 (L to R) Howard Bernstein, Forkliftaction.com general manager Ann Hofmans and Eurolift managing director Peter Beaumont. |
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When Howard Bernstein visits the triennial CeMAT, in Hannover, he is recognised by many.
Not only because he wears a very dapper straw hat with ATLAS written across the blue hat-band, but because Bernstein, founder and president of Atlas International Lift Trucks, in Illinois, USA, is an icon in the US forklift business.
For more than 40 years, Bernstein has visited CeMAT wearing his now-famous hat. He had been doing international business for many years and had not met many of his customers. He promoted his hat so they could recognise him in the crowd.
Today there are many who know Bernstein, who started Atlas, the largest non-Japanese Toyota dealership in the world, in 1951.
Bernstein is still active in his company. "I only work half days. I start at seven in the morning and I stop at seven in the evening, that’s 12 hours a day." He still works on promotion and product development aspects of the business.
"Nowadays, I don’t do management jobs like human resources … I only do the things that are fun," he says.
After World War Two, Bernstein left the Navy and was working in a lumber company that made pallets. He sold pallets to forklift dealers and became interested in the industry.
"My contact with Hyster told me there was a need for rental companies in the forklift business. I got interested even though I did not know anything about forklifts."
Bernstein bought two old Clark Clipper forklifts and launched his business in Illinois, USA. The Clark Clippers were 2,000lb capacity gasoline units.
When he started, the rental concept was new in the forklift industry. Other independent dealers (such as Clark) followed soon after.
Initially, Atlas offered forklift rental and used equipment for sale. In 1964, the company became one of the first Bobcat dealers in the USA and in 1969 it started supplying Toyota forklifts.
That was the start of a long, successful career. At the time Bernstein did not think Toyota would be "that successful". After the war there was a general atmosphere against anything Japanese. "When we started, people thought everything from Japan was made of papier maché," he said.
"Choosing Toyota had nothing to do with being smart or intuitive. They were inexpensive but I never thought they would become the industry leader."
The used equipment business is still very important. Atlas supplies used equipment in the US and internationally. At any time Atlas has about 800 used machines in stock.
For Bernstein, the biggest change in the industry is its size. "When we started, most manufacturers were in the USA but now most are not," he said.
"No one leaves this industry: once you’re in, you stay in it."
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Bernstein was born on February 21, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois. He enjoys tennis, swimming, a little bit of golf and, in winter, volunteers as a guide at the Palm Springs Air Museum, in California.
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