 BT staff in the 1960s. |
BT Group has pledged to "invest aggressively" and "intensify product development" as it celebrates 60 years of warehouse truck innovation.
The Swedish-based company, now part of Toyota Industries Corporation, has nearly 9,000 employees, seven production sites in four countries and annual sales of SEK15 billion (USD1,968 million).
In a brochure commemorating the group's 60th anniversary, BT chronicled the company's development from the 1950s to 2006.
Company CEO Per Zaunders said the group was intensifying product development to secure its position at the forefront of the industry.
BT through the decades- 1950s: BT acquired its first premises in Stockholm. Its original name was AB Bygg och Transportekonomi, later shortened to BT. The standard pallet truck was introduced and production of manual stackers started. BT products were exported on a small scale.
- 1960s: BT established international sales companies in European countries and exports rose to 50 per cent of BT sales. The first BT reach stacker was manufactured.
- 1970s: BT established in the North American market by starting sales companies in USA and Canada.
- 1980s: Sales quadrupled, passing the SEK1 billion (USD131 million) mark in 1982. The 1,000,000th hand pallet truck was delivered in 1984. BT further strengthened its North American position with the acquisitions of Canada's Lift-Rite and USA's Prime-Mover.
- 1990s: BT went through a major restructuring and, in 1995, listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Acquisitions included Raymond Corp, USA, in 1997; Mechanical Handling Consultants in 1998; and CESAB, Italy, in 1999.
- 2000s: Toyota Industries Corporation bought BT in 2000. Combined, they have a 20 per cent share of the global industrial forklift market (Forkliftaction.com News #1).
BT launched a lifetime guarantee for hand pallet trucks in 2005 (Forkliftaction.com News #204).
Toyota and BT capitalised on synergy potentials by joining to form one global organisation, the Toyota Material Handling Group (TMHG) (Forkliftaction.com News #203). In 2006, BT added a sales and service company in Finland.
Go to
www.bt-forklifts.com to view a flash film of BT Group's 60-year history.