UniCarriers Stages Successful Conference

Celebrating strategic partnerships and continuous success, UniCarriers Americas (UCA) concluded its 2019 Supplier Conference recently. Held at the Marriott Chicago Northwest, the two-day event gathered more than 120 participants from 80 component suppliers.

Themed “Partners in Progress,” the Supplier Conference is an opportunity for UCA to communicate its corporate vision and goals to attendees as well as to recognize top-performing partners. During the conference, attendees learned about the state of UCA, performance results for fiscal year 2018 and key strategies and goals for fiscal year 2019. Executives also discussed the mission of UniCarriers System Solutions and how it is the driving force in providing customers offerings and services beyond forklifts, which will enhance the overall value chain.

“Business is changing, and we are changing with it by executing growth strategies that will help us prepare for an unstable economic environment, all while containing costs,” said James J. Radous III, president and CEO of UniCarriers Americas. “We want to become the preferred OEM provider for solutions offerings. By opening a path to more solutions, we’ll generate more sales by creating more opportunities for our dealers and customers.”

To wrap up the evening, five Supplier Excellence Awards were presented to suppliers who met or exceeded overall performance requirements, participated in cost-reduction activities and bestowed exceptional customer service.

‘Business is changing, and we are changing with it by executing growth strategies that will help us prepare for an unstable economic environment, all while containing costs’—James J. Radous III, president and CEO of UniCarriers Americas.

Supplier Excellence Awards winners include:

• Hodell-Natco Industries, Inc., a wholesale distributor of more than 40,000 industrial fastener and chain items
• MISA Metal Fabricating, Inc., a fabricator providing oxy fuel, plasma, laser, and band saw cutting services to world-class forklifts and heavy industrial machinery manufacturers
• Plateplus, Inc., a distributor offering a vast inventory of hot-rolled sheets and plates
• Superior Battery Manufacturing, Inc., a supplier of batteries for UCA’s class III, IV and V forklifts
• TYRI Americas, a manufacturer of intelligent lighting solutions in LED, HID (Xenon) and halogen technologies

“As valued partners, we recognize the contribution our suppliers make to our continued growth and success,” said Dale Mark, vice president of manufacturing operations for UniCarriers Americas. “We will continue to work together and share in our progress, so we can stay competitive in the marketplace by delivering quality and reliable equipment.”

The Supplier Conference comes off the first-ever UniCarriers Forklift Industry Summit last October, where 115 supplier partners attended, and 24 exhibitors lined the show floor. The event brought together UCA dealers, suppliers, industry experts and members of the media to network and share information about the future of the forklift industry. The next Forklift Industry Summit is slated for Spring 2020.