COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 5084

Material Handling Equipment

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

16companies1868–1987founding years16still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedDeere & CompanyFoundedDeere & Company
1868
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedMitsubishi CorporationFoundedMitsubishi Corporation
1918
FoundedDillard Paper CompanyFoundedDillard Paper Company
1926
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedHawkins Chemical, Inc.FoundedHawkins Chemical, Inc.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedCrown Equipment CorporationFoundedCrown Equipment Corporation
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedK-tel International, Inc.FoundedK-tel International, Inc.
1968
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedTLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc.FoundedTLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSun Distributors L.P.FoundedSun Distributors L.P.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Deere & Company →
Active · founded 1868
One of the five oldest companies in the United States, Deere & Company is the world's largest manufacturer of…
Deere & Company →
Active · founded 1868
One of the five oldest companies in the United States, Deere & Company is the world's largest manufacturer of…
Mitsubishi Corporation →
Active · founded 1918 · Japan
Appearing on everything from automobiles to agricultural goods, the Mitsubishi Corporation's three diamond logo has…
Mitsubishi Corporation →
Active · founded 1918 · Japan
Appearing on everything from automobiles to agricultural goods, the Mitsubishi Corporation's three diamond logo has…
Dillard Paper Company →
Active · founded 1926
Dillard Paper Company, one of North Carolina's largest privately owned corporations, has long been a major distributor…
Dillard Paper Company →
Active · founded 1926
Dillard Paper Company, one of North Carolina's largest privately owned corporations, has long been a major distributor…
Hawkins Chemical, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Hawkins Chemical, Inc.
Hawkins Chemical, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Hawkins Chemical, Inc.
Crown Equipment Corporation →
Active · founded 1945
Crown Equipment Corporation is one of the world's top ten manufacturers of industrial lift trucks and ranks as…
Crown Equipment Corporation →
Active · founded 1945
Crown Equipment Corporation is one of the world's top ten manufacturers of industrial lift trucks and ranks as…
K-tel International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
An international marketing and distribution company, K-tel International, Inc.
K-tel International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
An international marketing and distribution company, K-tel International, Inc.
TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc.
TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc.
Sun Distributors L.P. →
Active · founded 1987
Sun Distributors L.P.
Sun Distributors L.P. →
Active · founded 1987
Sun Distributors L.P.
Build It Today

Starting a material handling equipment company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.