A History of Forklifts

So ingrained into the framework of our warehouses and factories are forklift trucks, that it seems like they have been around for a long time.

The truth is that the forklift as we know it today did not truly emerge until World War I, taking the form we know them in now after World War II.

^{M. D. Shore, S1-c, operating a forklift truck at the Navy supply depot at Guam, Marianas. National Archives at College Park / Public domain.}

Vital Machinery

Forklifts are a huge part of our modern infrastructure, helping us to handle large amounts of goods or manoeuvre heavy pieces of equipment and materials. It’s a labour saving invention which has allowed developed and developing countries speed up a whole host of processes. So where did the idea come from and how have we gotten to the point we are at now?

The first question is: how did we get all of our heavy goods moved before the forklift? The first forklift-like system was done manually, with a hoist.

From the middle of the 19th Century right up until the early years of the 20th Century, this is how heavy loads were moved when man power alone wasn’t enough. It’s thought that battery powered trucks helped in the moving of luggage on the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1906, showing promise for hand pallet trucks.

By the 1920s there were other companies in the forklift truck market, creating rudimentary versions of what we see in our warehouses today.

Hydraulic and electric powered trucks quickly followed and by the 1930s a universal pallet standard was adopted, helping to make standard forklift trucks even more popular.

Development into mass usage

Just as World War I had created a shortage of labour, encouraging the creation of the forklift as a result, World War II lit the fuse once again, giving forklift trucks ground on which to develop and see mass usage.

Once the war had ended it was the industrial needs of modern Britain which were met by forklift trucks.

Warehouses began to try and streamline their operations, requiring greater reach and manoeuvrability when it came to operations. In 1954 it was a British company developed the narrow aisle reach truck and from here warehouse designs changed dramatically.

With smaller aisles, higher stacking and more business, it was only a matter of time before safety became an issue. Over the next few decades the comfort and safety of the driver, along with increased productivity were addressed – all within the ever smaller confines of warehouses.

Here at Euro 1 Training we are experts when it comes to training for a whole host of forklift trucks.

We can provide forklift training for you and your staff to help you get the best out of your trucks and keep your site safe, simply contact us today for more information or to arrange your training programme.