Consumers pride themselves on researching potential big-ticket purchases, like cars or refrigerators. If fact, you've probably heard about or have even used one of J.D. Power's customer satisfaction surveys when making a major purchasing decision. Well, we at Modern Materials Handling thought our readers should have the same type of intelligence at their fingertips before pulling the trigger on a new lift truck.

To fill that need, Modern conducted its first Lift Truck Customer Satisfaction Study. This comprehensive research project was designed to gauge user satisfaction with the lift trucks (including forklifts) used in manufacturing, distribution, warehousing and logistics facilities.

Modern's study, conducted in the spring of 2008, will not only assist buyers with their purchase decisions, but it will also help lift truck manufacturers better understand the market's perception of their brands so they can more accurately target product and service improvements.

Our Lift Truck Customer Satisfaction Study focuses on 40 product and brand attributes distributed among six categories. And now that the results are tabulated, we'd like to congratulate the following highest ranking manufacturer overall as well as the highest ranking company in each of the six attribute categories:

• Overall Satisfaction: Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.
• Product Quality: Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.
• Value: Clark Material Handling
• Service: Raymond Corporation
• Product Features: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Environmental Sustainability: CAT Lift Trucks
• Performance: Crown Equipment Corporation

This supplement goes behind the scenes at some of the leading lift truck vendors to find out how they deliver on those qualities that Modern's readers told us they value most:

• Productivity and Performance
• Safety and Ergonomics
• Financing strategies

We hope that these insights will help you as you search the market for the equipment that best suits your operations and your operators. May your decisions bring you outstanding productivity in 2009—and thereafter.