Christian Gibson, inventor of the first narrow aisle forklift, died on January 22, aged 89.

Raymond Corp president James Malvaso said Gibson's contribution to warehousing was legendary.

"Chris's passing marks a sad day in the history of the materials handling business," he said. "His contributions formed a foundation for the success of this company and changed the way businesses think about warehousing."

Gibson joined Raymond in 1943, the first professional engineer hired by company founder George Raymond Sr. Raymond manufactured the USA's first narrow aisle forklift in 1949. By 1953, Raymond had manufactured 1,000 of the new trucks.

Gibson retired in 1983, but continued to work with Raymond as a consultant until October, 2002.