an important milestone. Crown’s senior　management team made the strategic decision to concentrate the company’s entire　European lift truck manufacturing operations in Roding. As part of this strategic shift,　Roding started to manufacture larger and more complex products such as the award-winning ESR Series of reach trucks. As the complexity of products and the demand for　customised trucks have continued to grow, the plants manufacturing depth has also　increased. In 2002 Crown extended the production facility and to this day continues to　invest in the latest manufacturing technology.

A production plant that sets a shining example　Crown is unique in the way the company is dedicated to vertically integrated　manufacturing processes. This gives Crown full control of quality and sustainability of its　products as well as the flexibility to meet individual customers’ demands. Over the years Roding has fully adopted this Crown philosophy to become a truly vertically integrated　manufacturing operation. The sheer scope of the production line and processes at Roding　is impressive. From tons of steel delivered every day to CAD/CAM production of parts　such as one-piece forks to the production of hydraulic components through to final　assembly. The plant also manufactures its own machine tools and in Crown lift trucks you will even find motors built by Crown for Crown. Roding has repeatedly played a pioneering　role among Crown’s factories and was the first manufacturing operation of Crown that　implemented powder painting in the early 90”s. As another example, training is a key　focus as the next generation of Crown engineers is brought online. “The dual education　system in Germany is unique, and now Crown’s head office in New Bremen is expressing　an interest in our training programme – they’re planning to export a similar model to the　’States,” enthuses Mads Andreasen.