Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America begins production in new facility

Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA), a leading manufacturer of forklifts under the Cat lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks and Jungheinrich brands, has announced it is now running at full production in its recently-expanded Houston electric products manufacturing facility.

The announcement coincides with the introduction of its new line of pantograph reach trucks.

The factory expansion, completed in November 2013, increases MCFA’s under-roof manufacturing capacity by more than 40%.

“This recent expansion gives MCFA the ability to build all five classes of product on our Houston campus, which is unique in North America,” said Jay Gusler, vice president of operations for MCFA. “MCFA’s ability to produce all forklift classes in one facility allows us to more efficiently support the increasing demands of our North American dealer network as well as our growing export business. With this addition, we also created over 100 new manufacturing jobs for the local Houston economy.”

The MCFA Houston campus now has dedicated internal combustion (IC) engine and electric production facilities. One-to-16 ton IC products are built in the IC factory, whereas the new electric building produces warehouse products, such as the Jungheinrich ECR 327/336 series of electric end rider pallet trucks and the newly-introduced Jungheinrich ETR series of pantograph reach trucks.

The factory expansion adds 60,000 square feet and 10,000 units of annual capacity to MCFA’s original assembly production area, while also utilizing new advanced manufacturing techniques, such as the flex manufacturing system, which optimizes parts flow and increases production efficiency. The facility also features a state-of-the-art, end-of-the-line testing system for mast performance and truck stability.