Brothers Carl H. Dicke and Allen A. Dicke founded Crown Equipment Corporation in New Bremen, Ohio, in 1945 with an unwavering commitment to customer service. Eighty years later, Crown is a widely recognized, global material handling equipment manufacturer and technology provider with more than 19,600 employees worldwide serving many of the world’s most recognizable brands and category leaders.
The fourth generation of the Dicke family continues to lead Crown from its global headquarters in New Bremen with regional headquarters in Australia, China, Germany, and Singapore. The company provides sales and service through its Crown Lift Trucks retail locations and select independent dealers in over 80 countries.
“I’m honored to be a part of this company. Since the beginning, Crown has earned a strong reputation for working closely with its customers to enhance efficiency, productivity, and safety. We could not have reached this point without the support of the communities in which we operate, and our employees, an incredible group of people dedicated to our customers’ success,” said Jim Dicke III, president, Crown Equipment. “We are excited to continue our legacy for developing innovative technology and equipment that keeps businesses moving around the globe.”
Crown has a long history of exploring and developing advanced technology that has helped direct and define the future of material handling. It recently introduced the SP 1500 Series high-level order picker, which features the industry’s first mid-platform window and leading lift and lower speeds. The mid-window centered between the hand controls improves visibility while fast lift and lower speeds make order picking easier and more efficient.
Also recently introduced is the ProximityAssist System, an operator assist solution that uses Li-DAR sensing technology to detect objects in the lift truck’s path. The system provides operators with the opportunity to take corrective action, reinforces operator training, and increases operator awareness.
Crown has expanded its award-winning Demonstrated Performance® training program to include optional virtual reality training. Crown’s Virtual Reality Simulator supplements the company’s acclaimed training by allowing operator trainees to demonstrate their proficiency throughout the 11-step Demonstrated Performance training process.
As the company continues its industry leadership, it works closely with customers to incorporate many trends, creating change in the warehouse and broader supply chain. These include:
Exploring flexible approaches to automation
The prioritization of tasks and equipment that are ideal for automation is evident. Customers are developing a clear path for a tangible return on investment that they can build upon to evolve their automation efforts to support their fulfilment strategies.
Enhancing operator experience
Greater connectivity is enabling fleet managers to create a more informative and personalized experience for operators, designed to simplify onboarding, maximize productivity, reinforce safety, and emphasize engagement to improve workforce retention.
Harnessing data
Customers identify and prioritize the type of data they want to gather and establish a plan and processes to share relevant, timely information with the right departments and individuals at the right time. Data is presented in a manner that makes it actionable to create meaningful operational and behavioral changes.
Considering alternative power sources
Companies are looking at innovative power sources for their forklifts to eliminate some of the pain points associated with the lead-acid battery power source. V-Force® Lithium-Ion is one option that offers several productivity, maintenance, and operating cost advantages.
