History of Yale
YALE - A Global Leader
Yale Materials Handling Corporation is a corporation that produces forklift trucks and other material handling equipment. The company was started as a lock manufacturer in 1844. Yale produced its first forklift truck in the 1920's under the name Yale & Towne Manufacturing. The company was purchased in 1985 by the North American Coal Corporation (NACCO).
NACCO originated in 1913 with the incorporation of the The Cleveland and Western Coal Company. The name was changed to The North American Coal Corporation (NACCO) in 1925, and the company operated exclusively in the coal industry until the acquisition of Yale Materials Handling Corporation in 1985. This was followed in 1986 by creation of the holding company under the name NACCO Industries, Inc. In 1988, NACCO Industries expanded into housewares with the purchase of Proctor-Silex, and expanded its presence in the materials handling industry by adding the Hyster Company in 1989.
