UCA is an American company that designs, manufacturers, and supports a complete line of material handling equipment. The company is part of a global industrial powerhouse, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Forklift & Engine Turbocharger Holdings, Ltd. (M-FET), which is now the third largest forklift manufacturer in the world.

While the UniCarriers name has only been around a short while, the company is has a rich history made up of three companies that span more than 100 years.

Barrett Industrial Trucks, founded in 1914, was a pioneer in bringing a new generation of electric powered equipment to the material handling market. TCM founded the forklift manufacturing industry in Japan, producing the first ever Japanese-made forklift in 1949. Nissan Forklift began operations in 1957. With its acquisition of Barrett in 1988, it became the first Japanese manufacturer of all five classes of material handling equipment in the U.S.

“Throughout the years our brand name may have changed, but our product quality has not,” shared James J. Radous III, President of UCA. “In fact, our product quality has grown stronger. Over the years we have applied learnings to give our clients second-to-none product reliability, higher productivity, and lower total cost of ownership.”

In addition to making forklifts, UCA’s wholly owned subsidiary, Global Components Technologies Americas, Inc. (GCTA), manufactures the popular engines K21 and K25. The engines are so good that direct competitors purchase them to include in their forklifts.

In December 2016, UCA will insource transmission production for their internal-combustion, cushion-tire lift trucks. This insourcing will provide UCA with expanded control over cost, lead time, and quality.

UCA has partnerships with over one hundred authorized forklift dealers across the Americas, resulting in hundreds of different locations. UCA also owns seven factory stores across Wisconsin and New England—Capital Equipment and Handling and New England Industrial Truck Inc.

“The heart and soul of our business is our hard-working dealer network,” said Radous. “They are material handling experts that work tirelessly to find the right solutions for their customers.”

This past September, UCA recognized the top ten dealers throughout the Americas with a President’s Club Award. To join this elite club, dealers must surpass goals in new equipment sales, market penetration, aftermarket parts sales, service expertise, overall performance, and professionalism.

Another important component in UCA’s business is their supply chain. Supply chain success for UCA includes a commitment to solving problems, improving processes, and sharing savings. UCA hosts an annual supplier conference to better connect with members of its supply chain, allow suppliers to share their success stories, and to recognize its top-performing partners with The Supplier Excellence Awards.

Due to relationships with UniCarriers Americas, several suppliers have established U.S. operations near UCA’s Marengo headquarters.

“Having our suppliers show such a strong commitment by adding local operations has not only helped streamline production, it has also brought more jobs to our local community,” explained Radous.

It’s the very attitude that defines who UCA is and the equipment the company produces. Never quit is the spirit of the very men and women who build some of the world’s best forklifts: it’s felt throughout the whole organization. This attitude is reflected in every machine UCA produces and in every service the company provides.

This never-ending pursuit of perfection began more than a century ago and can be seen today in every UniCarriers Forklift model. While each machine is unique, they all share key qualities, like dependability, efficiency, productivity, and performance.

“It really boils down to a strong work ethic and a team who is committed to working together.” said Radous.