For instance, both Toyota and Linde, the top two on our list, returned to the $3 billion club after a year's hiatus. And in that stratosphere, Toyota with $3.1 billion in sales edged out Linde with $3.0 billion as the largest lift truck supplier in the world.

Rounding out the top five this time around are NACCO at $1.6 billion, Jungheinrich at $1.5 billion and Crown at $984 million. All of these companies, too, posted revenue increases in 2002.

To make the list, a company must manufacture and sell lift trucks in at least one of the Industrial Truck Association's (ITA) seven classes of lift trucks from electric rider trucks to rough terrain. Although seaport container handling trucks are not among those seven, revenue from sales of this equipment is included in the total revenue for any company that meets the ITA seven class criteria. However, other non-lift truck materials handling revenues such as automatic guided vehicles are not included in a company's total revenue on our list this year.

Unlike other Modern Materials Handling top supplier lists, a company does not have to supply lift trucks to North America to be included. There are, however, only three companies—Nichiyu, Merlo and Rocla—that do not sell trucks here.

Two companies have joined the list this year for the first time. They are Rocla, a Finish producer of warehouse trucks with total revenue of $73 million, coming in at number 18. Fantuzzi, is in the eleventh spot with $568 million in revenue.

The addition of these two companies means that two others were removed. Partek, which had been on the list for many years, had always been a side player, manufacturing primarily delivery truck mounted forklifts. Under the tightening of the criteria this year, Partek no longer qualified.

In light of its acquisition by Landoll, Drexel was also removed from the list. Since the acquisition did not take place until spring of this year, Landoll is not included in the list, but is expected to make it a year from now.

Other company news of note in 2002 included an agreement between Komatsu and Linde to make Komatsu Forklift (#6, $769 million) into a joint venture of the two companies. Ultimately, the plan as announced calls for Linde to own 48% of Komatsu Forklift with Komatsu holding the rest. In addition, Linde will use Komatsu's marketing network for sales of Linde-based products in Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

In June of last year, Atlet (#17, $145 million) agreed to manufacture and supply to Nissan (#8, $700 million) a wide range of warehouse trucks that will carry the Nissan label in France. Meanwhile, Atlet France will market Nissan branded counterbalanced lift trucks.

Two milestones in the U.S. were realized by Mitsubishi/Caterpillar and Toyota too. Mitsubishi/Caterpillar Fork-lift America (MCFA) celebrated 10 years of manufacturing lift trucks. During that time, MCFA produced over 175,000 forklifts in the U.S. Meanwhile, Toyota now builds in the U.S. almost every lift truck it sells here.

Clark is the only company to have spent 2002 under bankruptcy protection. And while sales of the company's trucks dropped 37% for the year, Clark did emerge from bankruptcy just after the new year. That sales decline did take its toll in our rankings, dropping Clark from #11 to #15 on our list. Perhaps Clark's purchase at the end of May 2003 by the Young An Hat Company of Asia will reverse that. But more on that in next year's report.

Click on the icon to see last year's list.