Give a brief history of your company.

Since its humble beginnings, Mobile Industries Inc has evolved into a world leader in the materials handling manufacturing industry. Mobile boasts a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Canada and was one of the first North American materials handling manufacturers to secure a joint-venture agreement with a Chinese manufacturing facility. The combined facilities now produce more than 60,000 pallet trucks a year that are distributed to all corners of the globe.

Mobile has been on the cutting edge of the materials handling industry for more than 48 years. In its infancy, Mobile recognised the need for a more diversified line of pallet trucks. Models in the market at the time were limited to standard widths and lengths. When Mobile started producing models that were longer, shorter, wider or narrower, depending on customer requirements, the company took off.

What are your products/services?

Mobile has relied on in-house design and engineering departments to create solutions for new applications. That resulted in a wide variety of new pallet trucks that have since become industry standard. Low profile, stainless steel, four-way and custom-sized models are several products Mobile has pioneered.

Mobile's next step was to expand into manufacturing other materials handling products and the Mobile scissor lift and stacker lines were born. Mobile also is recognised as a leader in those products, boasting one of the most diversified lines of intermediate stackers in the industry. Mobile's custom design and build capabilities develop more customised solutions for unique applications.

Mobile has introduced three new lines. The first is an extensive line of self-propelled pallet trucks and stackers that feature the durability and quality of competitors' products at lower prices. The second is a complementary line of generic allied products, such as hand trucks, jacks, dockplates and lift tables suited to most warehousing, retail and office requirements. There also is a line of store fixture products, such as platform trucks, rolling ladders and lumber carts, designed for, and used by, big box stores and large retail chains, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

Tell us about your company's success.

Mobile's success has been driven by forward thinking. Mobile works with dealers and customers to provide industry-specific solutions based on quality, ergonomics and economics. The latter is significant. Price sensitivity without compromising on quality is extremely important. In the past decade there has been an explosion of offshore products that has flooded the market. Unfortunately, many models have been of inferior quality. Mobile has been producing a premium model, the MLX55 pallet truck, for 46 years.

To offer an economic alternative to the MLX, Mobile introduced the ECO line. Although ECO is short for economical, it is not a cheap product. Designed and engineered by Mobile and manufactured under a joint-venture agreement with Mobile's Chinese partner, the ECO line still offers many high-end features for which Mobile is known. That has enabled Mobile and its dealers to compete in any market worldwide. Mobile's motto is: "Based on similar features, Mobile will not be undersold on any pallet truck."

Mobile understands and heralds the importance of the manufacturer-distributor relationship. The symbiotic relationship is based on a mutually beneficial understanding that the only way both parties can benefit is if they move product. While many companies simply dump products and responsibility on dealers, Mobile recognises that it succeeds only if dealers succeed.

The strength of any company can be measured by the success of its service and Mobile prides itself on providing unparalleled customer service. The nicest compliment any large company can receive is acknowledgement that it offers the benefits of a global company but operates like a small, local company.

Tell us your plans for the future.

Mobile's reputation as a world leader has provided opportunities to strike partnerships with warehousing and transport companies to better service the global market. Mobile has partnered with Hellmann Worldwide Logistics to secure state-of-the-art, stocked North American warehouses in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Charlotte and Los Angeles, and European warehouses in Rotterdam and Barcelona. There are future plans to expand to South America and the Middle East.