Christian D. Gibson, inventor of the narrow-aisle lift truck has died at the age of 89.

He joined The Raymond Corporation in 1943, and was the first professional engineer hired. In 1949, Gibson created the first narrow-aisle truck, which resulted in the potential for extensive space savings in warehouses by reducing the width of aisles. Two years later, Gibson, along with George Raymond Sr., received a patent on the power-driven, narrow-aisle truck called the model 700 Spacemaker. By 1953, the company had manufactured 1,000 of the trucks.

While at Raymond, Gibson was granted more than 200 patents. Although he officially retired in 1983, he continued on as a consultant until 2002.