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Supply chain thought leaders to discuss strategies to expand beyond traditional labor pool during roundtable-style panelGREENVILLE, N.C. (June 3, 2025) – Yale Lift Truck Technologies announces its panel discussion on talent acquisition at the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) 2025 Annual Conference, June 8-11 in New Orleans. Attendees can join the panelists on Tuesday, June 10, from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the Grand Couteau ballroom of the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.“The warehousing industry continues to face a labor gap that demands strategic intervention,” says Brad Long, Global Activation Manager, Yale Lift Truck Technologies. “Addressing it requires operations to seize opportunities to expand their available labor pool and to develop the existing workforce through continued upskilling. That is why we are bringing together this multidisciplinary panel of experts to help warehouse leaders tackle these workforce challenges and shape a more sustainable future for the industry.”The panel, titled “Close the warehouse labor gap with an expanded workforce,” will examine the labor landscape, including sizeable segments of the population that operations often overlook. The five panelists will share their unique perspectives on how operations can tap into these underutilized groups of individuals outside of the traditional pool of mainstream candidates. In addition to practical recommendations, they will also share their firsthand experience applying these tactics, and how doing so has not only helped to fill warehouse job openings, but ultimately improve operational performance.The panelists are experts in industrial labor trends, disability consulting, warehousing and human resources. The panelists include: Brad Long, Global Activation Manger, Yale Lift Truck Technologies: With nearly 15 years of marketing expertise and six years in warehousing and powered industrial trucks, Long focuses the brand on addressing key industry challenges of labor, productivity and safety. James Emmett, Founder and CEO, James Emmett & Company: The founder of one of the most recognizable companies in disability consulting, Emmett is a global leader in implementing hidden talent hiring initiatives within the logistics industry. Brian Devine, President and CEO, Ignite Industrial Professionals: The leader of a warehouse recruiting firm, Devine started the largest survey of hourly associates in the U.S., has nearly three decades of supply chain staffing experience and is on the Advisory Roundtable for WERC and MHI. Julie Smith, Director of Human Resources, Kitchen Cabinet Distributors: An HR leader for a national wholesale distributor, Smith has extensive experience in retail sales and operating functions, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges and solutions of distribution center staffing. Edward Crowe, VP of Talent Acquisition, HR Strategy and Effectiveness, KeHE: An HR executive for a national food and beverage distributor, Crowe has direct experience with the warehouse labor gap and securing executive and organizational support for hiring initiatives.In conjunction with the Annual Conference, WERC will release its DC Measures Annual Survey & Report. The report, which is sponsored by Yale, identifies the operational metrics distribution and supply chain professionals find most critical to help benchmark operations, understand industry trends and make informed decisions. Following the report’s annual release, Yale will publish an update to its companion white paper with actionable strategies for lift truck fleets to help drive performance improvements in key areas.About Yale Lift Truck TechnologiesYale Lift Truck Technologies leverages over a century of material handling experience and substantial investment in innovation to bring the most advanced technology-driven lift truck solutions to market. The company offers a full line of award-winning lift trucks, including reach trucks, order pickers, turret trucks, pallet jacks and trucks, pallet stackers, tow tractors and counterbalanced forklifts, as well as powerful operator assist solutions, proven robotics and a wide range of power sources to help customers adapt to today’s demanding supply chain. Yale and its independent dealer network support these solutions with comprehensive after-sales service, parts, financing and training.Yale Lift Truck Technologies is a division of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Inc. (NYSE:HY) which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and operates globally.©2025 Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., all rights reserved. Yale and  are trademarks of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.About WERCWERC, a division of MHI, is the only professional organization focused on warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment and its role in the supply chain. Through membership in WERC, seasoned professionals and those new to the industry master best practices and establish valuable relationships. Learn more about WERC at werc.org.About MHIMHI is an international trade association that has represented the material handling, logistics and supply chain industry since 1945. MHI’s over 1,000 members include material handling and logistics equipment and systems manufacturers, integrators, consultants, publishers and third-party logistics providers. MHI offers education, networking and solution sourcing for their members, the members’ customers and the industry as a whole through programming and events. The association sponsors the ProMat and MODEX expos to showcase the products and services of its member companies and to educate manufacturing and supply chain professionals.ContactBrad LongYale Lift Truck Technologies252-412-3652brad.long@hyster-yale.com

With the integration of Toyota Material Handling and The Raymond Corporation now complete, Toyota Material Handling North America introduces a leadership team to guide North America’s top material handling brands.COLUMBUS, Ind. (April 7, 2025) – Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) announces the five senior executives who will lead the organization’s next chapter, following the formal integration of Toyota Material Handling and The Raymond Corporation under the unified TMHNA name.The integration, finalized on April 1, unifies two industry-leading brands under the TMHNA banner, enhancing the company’s ability to deliver comprehensive material handling solutions across North America. Both the Toyota and Raymond brands will maintain their unique identities, ensuring continuity and strengthening customer relationships.Brett Wood will continue to serve as TMHNA’s President & CEO, in addition to his current role as Senior Executive Officer for TMHNA’s parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO).“This is a historic day for our company, customers, dealers, and associates,” Wood said. “This milestone marks a significant step in TMHNA’s long-term strategy to enhance operational efficiency and innovation. Our vision is to continue to lead the material handling industry with solutions for our customers’ evolving challenges. This integration gives us the opportunity to leverage the best people, processes, and products into one unified organization for the benefit of our customers.”These enhancements will improve efficiency, expand production capacity, and reinforce TMHNA’s commitment to kaizen – or continuous improvement. Alongside Wood, TMHNA’s senior leadership team includes: Michael Field, who served as President & CEO of The Raymond Corporation prior to the integration, will now be TMHNA’s Chief Operations Officer. Field, who has over 30 years of experience managing technology companies, will be responsible for engineering, aftermarket, energy storage solutions, automation, telematics, IT, strategic alliances, government affairs, and product planning for both the Toyota and Raymond brands.“By integrating our resources, we’ll accelerate technology and product investments, bringing best-in-class solutions to market faster and driving growth through innovation,” Field said. “We collaborate with our customers to deeply understand wants, needs, and business challenges to deliver solutions that solve real-world problems.” Sam Coles, a native of England, has been appointed as TMHNA’s Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, where he will be responsible for sales, marketing, and pricing for both the Raymond and Toyota brands in North America. Coles has over 35 years of experience in the material handling industry with BT Industries and Toyota, and most recently spent four years as the President of Toyota Material Handling International (TMHI) in Sweden. Coles also previously spent seven years as the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Toyota Material Handling Europe.“During my time with Toyota, I have traveled the world working with great people, and I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to join this team in North America,” Coles said. “This integration will help us better serve and manage our customer relationships across brands and ensure that their needs always come first.” Tony Miller becomes TMHNA’s Chief Supply Officer, transitioning out of his most recent role as Toyota Material Handling’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Engineering & Strategic Planning. Miller, who has been with Toyota since 1996 and has over 25 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing, will oversee operations for all TMHNA manufacturing plants, including manufacturing, production engineering, production control, procurement, quality, warranty, and Toyota Production System (TPS) development office.“Manufacturing excellence isn’t just part of our history – it’s the foundation of who we are,” Miller said. “There is a Japanese word – Monozukuri – that perfectly describes my aspiration for our team. Translated, it means ‘manufacturing with pride, skill, and dedication in the pursuit of innovation and perfection.’ This will drive us to relentlessly focus on elevating our manufacturing excellence at every one of our plants.” Mark Taggart, who most recently served as TMHNA’s Chief Financial Officer and the President of Raylease, has been promoted to TMHNA Chief Administration Officer. Taggart will lead TMHNA’s finance, human resources, and legal teams. After beginning his career with Toyota in 1996, Taggart played a key role in establishing Toyota Financial Savings Bank (TFSB) and has held multiple executive roles, including five years as the President & CEO of Toyota Industries Commercial Finance.“Our new TMHNA vision is to be the most innovative, reliable, and trusted partner for material handling and logistics. And our new TMHNA mission is to elevate our people, customers, and communities,” Taggart said. “Every decision we make will be driven by helping our dealers and customers succeed and building sustainable success for decades to come."This integration is rooted in growth, not consolidation. TMHNA is committed to investing in its workforce – which includes over 16,000 associates – and facilities to drive innovation and better serve its customers. Recently, the company has invested $50 million in facility upgrades and advanced equipment at its plants in Greene, New York, and Muscatine, Iowa.Additionally, in 2024, Toyota announced the investment of nearly $100 million to build a new 295,000-square-foot factory at its North American headquarters in Columbus, Indiana. This state-of-the-art factory, set to open in 2026, will produce electric material handling equipment to help reduce product lead times, add manufacturing flexibility, and support the company’s long-term sustainability goals.Today, one in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product, a testament to the company’s industry leadership.“I couldn’t be more excited about the people we have in place to lead our new organization,” Wood said. “All four of these leaders are the very best at what they do, and they are driven by our foundational values of continuous improvement and respect for people. Most importantly, our entire Toyota team will always do what is best for our customers, dealers, and associates. I am confident that our incredible team will help elevate TMHNA to new heights.”Learn more about the Toyota Material Handling North America leadership team here.About Toyota Material Handling North AmericaToyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA), the industry leader in forklift sales, is composed of two main group companies: Toyota Material Handling, Inc. and The Raymond Corporation. One in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product. With nearly 2.5 million square feet of manufacturing space, TMHNA is composed of four manufacturing plant locations: Columbus, Indiana; Greene, New York; Muscatine, Iowa; and East Chicago, Indiana, that produce more than 1,900 forklifts per week. With an annual revenue of over $6 billion, TMHNA has more than 16,000 associates and nearly 300 dealers and solutions and support centers to support Toyota and Raymond customers throughout North America.Contact Justin AlbersToyota Material Handling North America812-350-9739Justin.Albers@toyotatmh.com

55% say they are increasing their investment in supply chain tech and innovation and 60% are planning to invest over $1 millionChicago, IL – A new report released today by MHI and Deloitte finds that 55% of supply chain leaders are increasing their supply chain technology and innovation investments with 60% saying they are planning to spend over $1 million. Nineteen percent plan to spend over $10 million.This investment includes solutions for orchestrated, end-to-end solutions between tech and human workers, according to the 2025 MHI Annual Industry Report, “The Digital Supply Chain Ecosystem: Orchestrating End-to-End Solutions.” The report provides new insights into trends and technologies that are transforming supply chains and the priorities of the people who run them.As a result of these increased investments, adoption of the 11 categories of technology covered in the report is predicted to rise over the next five years.• Inventory and Network Optimization – 92%• Cloud Computing and Storage – 91%• Sensors and Automatic Identification – 88%• Predictive Analytics – 87%• Robotics and Automation – 83%• Artificial Intelligence – 82%• Internet of Things – 77%• Wearable and Mobile Technology – 72%• Autonomous Vehicles and Drones – 64%• 3D Printing – 57%• Blockchain – 54%The 2025 report, the twelfth in a series of annual industry reports published by MHI and Deloitte, provides updates on the innovative technologies that have the most potential to transform supply chains in an orchestrated way that maximizes performance gains while also empowering workers.Today’s business environment is increasingly complex and volatile requiring a more integrated and agile approach to supply chain management. End-to-end supply chain orchestration, which seamlessly connects every stage of the supply chain, has emerged as a critical strategy for organizations to remain competitive.“These are exciting times for the supply chain industry as we see the orchestration of technology and talent coming to the forefront,” said John Paxton, CEO of MHI. “The future of supply chains will center around striking the right combination of human talent and technology to enhance efficiency, transparency, and sustainability.”AI Adoption is SurgingAdoption of artificial intelligence is expected to rise dramatically, with 28% reporting that it's in use today, and another 54% reporting that they plan to have it in use within 5 years, making the 5-year total nearly triple that of today at 82% by 2029.AI is already adding value in a wide range of supply chain processes, from inventory management to demand planning to logistics. Moving forward, supply chain organizations will be increasingly leveraging AI to enhance all aspects of their operations. Agentic AI—which can operate independently without human guidance or oversight—specifically has the potential to quickly and proactively address disruptions, enhance forecasting precision, and improve overall visibility within the supply chain.“As the promise of agentic AI for warehouse process automation, real-time inventory visibility, predictive maintenance, and demand forecasting grows, high-quality data will be essential to utilizing this technology to drive efficiency and agility. Additionally, predictable and ethical behavior from AI solutions will be a focus.” said Paxton.Inflation and Economic Uncertainty Top the List of Key Trends Impacting Supply Chains in 2025 According to this year’s respondents, the top five most impactful supply chain trends are: inflation (38%); economic uncertainty (37%); workforce and talent shortages (35%); supply chain agility and resiliency (28%); and inventory challenges (25%).1. InflationDespite concerns about inflation, interest rate policies and economic uncertainty, the foundation of the US economy remains robust and current data suggests that year-on-year inflation will ease in 2025, although the evolving tariff policies could alter the outlook. The bottom line is that while inflation is a headwind against investment in new supply chain capabilities, those headwinds will likely be more than offset by the resulting efficiency gains and reducing the reliance on scarce talent.2. Economic UncertaintyOngoing geopolitical tensions and recent political shocks, both domestically and globally, have increased uncertainty for global trade. Trade restrictions will require policy revisions that contribute to economic uncertainty and will have an impact on supply chains.3. Workforce and Talent ShortageA major impetus for companies to automate and implement AI is the ongoing decline in supply chain labor force participation—a trend that seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Also, automated facilities with end-to-end orchestration requires worker reskilling for work in digital supply chain environments.4. Supply Chain Agility and ResiliencyContinued expansion of product portfolios and supplier networks across manufacturers is making supply chains more complex and more vulnerable than ever, creating more potential points of failure and ripple effects across the supply network. This has made supply chain resiliency and agility a top priority that will likely remain for years to come. Technology is driving this resiliency by providing real-time visibility and actionable data for operations.5. Inventory ChallengesGiven all these other challenges, companies are holding more inventory (and paying more to hold it). Also, economic uncertainty is making demand forecasting even trickier.As supply chain organizations wrestle with these forces—and work to embrace and integrate new technologies—they continue to broadly focus on strengthening their operations to withstand future challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities, both of which are crucial for maintaining a competitive advantage in a dynamic global marketplace.The Next Five Tech-Specific Trends Shaping Supply ChainsIn addition to the five trends noted above, this year’s survey identified five additional tech-specific trends that are having a major impact on supply chain strategy and operations.These key tech trends are:6. Cybersecurity and Data SecurityFor many businesses, the supply chain is a leading source of cybersecurity risk—and with supply chains’ growing reliance on technology and digitization, data security is sure to become an increasingly vital issue. Powered by the rise of AI, it seems likely that attacks such as phishing, deepfakes, and ransomware will only grow in volume and sophistication in the years ahead.7. Demand for Real-Time DataLack of access to accurate, real-time data is an ongoing barrier to achieving the vision and benefits of supply chain digitization and end-to-end orchestration. Without real-time data visibility, it is difficult or impossible to make informed, data-driven decisions that enable a supply chain to optimize inventory, react to changing demands and risks, and improve efficiency.8. Digitization and the Pace of Technology AdoptionThe dizzying pace of technological change in supply chains can be daunting for supply chain leaders and professionals alike. Yet, the pace will likely only accelerate as supply chain operations embrace AI in the pursuit of improved visibility, transparency and efficiency. This will make keeping up with the latest developments in digital technology even more challenging, but also even more important.9. Ecommerce GrowthEcommerce grew by leaps and bounds during the pandemic, and that growth is showing no signs of slowing. This is driving companies to find new and better ways to anticipate changes in demand and fulfill orders more quickly and accurately. To that end, supply chains are looking for ways to harness the power of technology— especially AI—to more accurately anticipate customer needs, manage inventories, and accelerate delivery.10. SustainabilityAlthough sustainability is not strictly a technical issue, it remains a high priority and strategic differentiator for many firms—with technology being both a critical enabler and potential source of new problems. Technology advances are helping operations around the world become more sustainable; however, many firms are still wrestling with data issues that make it hard for them to accurately report Scope 3 emissions. AI and machine learning algorithms can help; however, the irony is that AI systems use tremendous amounts of energy. Bottom line is that sustainability goals need to be rooted in the overall business plan.“Leaders must ensure seamless integration of all supply chain components to enhance efficiency and meet customer expectations to further drive innovation, reduce redundancies, and deliver superior value,” said Wanda Johnson, Supply Chain Technology Fellow, Deloitte Consulting.The report also provides real-world case studies of digital supply chain technologies and recommendations for leaders to develop strategies to implement these innovations.The findings of the 2025 report are based on survey responses from over 700 manufacturing and supply chain industry leaders from a wide range of industries at the end of 2024. Eighty-three percent of respondents hold executive-level positions such as CEO, Vice President, General Manager, Department Head, or Engineering Management. Participating companies range in size from small to large, with 53% reporting annual sales of more than $50 million, and 21% reporting $1 billion or more.Download the complete report here.About MHIMHI is an international trade association that has represented the material handling, logistics, and supply chain industry since 1945. MHI’s over 970 members include material handling and logistics equipment and systems manufacturers, integrators, consultants, publishers, and third-party logistics providers. MHI offers education, networking, and solution sourcing for their members, their members’ customers, and the industry as a whole through programming and events. The association sponsors the ProMat and MODEX exhibitions to showcase the products and services of its member companies and to educate manufacturing and supply chain professionals. The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) is a division of MHI and provides education and research to the warehousing, distribution, and logistics communityProMat 2025 is being held at Chicago’s McCormick Place from March 17-20.About DeloitteDeloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 8,500 U.S.-based private companies. At Deloitte, we strive to live our purpose of making an impact that matters by creating trust and confidence in a more equitable society. We leverage our unique blend of business acumen, command of technology, and strategic technology alliances to advise our clients across industries as they build their future. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Bringing more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 460,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.