While many forklift brands are having to cope with 12 to 18-month delays in getting new trucks to customers, Big Joe currently has more than 2,000 models available immediately to support factories and warehouses across the U.S. and help keep such operations running smoothly.
Recently, Big Joe has seen demand for some models increase more than 200% over previous years due to excellent availability, and anticipates that trend to continue as delays persist and plague the supply chain.
Products such as the Big Joe PDSR walkie reach truck as one example, have been popular as this unit can be swapped in for a variety of machine types that are currently in short supply across the industry.
“The global shortage of forklifts has been a significant challenge to us as well as our customers that really need to keep operations moving,” said Nick Laboy, Vice President Regional Sales Manager, Lift Truck Division at Ring Power Corporation.
“We have been able to solve much of these shortages by working with Big Joe, who has had consistent inventory to meet our needs. Big Joe builds a rugged and dependable line of warehouse vehicles that do the job and keep our customers operating in spite of the challenges. We truly appreciate Big Joe and their ability to deliver when we need it most.”
Many of today’s forklifts have become quite complicated to produce, with extra features that require specialized computer chips and diverse global supply chains which are being impacted by global shortages. Meanwhile, Big Joe’s focus on a lean design philosophy and producing simple, dependable, and easy-to-use machines has allowed it to maintain excellent lead times on products.
It takes less time for Big Joe to produce for its customers because the company manufactures the majority of its own components—including its lithium-ion batteries.
“Big Joe has always been about the simplicity of design and ruggedness that allows for dependable operation wherever our forklifts are needed,” said Bill Pedriana, Big Joe’s CMO.
“A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, that’s true for any product you are making, whether it is a pizza or a forklift. Big Joe has a vertically integrated supply chain and streamlines the manufacturing process around core components we make in-house. This allows us to be an asset to any company needing to react quickly to changing market conditions or opportunities, in spite of the shortages the industry is facing be it a customer or distributor.”
From the beginning, Big Joe has taken a utilitarian design philosophy to manufacturing its family of forklifts, stackers, pallet trucks, and access vehicles crafting each model to handle repetitive tasks based on a range of unique equipment designs rather than delivering one size fits all units with lots of bells and whistles.
By simplifying its products, Big Joe hasn’t suffered the delays that most of the industry has seen over the last three years. Big Joe can deliver direct to large fleets or can be procured through the company’s dealer network which is one of the largest industry networks in the United States.
