The new Hyster reach truck has a new mast design and a modular operator compartment.

The NACCO Material Handling Group (NMHG) warehouse business in Europe has averaged 14% annual growth since 1996 and its new reach truck, reported in Forkliftaction.com News Product News this week, is an important milestone for the business.

To prepare for production of the new reach truck, the Masate plant closed for four weeks during the northern summer of 2013.

"We are pleased to bring the most advanced Hyster reach truck into production following many years of design and relentless customer testing," says Masate plant manager Michele Corini.

"About 20,000 units are manufactured here in Masate each year," Corini adds.

The 35,000 sqm (376,737 sqft.) Masate site, near Milan, has over 250 permanent employees and the capacity to build 85 trucks a day.

Corini, who joined NMHG as a manufacturing engineer in 2000 and became the Masate plant manager in March 2010, says: "To support the testing we carry out during development, we also follow up with customers to gather results from real-life applications, which is the proof we provide to the rest of the world."

Masate also produces very narrow aisle trucks, order pickers, stackers and powered pallet trucks. The facilities include a product development centre and an extensive testing area. The plant serves the global market for Hyster warehouse equipment, delivering trucks to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Brazil, Asia Pacific and China.