The North American lift truck market contracted slightly in 2019, following several consecutive record-setting years. With North American sales of 242,398 trucks down 6.8%, 2019 still ranks as the third-best year in the half century since theIndustrial Truck Association (ITA)began keeping records. The combined revenues of the Top 20 grew 2.9% following years of double-digit growth.

“Going into 2020 we were cautiously optimistic,” says Jay Gusler, current chairman of the ITA and executive vice president of operations at Mitsubishi Logisnext America (formerly Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA)). “Another year like 2019 would have been great for our industry.”

The market was trending down even before mid-March, but Gusler says the first half of 2020 is only 10% off the same period in 2019.

Turbocharged trends

The pandemic has not been all bad for the industrial truck market. The electric forklift segment experienced a boom in demand, driven by big online retailers that are buying more Class 2 and 3 equipment, according to Gusler. So are companies deemed essential in the shutdown and are scrambling to expand operations to keep up with business.

Year-to-date, the ratio of electric to internal combustion units sold was 73:27, compared to 66:34 in 2019 and 64:36 in 2018. “In previous economic downturns we would see IC business decline more than electric,” Gusler says. “IC is common in construction as well as rental business, half of which are for events. In April, the tap got shut off for those kinds of rental demands.”

Gusler says the ITA worked to ensure the lift truck industry, from manufacturers to dealers to parts distributors, were on the essential business lists at the federal and state levels.

“As the essential business lists evolved, ITA worked hard to make sure the materials handling industry was included,” he says. “Everyone was thinking about the grocery, healthcare and medical supplies the country needed. Materials handling products are what moves all of those essential products around the country.”

Lift truck classes include:

Class 1: electric motor trucks with cushion or pneumatic tires

Class 2: electric motor narrow aisle trucks with solid tires

Class 3: electric hand trucks or hand/rider trucks with solid tires

Class 4: internal combustion engine sit down rider forklifts with cushion tires, suitable for indoor use on hard surfaces

Class 5: internal combustion engine sit down rider forklifts with pneumatic tires, suitable for outdoor use on rough surfaces

Class 6: electric or internal combustion engine powered, rider units with the ability to tow (rather than lift) at least 1,000 pounds

Class 7: almost exclusively powered by diesel engines with pneumatic tires, these units are suitable for rough terrain and used outdoors.

Since primarily classes one through five are used in materials handling applications inside the four walls, Modern has only specified those on our supplier tableL

Other trends look much the same as last year, says Gusler. More customers are requiring some kind of telematics solution tied into a fleet management system. “It’s becoming the standard that a large customer’s RFQ requires a telematics system, whereas in the past that trend was just starting to pop up,” Gusler says. “As the technology becomes more standardized and affordable, it will trickle down to medium-sized customers.”

Warehouse management system (WMS)integration is moving ahead as more users add forklift-mounted screens tied to the WMS. Alternative fuel options like lithium-ion and fuel cells seem to be ticking up, Gusler adds. Lithium will keep getting cheaper, he says, and be used more and more each year. Automation is also an emerging segment of the market, as more forklift manufacturers automate existing models or partner with automation companies to achieve autonomous or semi-autonomous functionality.

Safetyremains top of mind. Gusler highlights the success of the ITA-organized National Forklift Safety Day, which seeks to reinforce the safety and operator training message year-round. This year, the event was held online, which enabled greater attendance than the usual ceremonies in Washington, D.C. ITA’s annual meeting in September will also be virtual.