Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) will launch a two-brand, one-channel distribution trial program with the dealer networks of its two main group companies – Toyota Material Handling and The Raymond Corporation – in an effort to address the evolving needs of customers.

Effective May 1, 2021, Raymond Handling Consultants, LLC (RHC) and Southern States Toyotalift (SST) will be managed as one organization representing both the Toyota and Raymond brands.

Both RHC and SST have existing locations in three major Florida markets – Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville – and both dealers have enthusiastically supported the new partnership.

“We believe that this consolidation will deepen our relationships with existing customers and attract many new customers by utilizing the combined strengths and additional synergies created by bringing the two strong brands under one organization,” said TMHNA president and CEO Brett Wood, who is also a senior executive officer for TMHNA’s parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO).

“As we see the market evolving, it’s more important than ever to provide the widest selection of products, solutions, and expertise to help our customers become as efficient as possible,” said Toyota Material Handling president and CEO Jeff Rufener. “We will study the impact of this trial carefully and expect to learn a lot about how we can deliver a better customer experience.”

TMHNA anticipates this consolidation will benefit customers in areas such as improved customer support with better coverage, more technicians and other support resources; best-in-class products and systems solutions; additional rental, systems, automation, and parts opportunities for customers; and streamlined product support and centralized administration operations.

“Our mission with this trial is to determine whether a two-brand, one-channel strategy in North America will allow us to more effectively leverage our strengths to better serve our customers,” said Michael Field, president and CEO for The Raymond Corporation. “Bringing together the two best brands in material handling represents an opportunity to further build upon our strong dealership network in North America.”