 Aerial shot of the Taylor Machine Works plant in Louisville, Mississippi. |
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In the first of our weekly industry profiles, Forkliftaction.com News speaks to Taylor Machine Works' vice president for operations, Robert Taylor, about his company.
Q. What are your company’s products/services?
A. Taylor is a major provider of materials handling products with capacities ranging from 16,000lbs (7258kg) to more than 120,000lbs (54,431kg). Its market includes forest products, container handling, heavy metal production, marinas, and concrete products industries to other heavy industries. Taylor has more than 85 models in its product line and a considerable amount of production incorporates specialised engineering. Taylor’s vast distribution network includes dealers and factory direct representation throughout North America and globally.
Sudden Service Inc, Taylor’s aftermarket parts and service provider, provides professional product support for Taylor equipment. Taylor is committed to providing customers with equipment that continues to operate at the lowest life-cycle cost available in the industry.
Q. Give a brief history of your company’s involvement in the materials handling industry.
 WA "Alex" Taylor |
A. In 1927, WA "Alex" Taylor opened a small machine shop in the rural town of Louisville, Mississippi. The first materials handling product was developed in the 1930s. It was the first mechanised means of skidding logs out of the woods and was called "the answer to a logger's dream". In the 1940s and 1950s, Alex recognised a need for an inexpensive method to move lumber and pulpwood in south-eastern United States. His team developed a forklift using an old truck chassis and a series of winches to pick up loads.
In the 1950s and 1960s, WA "Bill" Taylor became active in company management and developed a distribution network throughout the US. The product line started taking shape in the 1960s and 1970s and Taylor came into its own as a leader in the big truck market. In the late 1980s, Taylor developed the TEC-950, building on more than 20 years of involvement in the inter-modal industry.
The TEC-950 became one of the leading products in the container handling business in the US. Consequently its profile has become the industry standard worldwide. Throughout the 1990s, there was considerable expansion in Taylor’s product line and distribution organisation. Taylor is the largest family-owned, full-line producer of heavy lift equipment in the US.
Q. What is your company’s current position in the regional market? How about globally?
A. Taylor is blessed to have a fantastic portfolio of customers domestically and internationally. There are no association numbers to determine exact market share but Taylor is one of the leaders in the big truck market.
Q. What makes your company outstanding in its market?
 "The answer to a logger's dream" |
A. Taylor’s ad campaign this year emphasises that its equipment just "stands out" against the competition. It is evident that Taylor equipment is designed for successful completion of tough jobs. Taylor stands out in three-shift, high duty-cycle environments, and the company backs up its products better than the rest.
From Taylor’s trademark red colour to its overhead tilt profile to a unitised all-steel superstructure and a host of other unique features, Big Red machines "stand out" above the rest. Taylor manufactured products "stand out" for extended periods of operation. In the secondary market, a Taylor machine will be the unit that holds its value better than any other forklift on the market.
Q. Tell us your company’s future plans.
A. It is very simple. Taylor will strive to do "the next thing right consistently" when it comes to customers, dealers, employees and suppliers. Taylor intends to remain a family business and expand its product offering into applications and models that are complementary to its customer base and distribution network.
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