Toyota Material Handling North America President & CEO Brett Wood will lead the unified organization. (Photo from The Raymond Corporation)

GREENE — Toyota Material Handling and The Raymond Corporation, two leading providers of material handling solutions, will formally integrate into one company under the name Toyota Material Handling North America, effective April 1.

The company announced its commitment to maintaining unique brand identities for both Raymond and Toyota in the marketplace, striving to preserve and enhance its customer relationships. Toyota acquired The Raymond Corporation in 2001, and the ongoing unification will allow the company to leverage the strengths of both organizations to better serve customers.

The organization will integrate the leadership responsibilities of both Toyota and Raymond into Toyota Material Handling North America, which will be led by President and CEO Brett Wood. Wood, a respected leader in the material handling industry, also serves as a senior executive officer for the company’s parent, Toyota Industries Corp.

Current Toyota Material Handling President and CEO Bill Finerty will retire at the end of March. Michael Field, the current president and CEO of The Raymond Corporation, will assume the role of chief operations officer.

“This is a historic day for our company, customers, dealers, and associates,” Wood said. “Our customers’ needs are evolving rapidly, and we must prepare and adapt to an ever-changing market. We have an amazing opportunity to leverage the best people, processes, and products into one unified organization. We want to become the undisputed industry leader in solving our customers’ problems through innovation for decades to come.”

The integration will not result in layoffs, and Toyota Material Handling North America plans to increase investment in its workforce to accelerate growth. Currently, one in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product.

The company produces its products at four main manufacturing plants in Columbus, Indiana; Greene, New York; Muscatine, Iowa; and East Chicago, Indiana. Late last year, the company broke ground on a 295,000-square-foot factory across the street from its North American headquarters in Columbus. The new facility, focused on producing electric products to reduce lead times, is scheduled to open in 2026.

Toyota Material Handling North America also invested $50 million to optimize its manufacturing processes, including building, infrastructure, and equipment upgrades at facilities in Greene, New York, and Muscatine, Iowa.

“Our customers will always be at the center of our strategy, and ultimately, this integration is about doing what is best for them,” Wood said. “As a unified organization, we will deliver the industry’s best products, services, and support — ensuring we meet and exceed our customers’ evolving needs and expectations.”

Toyota Material Handling North America is composed of Toyota Material Handling Inc. and The Raymond Corporation. Together, the company operates nearly 2.5 million square feet of manufacturing space and employs more than 16,000 associates. It works with nearly 300 dealers and support centers across North America to deliver material handling solutions.

Toyota Material Handling provides forklifts, pallet jacks, automated guided vehicles, fleet management services, and advanced automation and warehouse optimization solutions. The Raymond Corporation specializes in material handling products, including electric forklifts, and offers advanced energy, automation, and telematics solutions designed to improve productivity and efficiency for customers worldwide.

- Information from The Raymond Corporation