Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Florida’s Natural Pro AM

FNG Womans Pro Am Golf Tournament First Place Winners

Congratulation to the Florida Lift Team that participated in the Florida’s Natural Pro AM golf tournament fundraiser who placed 1st. Also congratulations to Jenny Gleason, who placed 6th overall in the tournament of 250, competing for a spot on the LPGA. The annual event averages $50,000 benefiting Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation.

 

Pictured left to right: Charles Matlock, Michael Weathers, Jenny Gleason, Mike Parker, Ed from Florida’s Natural.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Toyota Industries Corporation

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KARIYA, Aichi, Japan — (March 22, 2010) —

Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) today announced it is formalizing the management and operations structure of Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) to further strengthen the Toyota and Raymond brands in North America. This restructuring originating from a long-term growth plan launched in 2005 allows all TMHNA organizations to better collaborate on business efficiencies and share resources resulting in continually improving levels of quality, service and support. TMHNA is comprised of Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), the Columbus, Ind.-based lift truck manufacturing plant; Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc., (TMHU), North America’s number one supplier of lift trucks; and The Raymond Corporation, the North American market leader in electric warehouse trucks. TMHNA will be headquartered at Toyota’s TIEM facilities in Columbus, Ind. The new management and operations structure will strengthen North American regional coordination, while continuing to grow the existing brands and maintaining distribution channels for Toyota and Raymond.

“Today we are further evolving TMHNA’s capabilities to better leverage the knowledge and expertise  throughout our North American companies,” said Tatsuo Matsuura, chairman of the Toyota Material Handling Group (TMHG). “This step will ensure that Toyota and Raymond customers continue to receive the best products and service in the industry.”

 

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TICO formed the TMHG to better leverage the Toyota, BT and Raymond brands and operations worldwide. TMHNA was formed by TMHG as a framework to support the North American market. Management Appointments As part of the reorganization, key management positions have been appointed, effective April 1, 2010:

  • Kazue Sasaki will be appointed chairman of TMHNA and will continue to serve as president of TIEM and Toyota Industries North America, Inc. (TINA). He also will serve on the board for TMHU. Sasaki brings more than 20 years of management and engineering experience, most recently serving as a senior managing officer of TICO.
  • James Malvaso will be appointed president and chief executive officer of TMHNA, and thus will resign as the president and chief executive officer of Raymond. He has been president/CEO/chairman of Raymond for 13 years and has more than 35 years of operations, sales & marketing experience. Malvaso, a recognized leader in the materials handling industry, is a former president of the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) and a current member of ITA’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
  • Charles Pascarelli will be appointed president of the Raymond Sales division of The Raymond Corporation, which includes sales, marketing, distribution development and aftermarket services. He has more than 25 years of proven success in leading companies to sales and marketing excellence. Pascarelli has been with Raymond since 2007 and has served as executive vice president of sales and marketing at Raymond since 2009.
  • Michael Field will be appointed president of the Raymond Operations division of The Raymond Corporation, which includes manufacturing, quality assurance, engineering and procurement. Field has over 20 years of experience managing engineering and operations groups at industrial companies. Field has been with Raymond since 2004 and has served as executive vice president of operations at Raymond since January 2009.
  • Brett Wood will continue to serve as president for TMHU. A TMHU associate since 1989, Wood formerly served as the company’s vice president of marketing, product and strategic planning and training operations and previously oversaw dealer development. Wood is a member of ITA’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
  • Ed Rompala will serve as chief financial officer for TMHNA and will remain as chief financial officer for The Raymond Corporation. Rompala has served as Raymond’s CFO since 1998.
  • Hitoshi Matsuoka is appointed TMHNA Executive Coordinator, and will remain as Executive Vice President/Treasurer for TMHU.
  • Kazuhiro Kurosaka is appointed TMHNA Coordinator, in addition to serving as Finance & Planning Coordinator for TIEM.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Spring Savings!-Parts Special

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Monday, March 15, 2010

Introducing the New 4-Wheel Electric 8FBCU

 

image March 4, 2010 Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) unveiled its innovative new line of 8-Series 4-wheel AC electric lift trucks, available in 4,000 to 6,500 pound load capacities—including a new 5,500 pound model. Ideally suited for virtually every indoor material handling need, from food and beverage to general warehousing and distribution centers, this AC-powered lift truck delivers longer runtimes and offers quicker acceleration, elevating the industry standards of productivity, efficiency, durability and safety. The new 4-wheel models will be manufactured exclusively at the company’s facility in Columbus, Ind., Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM) starting this May with orders currently being accepted though Florida Lift Systems and Southern States Toyota Lift.

―To meet customers’ needs for increased productivity and efficiency, we are introducing the most powerful AC electric lift truck Toyota has ever built,‖ said Brett Wood, president of TMHU.

 

With the 8-Series 4-wheel AC-powered lift trucks, Toyota offers our customers improved performance speedsincluding up to 21 percent faster travel speeds over the previous model. Toyota’s New 8-Series 4-Wheel Electric Lift Truck Raises Industry Standards.

AC Power System with Revved- Up Travel and Lift Speeds

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Toyota was the first major lift truck supplier to bring AC technology to the North American market. Taking this acclaimed technological advancement to new levels, Toyota’s lift truck offerings now include a 4-wheel AC-powered lift truck with the distinct performance advantages of Toyota-designed, motors and controllers. The AC-powered system is comprised of a series of subsystems—each of which either conserves or regenerates power to maximize operational productivity between battery charges. The motor features a ―power keep‖ function, which is designed to compensate for battery depletion and corresponding loss of performance, allowing for longer run times and more consistent power output throughout the length of each battery charge cycle. In addition, energy is continually recovered through three forms of regenerative braking, coast control, plug braking and foot braking extending run times significantly and prolonging brake component life.

Reduced Maintenance to Improve Customers’ Bottom Line

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Toyota’s virtually maintenance-free AC power system contains no motor brushes, springs, commutator or wearable parts to service and replace, resulting in fewer, quicker and less expensive maintenance and operational costs. The lift truck’s AC-powered drive system and AC-powered hydraulic system boost travel and lift speeds. Also, by controlling the on-demand, full hydrostatic power steering through the AC hydraulic motor system, there is one less motor to service and maintain.
This notable increase in AC-powered performance, combined with a reduction in down time for maintenance, means significant enhancements in productivity and efficiency for customers.

Enhanced Visibility

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A number of operator visibility enhancing features were integrated into the new
4-wheel electric AC lift trucks including angled tie-bars on both the overhead guard and load backrest extension along with lowered free-lift cylinders on both the 3-stage and
4-stage masts. The 8-Series Multifunction Digital Display was also integrated into the front cowl to give the operator an uncluttered forward view toward the load and operating environment, and the fork color was changed to orange in order to help clearly define the position of the fork tips.

 

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Additional Lift Truck Operability Enhancements

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A Momentary Hold and Controlled Descent feature is now standard and maximizes lift truck control by regulating rolling speed when the accelerator pedal is released on a grade. It also allows the lift truck to be started on an inclined surface without rolling backward.
Also, a Shock Sensor option, integrated into the multifunction digital display, enables end users to monitor lift truck damage or fleet abuse. When an impact is detected that exceeds a pre-set level it warns the operator by displaying a highlighted ―Shock Sensor Alarm icon on the display and sounding a buzzer. At the same time the controller records the date and time of the event to be later retrieved by the warehouse manager through the digital display. If the lift truck is equipped with the Keyless Entry System option the controller will also record the PIN of the operator that was driving the unit at the time of truck impact. This will facilitate determining the operator responsible for the damage caused to the equipment. This system cannot be deactivated even if the operator tries to reset it by either turning the key, off and on again, or by disconnecting
and reconnecting the battery connector. Only the warehouse manager with the appropriate password can reset the system. Additionally, for maximum productivity and to minimize product damage, an Auto Height Select option is available to allow warehouse managers to program the lift truck to automatically stop the forks up to three pre-determined rack heights.

Call now to place orders or for additional info.

Southern States Toyotalift and Florida Lift Systems
800.226.2345 | info@floridalift.com
115 S. 78th St, Tampa, FL 33619

Friday, March 12, 2010

Toyota Fast Facts

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                                                        March 8, 2010
This is Toyota Fast Facts, an update on breaking news, our recent recalls and the work we are doing to make things right for our customers. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For additional information and breaking news, please visitwww.toyotanewsroom.com.

1. Toyota Rebuts Unintended Acceleration Study Presented to Congress2010 Toyota Electronic Throttle Control 004

Toyota today raised serious concerns about the validity, methodology and credibility of a demonstration of alleged unintended acceleration in a Toyota Avalon by University of Southern Illinois professor David Gilbert. He presented his findings during a Congressional hearing and on a segment of ABC News.
At a news briefing this morning at TMS headquarters in Torrance, Calif., Toyota revealed the results of a comprehensive analysis conducted by the company and engineering consulting firm Exponent. The analysis of Gilbert’s findings shows:
1.        The Toyota vehicle’s electronics were rewired and reengineered in multiple ways and in a specific sequence. There is no evidence to suggest that this highly unlikely scenario has ever occurred in the real world.
2.        The electronic systems were actively manipulated to mimic a valid full-throttle condition
3.        Substantially similar results can be obtained in vehicles made by other manufacturers.
On hand to discuss these findings were J. Christian Gerdes, mechanical engineering professor at Stanford University and director, Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS); Subodh Medhekar, principal engineer, Exponent; and Kristen Tabar, general manager of Electronics Systems, Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
To read the news release and view related materials, please click on: http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/electronic-throttle-control-154300.aspx.

2. Toyota Responds to House Committee Request
Toyota will cooperate with a request from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for additional information about unintended acceleration.
In a letter sent Friday to TMS President and COO Jim Lentz, committee chairman Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said there is an “absence of documents showing that Toyota has systematically investigated the possibility of electronic defects that could cause sudden unintended acceleration.”
In response, Toyota issued the following statement:
“We have received the letter, and will, of course, cooperate. Toyota has already agreed to keep the committee informed on a regular basis. We are providing them with the Exponent report and results of additional testing by Toyota regarding erroneous allegations by [Southern Illinois University professor David] Gilbert that sudden unwanted acceleration can easily be induced in real world conditions. Toyota has offered to demonstrate the results of our further research and would welcome committee representatives to observe those demonstrations.
“Toyota is quickly investigating verifiable complaints of unintended acceleration and we are doing everything we can to ensure that our customers are confident in their vehicles and the remedies.”

3.  Gawker.com Calls Part of ABC News Report ‘Staged’ 
In the ABC News segment about professor David Gilbert’s allegations of unintended acceleration, reporter Brian Ross and his crew fabricated a critical shot of the Toyota’s tachometer, according to Gawker.com. Gawker contends that ABC then inserted the shot into a sequence that shows Ross driving the car in a way that manipulated reality for dramatic effect to suit his story line. “The tachometer footage is faked,” Gawker said.  
To read Gawker’s report and its update about a reedit by ABC, click on: http://gawker.com/5486666/how-abc-news-brian-ross-staged-his-toyota-death-ride.

4. U.S. News and World Report Offers Five Reasons to Buy a Toyota
Although Toyota has taken a nose dive, it will recover, writes Rick Newman in U.S. News and World Report. And he offers five reasons to buy a Toyota vehicle: “Safety concerns are exaggerated, recalls aren’t the whole story, Toyota’s not alone, the cars are still good, and [Toyota offers] white-glove treatment.” To read the article, click on: http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2010/03/02/5-reasons-to-buy-a-toyota.html.

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Minit-Charger

 

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Used Equipment Showroom

 

“NEW IDEA” from ValdostaUsed trucks

According to Max Lewis-Branch Ops. Mgr and Jody Hall-Territory Manager, things are picking up in Valdosta.  We are seeing a fairly significant level of customers stopping in to look at equipment.  Max’s idea was to be ‘Customer Ready’ at all times by having a place to take a customer to immediately to show an array of used equipment available. Therefore a used equipment showroom is being developed to meet this new demand.

Jody now can suggest to customers that they can stop in and see the equipment if he is not there, and be confident of what they will see.  Max has been a good ‘pinch hitter’ according to Jody and has done well hosting accounts and doing a good walk-around.

This is ‘TEAM-WORK’ in action!

Good things happening and the economy appears to be gaining some steam.

If you are doing something special or a little ‘out of the box’, or maybe just different for you, send it in.  We need all of the good ideas we can find.

Great Job TEAM—Valdosta!

 

-Jeff Fischer

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Green Solutions

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Click here to view the President of Florida Lift Systems, Jeff Fischer, talk in more detail about how to become more green using a Toyota.

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Monday, March 1, 2010

Max on used parts program

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It seems as though our new “Used Parts Program” is already experiencing some success. If you missed it, see Feb. 17th, blog entry UPDATE ON ‘USED PARTS’ PROJECT.

Below is an email announcement from Max Lewis II, Branch Manager in Valdosta, highlighting how he recently utilized the new program.

“This program helped me out greatly. I had a 7FBEU15 rental loose a drive unit. The parts to rental were over 4K alone. Ed found me a used drive unit and Lummie met me half way with it. We were able to fix the truck in under 24 hours and saved the company a lot of money. A Big thanks to Ed and Lummie”.

Max Lewis II

Branch Operations Manager

 Southern States TOYOTA Lift

Valdosta Ga.

BevOps 2010

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