James Malvaso

Forkliftaction.com News speaks to Mr James Malvaso, president and CEO of Raymond Corp about his career in this week's industry profile. Malvaso is also the president of the Industrial Truck Association.

Q. Give a brief description of your career path leading to your current position.

Holding a BA degree from Le Moyne College and an MBA from the University of Rochester, I began my career in operations for the New Process Gear Division of Chrysler Corporation in 1972. After holding positions in planning, purchasing and production, I joined the GRS division of General Signal in 1980. I held the positions of vice president of operations and vice president of sales before joining Pfaudler Corporation as vice president of operations in 1990.

Q. Give a brief history of your position with your current company and share with us what you like about your work.

In 1993 I joined Raymond Corporation as vice president of operations, was promoted to president and COO in 1995 and president and CEO in 1997. I became president of the Industrial Truck Association this year. I truly enjoy the materials handling industry. In general terms, there is hardly an item used by consumers or manufacturers that has not been touched by a materials handling vehicle. The industry is a key element in the overall workings of the world economy. At Raymond, I thoroughly enjoy the strategic planning that has been a key to the company's success, whether it is in production and product development or sales, marketing and distribution.


Q. What is the most amazing project you have ever worked on?

There are several in this category but I would highlight the transformation of Raymond's manufacturing plants into world-class facilities. Also, our introduction of AC traction and lift systems into the North American market and their growing acceptance has been quite rewarding.

Q. During your career, what notable changes have you witnessed in the materials handling industry?

There has been growing recognition of the value forklifts can bring to an operation. This is supported by the attention paid to overall cost of ownership and growing requests for fleet services support. Battery shift life is receiving considerable attention. Raymond's ACR system, using AC motor and control technology, has demonstrated considerable improvement in that area. Customers are interested in emerging technologies, such as fuel cells and RFID. Overall, the sophistication level of users of materials handling vehicles continues to advance rapidly. For a supposedly mature market, demands for increased productivity, improved operating costs and enhanced functionality continue to drive innovations in the industry.