Taiwan's Tailift Company has appointed Worldwide Wholesale Forklifts as its exclusive distributor for Tailift forklifts in the US and Canada.
The appointment follows Tailift's reacquisition of North American marketing rights from its original distributor there, Tailift USA of Dallas, Texas, as part of the settlement of an unresolved contractual dispute that was headed for a federal court hearing.
Tailift Co president Steve Lin said the Tailift USA contract was terminated on July 12 "as the result of a mutual agreement" and was followed on July 24 with the appointment of Wholesale.
The settlement involved Tailift Co agreeing to assume the rights, title and interest of the name Tailift USA as well as the contracts and dealer network established by Tailift USA.
The Taiwanese manufacturer repurchased the Texas firm's inventory of forklifts and parts before establishing Fort Lauderdale-based Worldwide as its distributor.
The settlement was reached the same day the case was scheduled to go to trial, after Tailift USA had disputed portions of its OEM contract and sued Tailift Co in the US District Court in January, 2003.
Worldwide Wholesale Forklifts employs about 40 people with consolidated 2004 sales of more than USD40 million.
Tailift, which makes forklifts in the 1.36-4.54-tonne range, employs more than 1000 staff at three plants and anticipates manufacturing more than 7,500 forklifts in 2004, generating sales of about USD100 million.