Forklifts have been of tremendous help for workers for nearly a century. In the past, during the late 1800s, before forklifts were invented, the workers used hoists for lifting heavy objects. These hoists consisted of a system of chains and wenches on a platform. Unfortunately, nothing had been invented yet to transport the heavy objects. Decades later, the very first forklift was introduced in 1923 after the Yale & Towne Company.

During World War II, the production of forklifts increased greatly. The US Armed Forces used the forklifts as an efficient mobile method for moving heavy materials to the front lines. These vehicles were used for many hours, so new forklifts were designed with an eight hour rechargeable battery. After the war, the design of these vehicles continued to improve.

As the demand of forklifts continued to increase, so did the amount of companies that produced them. During the 1980s, companies from other countries, like the Daewoo company in Seoul, South Korea, began producing and shipping the forklifts to the U.S. Today, forklifts are still in high demand. Just last year, a total of one million forklifts were sold. The top forklift manufacturer in the world is Toyota Industries Corp. with a revenue of $8.344 billion from the forklift market.