The history of lift trucks

Today we see it as a matter of course to use lift trucks and reach stackers to handle goods in industry, warehouses and ports. It wasn’t always this way. If we go back in time to the beginning of industrialism, most lifting and moving was done by hand. As the demands on efficiency increased, industry saw a need for help with the heaviest lifts. In this post, we´ll take a look at the lead-up to creation of the very first lift truck.

The shipping industry has been around for centuries, and during all those years goods were typically loaded onto ships in a variety of different sizes and shapes. This often resulted in inefficient use of cargo space and long turnaround times in port. Not until the 1950s did this old school method of goods shipping come to an end. All thanks to the innovative mind of American businessman Malcom McLean, who recognized the need for a more efficient way to transport goods. Enter the new era of containerization.

Småland in southern Sweden is characterized by its forests and tough stony landscape. In the 1940s, forestry and saw mills were thriving businesses. At the time, manual labor still dominated this heavy industry, but the most progressive sawmills began to import a novelty from the US - the lift truck. This was the starting point for a completely new industry, and Småland became the cluster of the Swedish truck industry in just a few years.

In 1994, after more than 40 years in business, Konecranes’ precursor SMV was a leading lift truck company. But the financial crisis hit the company hard, and it went into reconstruction. This certainly led to dramatic times, but as it turned out, was also the exciting start of the next chapter in SMV’s history.

In 1998, Konecranes’ precursor SMV Lifttrucks received an order for what, at the time, would be the world’s largest reach stacker for handling containers on river barges. It was a massive undertaking, but if anyone was up to the challenge, it was SMV.

After a successful first decade, many of the goals of the revitalized SMV Lifttrucks were fulfilled. In the early 2000s, it was a recognized company in the field of lift trucks, appreciated for its modern and reliable products. But building the best machines is only one part of a success story; you also need to offer good service and maintenance, and that is on a global scale if you want to attract big customers.

In 2004, Konecranes acquired SMV Lifttrucks and formed what we now know as Konecranes Lift Trucks. With a new and stable owner in place, the company embarked on a journey towards global success in heavy material handling. In this interview, we sit down with Andreas Falk, SVP of Konecranes Lift Trucks since 2018, for his insights into what defines the company today.