Clark Material Handling Co has bought EverGreen Electric Vehicles LLC as a complement to its existing product lines.

Terms were not disclosed.

Dennis Lawrence, president and CEO of Lexington-based Clark, says: "Industrial vehicles are a market segment many of our dealers already participate in."

Clark intends to roll out its sales, marketing and distribution plan for industrial vehicles to the marketplace before year's end.

Keith Andrews, a founding member of EverGreen, says: "I believe this strategic sale of EverGreen to Clark will significantly benefit both organisations."

Clark and EverGreen principals began talks during the first quarter of 2012 and completed the transaction on 3 October.

EverGreen has offices with six staff members in Grand Junction, Colorado, and a 30,000 sq ft. (2,787 sq m) assembly and production facility in Compton, California. Principal EverGreen distribution channels are materials handling equipment, golf car and motorsports dealers.

EverGreen brands and products include EVE low-speed street-legal vehicles, Legacy golf and recreational cars, Hoss commercial and industrial units, and Goat off-road vehicles.

From 2004, EverGreen imported electric golf cars under the Fairplay brand. The name was changed to Legacy. EverGreen later moved assembly to the US and, in 2009, introduced EVE, an acronym for electric vehicle engineering.

"We believe industrial vehicles - inclusive of personal transports, burden carriers and utility vehicles - are a natural complement to our material handling line," Clark says. "Typical material handling users operate these vehicles in manufacturing facilities, distribution centres, government installations and municipal sites."

Clark dealers call routinely on customers that use the vehicles, the company notes. "As such, we view these products as incremental sales opportunities, inclusive of vehicles and aftermarket parts, [and] another way in which we attempt to improve the Clark offerings our valued dealers can take to their respective markets."

In addition to industrial vehicles, Clark supplies electric and internal combustion forklifts, manual pallet jacks, powered pallet jacks and narrow-aisle forklifts.