Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) will launch a two-brand, one-channel distribution trial program with the dealer networks of its two main group companies - Toyota Material Handling and The Raymond Corporation - in an effort to address the evolving needs of customers.

Southern States Toyotalift's Tampa dealership

From 1 May 2021, Raymond Handling Consultants (RHC) and Southern States Toyotalift (SST) will be managed as one organisation, representing both the Toyota and Raymond brands.

Both RHC and SST have existing locations in three major Florida markets - Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville - and both dealers have enthusiastically supported the new partnership.

"We believe that this consolidation will deepen our relationships with existing customers and attract many new customers by utilising the combined strengths and additional synergies created by bringing the two strong brands under one organisation," says TMHNA president and CEO Brett Wood, who is also a senior executive officer for TMHNA's parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO).

"As we see the market evolving, it's more important than ever to provide the widest selection of products, solutions and expertise to help our customers become as efficient as possible," adds Toyota Material Handling president and CEO Jeff Rufener. "We will study the impact of this trial carefully and expect to learn a lot about how we can deliver a better customer experience."

TMHNA anticipates this consolidation will benefit customers in areas such as improved customer support with better coverage, more technicians and other support resources; best-in-class products and systems solutions; additional rental, systems, automation and parts opportunities for customers; and streamlined product support and centralised administration operations.

"Our mission with this trial is to determine whether a two-brand, one-channel strategy in North America will allow us to more effectively leverage our strengths to better serve our customers," says Michael Field, president and CEO for The Raymond Corporation. "Bringing together the two best brands in materials handling represents an opportunity to further build upon our strong dealership network in North America."