Schaeff, Inc. (1947-)

1947 - Our company was founded in 1947 by Elmer Hansen under the name of North American Manufacturing Company. Mr. Hansen invented a self-unloading farm wagon in 1941 and in 1946, he left his Nebraska farm and moved to Sioux City to manufacture the farm wagon. At that time, the company (whose total work force consisted of Mr. Hansen and one other employee) began manufacturing the first self-unloading and bulkhead feed wagon known as the Grain-O-Vator (G-O-V).

1955 - The original factory was a 50' by 70' garage in downtown Sioux City. The success of the feed wagon was soon followed by the development of the Bulkanizer for bulk feed handling highway trucks in 1955.

1958 - In the late 1950’ s, the expansion and growth of the agricultural products increased our production almost beyond plant capacity. Due to acute congestion and extremely crowded conditions in the old plant, it became more and more difficult to maneuver any type of mobile equipment around the plant. Elmer Hansen investigated available lift truck vehicles, but found them all too large to work in his crowded conditions. Since there was nothing suitable to buy, Mr. Hansen designed and built his first lift vehicle for his own use. It later became apparent there was a national market for this vehicle, and further redesign and improvements to the truck led to the birth of a completely new type of product. The new forklift truck called NAMCO.

1962 - After three years of development and testing, the first NAMCO emerged on the market in the Summer of 1962. By this time, the company had moved into a new plant (our present facility) three miles east of Sioux City on a 15-acre lot. The NAMCO forklift truck, available in electric, gasoline, or propane models, was unveiled at the October Products Show in Des Moines, Iowa, and immediately captured the interest of manufacturers and the market.

1973 - By 1973, ten different styles of self-unloading wagons were being manufactured, including one model brand labeled for John Deere. Through 1975, North American Manufacturing Company manufactured a chassis for International Harvester’ s motor home and their “multi-stop” trucks (used in the delivery of milk, bread, and mail); and also produced auger elevators, chisel plows, and OEMed snow blower flighting.

1978 - In 1978, the company was purchased by Don Stoterau and Group (George Wattonville, Otto Ermler, and Del Norton) and took the name NAMCO, Inc. NAMCO, Inc. continued with the manufacture of farm equipment and forklift trucks.

1981 - Our current owner, Karl Schaeff GmbH and Company of Germany, purchased the company in October of 1981 and incorporated under the name Schaeff-Namco, Inc. Farm equipment and forklift trucks continued to be manufactured; and a line of construction equipment was added, including a backhoe attachment for farm tractors.

1987 - In March of 1987, Mr. Schaeff transformed the company to its current standing of Schaeff, Inc. This was a name change only. While continuing the manufacture of forklift trucks and marketing of construction equipment, the line of farm equipment was discontinued and sold to Four Star (March of 1988).

1992 - 1992 was a turning point for Schaeff. A new management team was brought in to build Schaeff into a market leader as an industrial and construction equipment supplier. Corporate goals and plans were put into place, outlining a clear path for the resurgence of Schaeff into the marketplace. Redesign projects were quickly started to upgrade the industrial products with respect to performance, quality, reliability, and the ability to manufacture the products efficiently. Schaeff was no longer to be a well kept secret in the marketplace.

1993 - In 1993, the redesigned Stand-up, Counterbalance, Materials Transport Vehicle, and Tow Tractor were reintroduced to the market. At the same time, a new dealer network was put in place to aggressively take our new products to their markets. A major name recognition marketing campaign was implemented to dramatically increase the market awareness of Schaeff. Programs were also implemented in the aftermarket support and service areas. With dramatic results in the industrial line, we were now in place to start building the market for Schaeff construction equipment.

1994 - In 1994 we maintained market awareness programs for Schaeff industrial products with continued success. With the arrival of construction units from Germany we aggressively began implementing plans to build the Schaeff construction line into a market leader. With an eye to the future, construction units had been strategically selected for their flexibility and usefulness in areas with an infrastructure. Schaeff began marketing rubber tired wheel loaders, loader backhoes, excavators, walking excavators, rough terrain forklifts, and scrap handlers to North America.

1995 - The Warehousing Series electric, stand-up, counterbalance lift truck was introduced to the marketplace in 1995. The forklift is the culmination of many years of work and research to create a product that is superior to the competition. Unmatched features like electric steering, an ergonomic work space, upgradeable software features, programmable controls, built-in run-time diagnostics, and a rugged, durable design, give the customer the ultimate value for all their material handling needs.

1996 - We began our participation in the Business Excellence program consisting of MRP II (Manufacturing Resource Planning) and Just-in-time Manufacturing with a goal to achieve class “A” status.

1997 - Schaeff, Inc., revolutionized the industry with its introduction of the Warehousing Series' W90t Turret electric, stand-up, counterbalanced lift truck. The W90t's innovative turret attachment pivots loads 180 degrees for side-to-side access in very narrow aisles. It's the new paragon in the forklift industry.

1999 - Schaeff, Inc., introduced the Echo 3,000 TM , electric, stand-up, counterbalanced forklift, designed specifically to meet the needs of the majority of the forklift market. This streamlined model can lift up to 3,000 lb. and reach as high as 189.5"

2000 - Schaeff, Inc., reintroduced the Namco forklift to the market. This small forklift will fit in places most other forklift can't, filling a niche in material handling that had long been ignored by most forklift manufacturers.

2001 - Schaeff GmbH, parent of Schaeff Inc. acquired by Terex Corporation.

2003 - Terex Corporation makes decision to relocate operations from Sioux City, Iowa to Bridgeview, Illinois. Crane and Machinery assumes operation management under contract with Terex Corporation. Relocation complete November 2003.

November 2003 - Quantum Value Mgmt. acquires Crane and Machinery and Schaeff Inc. from Terex Corporation.

April 2004 - Schaeff Lift Truck, Inc. has acquired E-series electric truck line from Hoist Lift Truck Manufacturing, Inc.