Crown Equipment Corporation
A privately held American manufacturer of forklifts, warehouse vehicles, and material-handling technology.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Crown Equipment Corporation is a privately held American manufacturer of powered industrial trucks and related material-handling systems. Based in New Bremen, Ohio, the company serves warehouses, distribution centers, factories, retailers, logistics operators, and other industrial users. Its portfolio includes electric forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, stackers, pallet trucks, turret trucks, counterbalanced trucks, internal-combustion forklifts, and work-assist vehicles. Crown also supplies fleet-management, operator-training, maintenance, parts, and service programs. The company’s roots predate the Crown name. Its predecessor businesses made temperature controls for coal-burning furnaces and later television antenna rotators. In 1945, Carl and Allen Dicke and Carl’s son Jim Dicke established Crown Controls Corporation. The company continued to diversify during the postwar period, including subcontract manufacturing of mechanical and electrical components for private companies and the U.S. government. It entered material handling in the 1950s with specialized lift trucks, initially targeting applications that larger manufacturers did not emphasize. Crown’s early material-handling products included government stockpickers, order pickers, postal-service equipment, and other purpose-built trucks. The company subsequently moved toward repeatable product families, including the hand-operated and battery-powered E-Z Lift lines. A medium-duty hand pallet truck introduced in 1962 helped establish the company’s reputation for industrial design. Crown’s strategy increasingly combined engineering, ergonomics, and distinctive product design with a focus on narrow-aisle and specialized warehouse applications. Several product developments became important turning points. The 1972 RC rider stand-up counterbalanced truck used a side-stance operator position intended to improve forward and rearward visibility. Crown introduced the RR reach-truck series in 1980 for narrow warehouse aisles, and later expanded into very-narrow-aisle turret trucks, high-level stockpickers, powered pallet trucks, stackers, and work-assist vehicles. The Wave, introduced in the late 1990s, was designed to combine load transport and elevated work functions in warehouses, retail sites, manufacturing environments, and maintenance operations. Crown also expanded beyond electric equipment. It distributed certain privately branded internal-combustion trucks through arrangements involving Komatsu and CLARK, and in 2009 introduced the company-manufactured C-5 Series. The C-5 used an industrial spark-ignited engine developed with John Deere Power Systems and incorporated cooling and visibility features intended for demanding industrial use. The company has also investigated fuel-cell power for lift trucks and warehouse applications. Manufacturing is substantially vertically integrated. Crown has reported producing as much as 85 percent of the parts used in its lift trucks, including wire harnesses, motors, masts, and other components. Its production and engineering footprint includes facilities in west-central Ohio and other U.S. states, as well as manufacturing, distribution, and sales operations in Germany, Mexico, and China. Crown’s Suzhou facility began producing hand pallet trucks in 2006. The company operates internationally through its own organizations, dealers, and service network, with products used in many countries. Crown differentiates itself through product engineering, industrial design, operator ergonomics, service support, and warehouse productivity software. Its products and design programs have received recognition from organizations including the Industrial Designers Society of America, Red Dot, iF, and the Chicago Athenaeum. Crown has also promoted environmental initiatives, including efforts to reduce hazardous waste, eliminate chromium from certain paint processes, and reduce wastewater through powder-coating technology. It remains an active, family-influenced private company and a major global participant in the forklift and warehouse-equipment industry.
History
Crown’s business history extends to the predecessor Pioneer Heat Regulator Company, which made controls for coal-burning furnaces during the 1920s. As heating technology changed, the business moved into television antenna rotators and other products. Crown Controls Corporation was formed in 1945 by Carl Dicke, Allen Dicke, and Jim Dicke. After Carl Dicke died in 1952, the 31-year-old Jim Dicke became president. During the late 1950s and 1960s, the company supported its growth through subcontract work for industrial customers and the U.S. government, including military-related manufacturing. It also entered material handling with specialized lift trucks. Crown’s early products included stockpickers, order pickers, postal equipment, and unusual application-specific vehicles. Rather than immediately competing in the largest conventional forklift categories, the company concentrated on niches where maneuverability, customization, and design could provide an advantage. Crown later rationalized its offering around the E-Z Lift hand-operated and battery-powered lines. A hand-controlled pallet truck introduced in 1962 became an important design milestone, and the company joined the Industrial Truck Association in 1970. A large order from furniture retailer Levitz for stockpickers helped build sales momentum. Crown also opened an Australian plant during this period. The company’s design-oriented strategy became particularly visible in its stand-up counterbalanced and reach-truck products. The RC Series, introduced in 1972, placed the operator in a side-facing stance intended to improve visibility in both directions. The RR Series, launched in 1980, addressed narrow-aisle warehouse work. Crown subsequently developed turret stockpickers, high-level order-picking equipment, stackers, pallet trucks, and other warehouse vehicles. Product awards from industrial-design organizations reinforced the company’s reputation for combining engineering and visual design. Crown expanded its work-assist portfolio with the Wave in the late 1990s. The vehicle was designed for tasks that might otherwise require a handcart, rolling ladder, or warehouse ladder. In 2000, Crown ended production of its television antenna rotators, completing a long transition away from its earlier consumer and communications products. The company broadened its internal-combustion presence through distribution and private-brand agreements. In 2008, Crown entered a branding arrangement involving Komatsu lift trucks for distribution in the United States and Canada. In 2011, CLARK supplied certain privately branded internal-combustion trucks for Crown distribution under the Hamech name. Crown’s own C-5 Series became available in 2009 and represented a further step into company-manufactured internal-combustion equipment. Manufacturing and technical integration remain central to the business. Crown has stated that it produces much of the content of its trucks internally, from small components and wire harnesses to motors, masts, and final assemblies. Its operations have included facilities in Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Germany, Mexico, and Suzhou, China. Environmental programs in Ohio included chromium reduction in paint formulations, powder coating, and wastewater reduction. Crown also developed technician education through its Demonstrated Performance method and DP QuickStart training. The company continues to operate as a privately held international manufacturer of lift trucks, warehouse vehicles, and associated technology.
- 2011
Hamech private-brand supply arrangement
[1]CLARK supplies certain internal-combustion trucks for Crown distribution under the Hamech brand.
- 2009
C-5 Series becomes available
[1]Crown introduces its first company-manufactured internal-combustion forklift series.
- 2008
Ohio funds fuel-cell research
[1]Crown receives state support to investigate fuel-cell power for industrial trucks.
- 2007
TSP 6000 and ST/SX 3000 receive design awards
[1]Crown’s turret stockpicker and stacker products receive international design recognition.
- 2006
Suzhou manufacturing facility opens
[1]Crown begins manufacturing hand pallet trucks in Suzhou, China.
- 2000
Antenna rotator production ends
[1]Crown stops manufacturing television antenna rotators as its material-handling focus becomes definitive.
- 1999
Wave receives GOOD DESIGN recognition
[1]The Wave work-assist vehicle receives a GOOD DESIGN award.
- 1990
RR Series receives Design of the Decade recognition
[1]The Industrial Designers Society of America recognizes the RR truck design.
- 1980
RR reach-truck series introduced
[1]Crown launches reach trucks designed for narrow warehouse aisles.
- 1972
RC stand-up counterbalanced truck introduced
[1]The RC Series introduces a side-stance operating position for improved visibility while traveling forward or backward.
Products and positioning
A premium, design-led material-handling manufacturer emphasizing electric warehouse equipment, operator ergonomics, engineering integration, productivity, and lifecycle service.
Stand-up counterbalanced forklifts · 1972
Crown RC Series
Introduced in 1972, the RC Series uses a rider stand-up configuration with a side-facing operator stance. The layout was intended to improve the operator’s ability to look in both travel directions without manipulating controls behind the body. It became one of Crown’s notable examples of ergonomics-led forklift design.
Reach trucks · 1980
Crown RR Series
The RR Series was introduced for narrow-aisle warehouse and distribution-center operations. Reach-truck architecture allows loads to be placed and retrieved in dense storage environments where aisle width is constrained. The series became associated with Crown’s emphasis on maneuverability and industrial design.
Turret stockpickers
TSP 6000 Series
The TSP 6000 is a very-narrow-aisle turret stockpicker designed to support high-level warehouse storage and order picking. Its mast and turret configuration enables work at substantial rack heights while using compact aisles. The product received multiple international design awards.
Work-assist vehicle · 1990
Wave Work Assist Vehicle
The Wave is a powered work-assist vehicle intended to transport or retrieve loads and provide elevated access for warehouse, retail, manufacturing, maintenance, and facility tasks. It was positioned as an alternative to combining handcarts with rolling ladders or warehouse ladders.
Internal-combustion forklifts · 2009
Crown C-5 Series
The C-5 Series was Crown’s first company-manufactured internal-combustion forklift line. Its industrial spark-ignited engine was developed with John Deere Power Systems from a diesel-engine platform. The design also incorporated on-demand cooling and radiator-clearing features, along with operator-visibility and comfort improvements.
Fleet-management system
InfoLink
InfoLink is Crown’s fleet-management and operator-support technology offering. It is associated with collecting and presenting equipment and operator information to help customers manage utilization, safety, maintenance, and warehouse productivity. Exact current feature scope is not specified in the supplied sources.
Hand-operated and battery-powered lift trucks
E-Z Lift Trucks
The E-Z Lift product families represented Crown’s move from highly customized one-off vehicles toward more standardized material-handling products. The H series was hand-operated, while the B series was battery-powered.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006DP QuickStart technician training
Global
Crown promoted its Demonstrated Performance training method through DP QuickStart, replacing primarily lecture-based instruction with self-paced modules requiring technicians to demonstrate mastery of core service skills.
Outcome. The program received an International Society for Performance Improvement Award of Excellence for an instructional product.
- 2004Environmental partnership and waste minimization
United States
Crown participated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s waste-minimization and National Partnership for Environmental Priorities efforts. The company worked to remove chromium from water-based paint formulations and introduced powder-coating changes that reduced wastewater and sludge.
Outcome. The reported results included lower hazardous-waste emissions, reduced wastewater, improved workplace conditions, and annual savings; precise figures are reported in the reference material but are not independently detailed here.
Brand decisions
2011
Hamech private-brand distributionStrategyBackground
Crown wanted to distribute selected internal-combustion trucks in the United States and Canada through factory stores and a limited dealer network.
Action taken
Crown entered an arrangement with CLARK Material Handling Company to supply certain privately branded internal-combustion trucks marketed as Hamech.
Aftermath
Hamech expanded Crown’s channel offering in internal-combustion equipment, although the supplied sources do not specify the arrangement’s duration or later status.
2009
Launch of the Crown C-5 SeriesProduct launchBackground
Crown had historically emphasized electric and specialized warehouse equipment but also distributed internal-combustion products through external arrangements.
Action taken
Crown released the C-5 Series, its first company-manufactured internal-combustion forklift line, using an engine developed with John Deere Power Systems.
Aftermath
The launch broadened Crown’s internally manufactured product portfolio; the supplied sources do not quantify sales or market share effects.
2008
Investigation of fuel-cell power for lift trucksOtherBackground
Crown sought to address technical and commercial barriers to using fuel-cell power packs as alternatives to conventional industrial-truck batteries.
Action taken
The company accepted nearly $1 million in Ohio grant funding to test combinations of lift trucks and fuel-cell power and identify required design modifications.
Aftermath
The supplied sources describe the research objective but do not establish a subsequent commercial product launch or quantified business outcome.
Recent events
- 2025
Crown reports worldwide fiscal 2025 sales[1]
Other
Wikipedia describes Crown as having reported $5.26 billion in worldwide sales revenue for fiscal year 2025.
- 2009
Crown introduces the C-5 Series[1]
Product launch
Crown released its first company-manufactured internal-combustion forklift series, developed with John Deere Power Systems.
- 2008
Crown receives Ohio fuel-cell research grant[1]
Other
Ohio awarded Crown nearly $1 million to study fuel-cell power packs and their integration into industrial lift trucks.
- 2006
Crown begins production of hand pallet trucks in Suzhou[1]
Other
Crown expanded its manufacturing footprint in China with a hand-pallet-truck facility in Suzhou.
Sources3 sources
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