Clark Material Handling Company



Clark Material Handling Company (CMHC), also known as CLARK or CLARK the Forklift, is an American manufacturer of forklift trucks based in Lexington, Kentucky. The company has manufacturing facilities in Changwon, South Korea, Lexington, Kentucky, Qingdao, China, and Hanoi, Vietnam. CLARK currently (2023) offers one of the broadest product lines in the industry, with products covering all five forklift classes, ranging from hand pallet jacks to 18,000 pound-capacity sit down forklifts.

According to the company, there are over 350,000 CLARK forklift trucks currently in operation around the world. CLARK is credited with having invented the world's first truck with a hydraulic lifting mechanism in 1924, an attachment to the Duat tow tractor. This internal combustion truck with hydraulic lifting mechanism became the forerunner to modern forklift trucks.

The company began as the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of steel products, which was purchased by the Illinois Steel Company in 1897. In 1904, they tasked Eugene Clark, a young engineer working for the Illinois Steel Company, with improving the product, facility, and prosperity of the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company. Eugene Clark refined the product, improved facility efficiency, and rearranged the staff to optimize productivity, and under his leadership, they renamed the company to the Celfor Tool Company in 1907, after their staple product, the Celfor Drill.

In 1916, after enjoying many years of success, growth, and expansion, they renamed the company the Clark Equipment Company, after Eugene Clark. In 1917, the Clark Equipment Company invented the Tructractor, the world's first internal combustion shop buggy. As interest in the Tructractor grew, Clark Equipment Company split into two branches: Clark Equipment and Clark Tructractor Company. The current CLARK Material Handling Company is a direct descendant of the Clark Tructractor Company division. Clark continued to innovate, introducing tow tractors, and, in 1924, the first forklift - a modified Duat tow tractor with a hydraulic lifting mechanism. As Clark continued to grow and diversify its product line, it became known for producing the highest quality, and durable trucks on the market. Clark has been the leader in safety, innovation, and quality for the material handling industry for over 100 years. In 2003, Clark was purchased by the Young An Hat Company of Korea, which owns the company to this day.

History
In 1917, the Clark Tructractor Division began, from which the current Clark Material Handling Company is descended.

In 1953, the factory in Mülheim an der Ruhr was opened.

In 1997, Clark built its 1,000,000 (millionth) forklift.

In 2017, Clark celebrated its 100th year in business.

Factories
The Clark company has factories in South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Lexington, Kentucky.