Robert Engstrom

Darr Equipment Co, one of the largest Caterpillar forklift dealerships in the United States, has launched an advanced materials handling solutions division, 54 Intralogistics. The new company will provide solutions including warehouse systems design, equipment integration, automation and robotics, automated guided vehicles, racking storage and dock equipment, project management and logistics solutions. The new division builds on the expertise of Darr Equipment, which was founded in 1954 by Hal Darr as a Caterpillar diesel tractor dealership. The company has evolved through the years and has held true to Hal Darr's guiding principle of supporting customers with best-in-class equipment and services. Darr has 11 locations throughout Texas and Oklahoma and represents nearly 20 brands of materials handling equipment with parts, service, rentals and training. "We created 54 Intralogistics because it was time for the next innovation in integrated warehouse solutions," says Robert Engstrom, Hal Darr's great-grandson and current president of Darr Equipment. "There was a need to assist customers maximising the speed and efficiency of their businesses from the inside out by integrating equipment and technology that would optimise the flow of products at their facility." The pandemic has fast forwarded the materials handling industry like many other industries forced to adapt to changing supply chain demands, he adds. Many traditional materials handling professionals need a trusted resource to guide them into the next generation of warehouse solutions and new technologies, including smart equipment options, automation, robotics and integration. The company name was drawn from the roots of Darr's founding in 1954.