CLARK celebrates the 100th anniversary of the forklift in 2017. With its range of outstanding products and services, “CLARK – The Forklift” has been a leading supplier of in-plant logistics solutions since the first combustion engine-powered industrial forklift was invented in 1917 by American engineer Eugene Bradley Clark. Global manufacturer CLARK Material Handling Company offers customers and dealers a full range of combustion engine-powered and electric counterbalance trucks and warehouse equipment. In addition its selection of services and spare parts has also been significantly expanded over recent years. To coincide with the start of its anniversary year, CLARK has announced a centennial edition of the combustion enginepowered C20-35 series. The special edition with a capacity of 2.0 to 3.5 tonnes was presented live on site by CLARK at the recent LogiMAT trade fair in Stuttgart. The Tructractor: looking back at the year 1917
Practical tasks need practical solutions. An ability to develop innovative solutions is the common theme running through CLARK’s history, a story that began in Eugene Bradley Clark’s factory in Buchanan, Michigan, USA. The mechanical engineer and entrepreneur manufactured drills for the rail industry and steel rims and axles for cars. He sought an answer to the question of how to move materials from A to B more quickly and cheaply without the need for muscle power. More specifically, he wanted to transport sand and heavy loads of castings around the factory. A team of CLARK employees built a three-wheel platform truck with a cargo box for hauling loads of up to two tonnes. It was a strange vehicle – the steering was reversed and there were no brakes – but the “Tructractor”, as it was named, served its purpose perfectly. It was followed by the first petrol-driven truck, the Truclift, in 1920, before CLARK went on to launch the first forklift with a hydraulic lift, the Tructier, in 1928.
CLARK is synonymous with forklifts Drive efficiency became a major focus in 1942,when CLARK built the Carloader, the first electrically powered forklift capable of working a full shift. In 1943, the company was the first forklift manufacturer to attach warning and safety stickers to its vehicles. By then, the company had become so well-known the name CLARK had become synonymous with forklifts, and it dominated the industrial truck market in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1952, CLARK expanded its portfolio to include driver training programmes,which had never been offered before. Another major advance came in 1956, when CLARK developed the first nested upright with I-beams. 1967 saw two major successes, when CLARK introduced the first overhead guard as standard in all sit-down trucks.
They also developed and marketed the TW – the first highly manoeuvrable threewheel electric forklift. In 1976, CLARK produced its 500,000th forklift – reaching one million in 1997. On course for further growth in 2017 “Of the more than 1.3 million CLARK forklifts produced, a good half is still in use. This underlines our claim of not only offering best value for money, but also the most robust forklifts on the market,” said Stefan Budweit, Sales Director at CLARK Europe GmbH. CLARK was acquired by parent company Young An of South Korea in 2003 and its global distribution network now consists of over 550 dealers in more than 100 countries on all continents. New vehicles – high customer satisfaction The new CLARK SRX14 and SRX16 (48 volt) reach trucks are also making a name for themselves.
“They have become well established in the market and the response has been extremely positive,” said Rolf Eiten, a year after the launch.“Our strategy of systematically developing new equipment and selectively optimising and expanding existing product groups shows we have our finger firmly on the pulse.” CLARK is currently developing new combustion engine-powered forklifts with a capacity of 2.0 to 3.5 tonnes, which are also aimed at the volume market.
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