Guthrie, OK. — March 7, 2024 – Autoquip corporation announced today they have acquired J.A. Becker & Söhne of Erlenbach, Germany. The company specializes in the highly engineered and heavy-duty lifting technology for OEM production and MRO platforms for commercial vehicles, military & defense, rail cars and light transit, as well as medium and high-pressure industrial air compressors specially tailored for nitrogen, helium, and natural gas applications.    “We are very pleased and excited to welcome JAB into the Autoquip family. There are growth opportunities for both companies to expand their markets and product offerings, fitting our strategy of acquiring complementary, high-quality, and differentiated businesses. Their lift platform technology provides us with access to another adjacent market where Autoquip has not targeted previously, opening doors to attracting light rail transit (LRT) transitioning cities and customers in the U.S. Both product lines from JAB expedite our progress towards providing solutions that assist in achieving their sustainability targets and goals,” said Chris Kuehni, President of Autoquip.   “We are thrilled to be under the guidance of Alexander Kraus, Managing Director of JAB, whose seven years of operational experience on the compressor business has been instrumental in leading the company.  In 2020, he also assumed responsibility for the lift business, and with his capable direction and the dedicated support of the entire staff, we feel confident and well-guided on this journey. The company culture and product portfolio ideally complement that of Autoquip, making this a perfect match,” added Mr. Kuehni.   “The acquisition is a strategic fit, supported by the significant commonalities between the two companies,” said JAB Managing Director, Alexander Kraus. “Both companies have recently achieved significant milestones with J.A. Becker & Söhne in business for 125 years and Autoquip Corporation for 75 years.  Each have built a strong reputation for highly engineered lifting products with superior quality and reliability, along with customer trust attributing to their longevity. We are thrilled to be part of the organization which is poised to significantly enhance our future strength and stability, and one that shares our core company values.”    About J.A. Becker & Söhne For 125 years, J.A. Becker & Söhne has been a recognized partner of industry and trade. With 120 employees, the company today offers its customers state-of-the-art problem solutions in the fields of compressed air and lifting technology. The product range includes piston compressors from 20 to 500 bar for air and gases as well as the entire field of compressed air preparation. The focus of the lifting technology product area is on hydraulic repair and maintenance lifting platforms for cars, trucks, and rail vehicles as well as on the development of individual problem solutions. The flexibility of a medium-sized company combined with high quality standards, customer-oriented planning, development, manufacturing, and a complete range of services makes J.A. Becker & Söhne a competent partner for a wide range of users worldwide.   Contact Julie Rice Marketing Manager jrice@autoquip.com 405-282-5876

Guthrie, OK - After a successful and accomplished career, Louis Coleman, Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing at Autoquip Corporation has announced that he will retire from Autoquip at the end of September 2023.   Louis joined Autoquip first as a consultant and then moving into a permanent role as Director of Sales & Marketing where he has been advancing the company’s upward growth for the last 22 years. He will leave a legacy of innovation and excellence.   “His commitment and dedication to our company has been unmatched, as he provided the worldly leadership that has been essential for our growth,” explained Chris Kuehni, Autoquip President & GM. In reflecting on the past 22 years, Louis shared that he has truly enjoyed being a part of growing this company into one of the premier lift manufacturers worldwide.    “I’ve had a great and challenging time with Autoquip and in the Material Handling Industry.  Autoquip has progressed from a small, unprofitable, standards lift company to a profitable, larger company manufacturing fully integrated lifting solutions.  We now sell to the largest and most demanding customers in the world.  I leave behind a company better positioned, a company capable of continuing to grow, and a company who can continue to redefine itself as the market and customer’s demand,” commented Louis Coleman.   “Louis has played an invaluable role in developing our company’s efforts across all markets and applications —most notably in special projects, integrated systems, advanced lifting systems and controls in all major industries.  Louis has brought an increased level of strategic vision and professionalism to Autoquip.” said Kuehni   “Over his tenure, Autoquip has become a leader in innovative lifting solutions, integrated systems, and projects while partnering and selling to some of the largest companies in the world. Louis took us there with his relentless worldwide, big picture focus, and in turn, Autoquip has developed countless long-term relationships with many key industry partners.”   Louis will remain in his position through September of 2023 as he works to mentor and transition his position and responsibilities over to the future leaders of Autoquip.  “I highly respect our customers and our employees a great deal.  For this reason, my succession will be accomplished professionally and in a manner that assures a seamless transition.  All our coming announcements will insure this to also be the case,” said Coleman.    Contact: Julie Rice Autoquip Corporation (405) 282-5876 jrice@autoquip.com www.autoquip.com   

The end user of this project is a cutting-edge company delivering fully automated liquid handling systems to leading manufacturers. They specialize in the development and manufacturing of precision measurement devices, automated liquid handling workstations, and sample management systems. Having firsthand experience with supplying automated solutions, the company found themselves needing to improve their manufacturing workflow with a new approach for integrating multiple systems.

Our customer who is a leading company in the logistics and distribution industry entrusted Autoquip as a preferred supplier to provide a specialized cargo lift to assist in their day-to-day operations. They needed an air cargo lift with a bridge that would span through to the garage door opening and far enough out to meet the trailer for on / off loading. When the garage door is open the bridge is lowered to carry out cargo transfer and then can be raised up when the garage door is closed. Since this is an ongoing process, the customer preferred an easier method for lowering and raising the bridge.

Our VRC customers are wanting to proactively manage their equipment to make better, informed decisions and to optimize their operations. They want to monitor their workflow, increase productivity and provide a safe environment for their workers.

Autoquip’s customer needed a work platform with a large surface area that would hold a fixture for their tooling in the middle while also allowing room for workers to walk around the fixture.

This project called for a unique work platform that would help with a forging process. The wanted a work platform that would not take up a lot of space in their work cell and allow for two workers to be on the platform. There are weight restriction requirements because the lift would be positioned on an elevated working surface. In addition, they had other specifics to the design that included a specially configured platform and portability to achieve closer access to the working part.

A stainless-steel foundry in Calvert, Alabama needed to re-line their steel casting ladles due to refractory degrades. The wanted a work platform lift solution that could be used as a “man lift” to make it easier for workers to access the inner wall of these large ladles to rebrick them.

A major online company has been rapidly expanding their distribution centers in the U.S. They are focusing on next day delivery to U.S. shoppers in major cities. One of the areas of need is in the SLAM area of the operation. The Autoquip team has extensive knowledge designing and configuring all types of single or multiple level VRCs. For the needs of this customer, we were able to modify our mechanical cantilever freight lift design that is prefabricated in our plant. The lift is delivered in (3) sections for one day installation.

This extremely specialized application involved designing a scissor lift with mobile base to be part of an engine crawler table that will position a mammoth rocket engine to a test stand. The scissor lift table had to be mobile to avoid hoses for tripping hazards and the actuation must be air powered for explosion proof requirements.

An industrial equipment manufacturer who builds equipment to efficiently move wood products for the building supply industry was looking for scissor lifts to integrate into their automated robotic stacking line.

Our customer, a major food company is known for extensive product quality and processes that go into their baking products. To make their production run smoother, they were looking for a lift that would fit their stringent safety and cleanliness standards.

One of our largest retail customers wanted to implement an automation system as part of their local store fulfillment strategy. As part of this new local fulfillment process, they are incorporating a fully automated system including robotic assistance, automated guided vehicles (AGV’s) and (7) Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors to expedite processes in the backroom. Because of our experience working with the customer in the past with other successful VRC installations, they contacted us to work with them on implementing VRCs into their system. (5) VRCs are part of the AGV Rack & Track System and 2 VRCs will be part of the Conveyor Loading Dock.

Jet Stream, a leading supplier of plastic pipe for irrigation and sewer systems was looking to improve inefficiencies in their production processes. They wanted to gain better control of their pipe loading and binding process by reducing the manual tasks and integrating material handling equipment that would do the hard work for them. No, small task due to the enormity in size of the pipes and the reorienting requirements coming out of fabrication to get them ready for stacking and binding.

Binghamton Material Handling, Inc, contacted us regarding a project for their aerospace customer who was looking to move materials between their main floor and mezzanine. we were able to determine the exact measurements to custom build a 4 Post Mechanical VRC. We took special concern to move the lower-level limit switches that are usually located near the floor to a higher position within the structure.

Replace existing lifts with advanced equipment to transport 48” x 40” pallets weighing 350KG vertically (upservice) to a pallet conveyor line that runs across a mezzanine where the pallets transfer to another lift (downservice) where pallets are moved to another pallet conveyor line.

The new AQ Connect intelligent design monitors equipment and self-diagnoses operational issues. It can also be programmed to perform a variety of tasks to integrate into your specific application and workflow.

Autoquip created a mobile work stand with power-operated retractable circular section to move and position the engines in place for assembly work. The circular section is also removable, so that workers can adjust the width of the sections to accommodate the varying size engines and diameters. Additional features include articulating stairs to access the work stand at any elevation.

Aerostructure Systems specializes in the production of jet engine nacelle systems and thrust reversers, along with composite aerostructures for applications on commercial and military aircraft. In 2011 they purchased an Upender Tilter from us, and they are now looking to purchase a second one due to production demands.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Golf Course at Grand Cayman Islands wanted a retractable bridge that would allow water craft to pass through and golf carts to pass over. Keeping with the aesthetic beauty of the property they required a solution that would be eye-catching and not an industrial looking structure.

A medical company developing new advancements in equipment technology needed a solution for building and assembling 2 large sections of their machine which requires very precision alignment of the components.

Autoquip was contracted to design the material handling equipment for their production line. The lift equipment includes (4) Super Titan Lifts that can be bolted together onsite for ease of shipping and installation. The entire platform lift measures 583 inches long which allows the customer to use the lift for several different size AC units in their production line.

Hydraulic Straddle VRC Moves Parts to Upper Level at Mazda Dealership

Custom fit ladel lift for improving the efficiency and safety of rebricking.

Quad Scissor Lift with four sets of vertically stacked scissor for high travel. Safety Gates & Enclosures.

Load cell lift system for weighing pipes eliminate risks of overloading crane

High Cycle Scissor Lift - Lifts and Lowers in 5 Seconds to keep a fast pace assembly line on schedule.

Autoquip’s PLTC Dock Lifts are fully versatile with a wide range of model configurations that it made it easy to select a standard model to fit the customer’s applications. All we had to do is configure the lowered height on the standard model to a taller design so that it would fit the customer’s specific pit dimensions.

Autoquip developed a custom Dual Ram Lift with dual hydraulic cylinders to provide direct power to both sides of the platform to accommodate extremely high edge loading of massive cable reels that weigh up to 60,000 lbs. and lower into testing pit.

A leading provider of products and services to the oil & energy industry needed a scissor lift for lifting control cabins above their truck’s equipment for best visibility during on-site operations.

Mechanical 4 Post Freight Lift transfers automobiles to multi-level state-of-the-art storage facility.

Not so standard, the custom added features to this AutoTilt provide the customer with a faster, portable and durable tilter for crating and loading perishable food products.

Custom built Series 35 EXW Scissors Lift Cart built with wheeled transport base and battery operation allows for easy maneuvering to various work stations within plant environment.

This custom built lift with its double long, extra wide platform and easy joystick control will allow the museum to transport their collection with ease and increase productivity for set up and take down.

A major logistics company required a loading dock solution for transferring extremely large and heavy air cargo containers between variable truck bed heights and a fixed dock height.