Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) has opened a new $100m manufacturing facility in Columbus, Indiana, expanding its production capacity for its Toyota and Raymond brand electric forklifts across the US.
The facility, officially opened on 5 August 2026, expands TMHNA’s Columbus manufacturing campus by 295,000 square feet, taking the company’s total footprint at the site to 1.9 million square feet.
The investment is the largest expansion of TMHNA’s manufacturing footprint to date and adds approximately 140 jobs to the Columbus campus, which already employs more than 2,100 people. The expansion comes as the North American forklift market continues to shift towards electrification, with TMHNA positioning the new factory to meet expected demand over the next five years and beyond.
“In 2023, 66% of all lift trucks sold in North America were electric powered, and currently the market is approximately 70% electric.
“The electric forklift demand is likely to reach 80% before 2035, and our new factory is poised to address this electrification trend.”
Brett Wood, president and CEO of TMHNA
Expanding US forklift manufacturing
The Columbus factory represents a broader restructuring of production across TMHNA’s North American manufacturing network.
The facility’s initial product is the electric Class 1 Stand-Up Counterbalanced Forklift, an updated version of a model previously manufactured at The Raymond Corporation’s facility in Greene, New York. Production of the forklift has now moved to Columbus, freeing capacity at the Greene facility for products including reach trucks, order pickers and automation technologies.
The move brings together the capabilities of two TMHNA subsidiaries – The Raymond Corporation and Toyota Material Handling – with the new Columbus factory providing additional capacity for counterbalance forklift production. The production shift is intended to strengthen the company’s manufacturing network while allowing individual facilities to focus on product areas where demand is expected to increase.
“Years ago, we made the decision to invest in our future,” said Tony Miller, chief supply officer at TMHNA.
“Today, that investment is strengthening our manufacturing network, expanding our capacity, and positioning us to better serve our customers for years to come. It’s also an investment in our associates, this community, and the future of manufacturing in North America.”
Indiana manufacturing investment
The new factory was formally opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Toyota Industries Corporation leadership, customers, dealers, suppliers and federal, state and local officials.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun highlighted the investment as part of the state’s growing advanced manufacturing base, while Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon recognised TMHNA’s longstanding contribution to the local economy.
The company said the investment also reflects its expectation that electrification will continue to reshape the material-handling equipment market. Wood described the new factory as part of TMHNA’s strategy to establish Columbus as a centre for electric forklift manufacturing and innovation.
“It has been rewarding to see the collaboration over the last two years of the Toyota team, suppliers and city and state representatives to make our Columbus campus the epicenter of electric forklift innovation for years to come,” he said.
TMHNA said it currently manufactures more than one in every three forklifts sold in North America. The new facility is intended to increase that manufacturing capacity as customers increasingly transition from internal-combustion-powered equipment to electric alternatives.
The investment also comes as material-handling manufacturers face growing pressure to improve equipment efficiency and reduce emissions across warehouse, distribution and manufacturing operations.
By increasing US production capacity for electric counterbalance forklifts while reallocating capacity at its New York operation towards reach trucks, order pickers and automation, TMHNA is positioning its North American manufacturing network to respond to those changing requirements.
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