Crown Equipment Corp has established its own direct sales and service operation in Italy, following the opening of similar operations in Spain in 2011 and Austria in 2012.

The firm's retail operation, Crown Lift Trucks, will assume responsibility for the business activities of current distributor AMIS SpA of Paderno Dugnano, Italy near Milan and hire the AMIS employees.

"The Crown name is well established in Italy," says Piero Lombardi, general manager of Crown Lift Trucks in Italy and formerly with AMIS.

Crown manufactures many of its products being offered in Italy at a factory in Roding, Germany. Overnight parts deliveries from Crown's European parts centre in Munich will support the new Italian service organisation.

AMIS in Milan province had been formed through the convergence of several forklift sales, service and rental dealership companies including La Penchini Macchine Industriali Srl of Corciano in Perugia province, Califano Carrelli SpA in Rome and SIMAT Srl of Palo Del Colle in Bari province.

Crown is based in New Bremen.