The factory in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, where Hyster® Big Trucks are manufactured celebrates 60 years of Big Truck production in 2013, with reports of record numbers produced last year.
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A record 1,927 units were assembled in 2012 at the NMHG Factory in Nijmegen, beating the previous record set in 2008.
“We knew it would be a record year back in the summer of 2012 when the 1,000th Big Truck was manufactured after just six months,” says Nijmegen Plant Manager, Wim van Dam. The 1000th truck was a Tier 4i / Stage IIIB Hyster ReachStacker, which was greeted by a small audience as it rolled off the production line. “It is the first time in the plant’s 60 year history that the factory has produced such volumes of trucks with a lift capacity of 6 to 52 tonnes,” adds Wim.
The Nijmegen plant is the global centre for Hyster Big Trucks design, development and testing, producing high capacity Hyster forklift trucks as well as the Hyster empty and laden container handlers and the Hyster ReachStacker.
In recent years, Hyster has successfully introduced new technologies across its range of materials handling equipment, including the introduction of Tier 4i / Stage IIIB compliant engines on Big Trucks and the award winning tyre saving axle technology, available on the Hyster empty container handler.
“Demand for the new Tier 4i / Stage IIIB regulation equipment has increased as more businesses learn about the significant benefits delivered by the new Hyster Big Truck range, including fuel savings of up to 20% compared to previous models,” says Wim. “New technologies, such as the tyre saving axle, have also helped to generate more interest.”
Hyster machines are renowned for being tough and highly reliable in arduous operations, and providing a low total cost of ownership for a range of industries. “Durability and a low cost of ownership are particularly important for high value assets, required to operate in intense 24/7 operations,” says Wim.
Significant changes made at the Nijmegen plant have enabled the factory to operate more efficiently, contributing to high production volumes and a focus has been placed on five key areas to help enhance the Nijmegen factory over the last three years. The initiative has helped the plant to optimise costs, product quality, parts availability and speed of resolution of problems both in production and in the field.
“Quality runs through every aspect of our business from design, manufacture and through to the support of our products,” says Wim. “Our intelligent designs are based on what applications need, using real market intelligence.”
Extensive customer research continually feeds the design objectives of every truck. From concept to launch, every new Hyster product follows a carefully structured development process with each step to confirm that the product design can deliver all the intended benefits to its future users.
Thorough testing and life-cycle simulation verify the dependability of the truck design, while close cooperation among manufacturing, marketing and service functions ensures that new products can be built and supported to consistently high quality standards.
All Hyster manufacturing sites are ISO certified and employ world class manufacturing technology and state of the art processes. The Hyster quality process is adhered to at every stage of the manufacturing process.
In 1952, Hyster opened its first European plant in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, beginning manufacture in January 1953. This was only six years after its first manufacturing plant dedicated to truck mass production opened in Danville, USA in 1946. Today, Hyster has manufacturing facilities located across the world.
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