History of Raymond Forklifts by Steve Raymond Raymond Handling Concepts Warehouse Wisdom 1 Expertise from RHCC to help you run your business better
The history of Raymond forklifts and Raymond Handling Concepts Corporation A forklift company based on enduring family values On June 1, 1922, my grandfather, George G. Raymond, Sr. took over as president of Lyon Iron Works. Lyon was a small, family company started in 1840 by George Lyon in the rural upstate village of Greene, NY. Though its roots go back more than 175 years, the Raymond Corporation considers itself to be only 94 years old this year. I think that is probably because it was my grandfather who is credited with transforming what had become little more than an iron foundry into an innovative manufacturer of materials handling equipment. Also, along with his right hand man, Bill House, he was granted sequential patents for the inventions of the double-faced wooden pallet (Patent No. 2178646) and the hydraulic hand pallet lift truck (Patent No. 2178647) in 1939. The Raymond core values The Raymond Corporation grew and prospered through my grandfather s 40 years of leadership, which overlapped the 40 years of service my father, George G. Raymond, Jr., gave to the company. During those 40 years, my grandfather and father were faithful to its three core 2
values, known as IQS: Innovation Quality Service The Raymond Corporation is credited with literally hundreds of inventions and has been granted patents are the first electric narrow-aisle lift truck, the first electric reach truck, and the first electric double deep reach truck. Today s lift trucks descendants of what products Raymond invented - are very familiar to everyone in the materials handling industry. The first mobile lift trucks In the 1950s, Raymond answered the industry need for new and expanded distribution and servicing, by expanding its product offerings to include mobile lift trucks with electrical and hydraulic systems. Clearly, a national sales and service organization was needed that would embrace Raymond s core values. I believe my father s greatest contribution to the longevity of Raymond was the foundation he laid for a dealer network of customer-focused and visionary industry leaders to represent and support our products across North America. Over decades since it was established, the Raymond Dealer Network has adapted to changing market conditions, and has expanded its lines of products to meet the increased complexity in their application and support requirements. The dedication to Raymond s core values innovation, quality, and service has endured and perhaps grown even stronger. The Raymond Dealer Network remains the envy of the materials handling industry even today after more than 60 years of change. 3
How Raymond Handling Concepts Corporation started As president of Raymond, I am humbled and proud to be part of that tradition In late 1987, I was joined by about 39 people who had been employed by the dealership we were replacing. In the years since, we have seen RHCC grow dramatically in sales (by a factor of almost 15) and personnel (currently 280 and still growing). We have gone from a main office in Menlo Park, CA, and a small outpost in West Sacramento, to full service operations in 10 cities. RHCC has also become much more than a sales and service provider for Raymond products. This year, half or more of our new equipment sales will consist of products made by other companies, including several large rack, shelving, and automated systems projects. RHCC has truly become the single source supplier of materials handling equipment and systems for just about any company engaged in warehousing, distribution, or manufacturing. Raymond Handling Concepts is also an innovator in the application of technology. We pioneered the use of electronic work orders by our field service technicians in 2004. After twelve years, most of our 134 certified service techs don t even know what a paper work order looks like. For our customers, electronic work orders mean legible copies emailed to them immediately upon signing the screen of our tech s tough pad. Customers are also guaranteed prompt, accurate invoicing. Raymond s Fleet Maintenance tracking service, itrack, is often included as part of our maintenance contracts. RHCC s customers benefit from the availability of timely usage and cost information, which is visually presented via a web portal. Also, RHCC is a leader in the implementation the Toyota Production System philosophy into our organization. RHCC utilizes the ideas generated by our people to improve our servicing efficiency, which reduces the overall operating cost for our customers. 4
The internet and materials handling RHCC leads dealers in the use of the internet with our own Materials Handling Web Store, which makes the purchase of our products more convenient to our customers. We ve also created personalized web stores for several of our multi-location customers. These stores are stocked with the products and specifications that they purchase at corporately negotiated prices. RHCC views this as just doing our part to keep up the tradition of innovation in materials handling. When my grandfather took over an 82-year-old company in 1922, successful companies lasted an average of 67 years, which meant Lyon Iron Works was a bit above average for its time. In 2016, as RNCC celebrates its 94th birthday, successful companies typically exist for only 15 years. Raymond is a very unique company given that it has survived and thrived as a global leader in materials handling all these years, even with its headquarters and a world class manufacturing plant still located in Greene, NY. It is a real testament to its enduring values and I, for one, am gratified to have had the opportunity to be part of it for the past 40 years. Steve Raymond March 2016 It s not just business. It s personal. 41400 Boyce Road, Fremont CA 94538-3152 info@raymondhandling.com 5