Associated-Allied

1960's

Associated Material Handling Industries, Inc. was founded by Ed Allen in Chicago, IL on December 8, 1960. His vision was to provide customers with material handling equipment and services that would improve their warehouse operations.

1970's

On March 9, 1978, Associated partnered with Raymond to become the exclusive Raymond Lift Truck Dealer in the Chicagoland market. This partnership elevated Associated's position in the marketplace because The Raymond Corporation was a leading manufacturer and innovator of material handling equipment.

1980's

In 1984, Associated acquired Allied Handling Equipment Company which expanded their midwest market coverage to include southern Illinois and Iowa.

This acquisition, combined with Raymond's launch of the first computer controlled drive system and 36 volt Orderpicker, helped Associated to become the preferred warehouse solution provider in the marketplace.

1990's

Throughout the 90's, Associated further expanded its presence in the midwest and became one of the largest material handling dealers in the country with the purchase of operations in Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

During this time, Raymond continued to provide Associated with innovative products such as the ergonomically advanced control handle that allowed the operator to simultaneously execute all the functions of a lift truck with one hand. This along with other market leading innovations allowed Associated to provide additional value to customers. As a result, they were awarded Raymond's highest dealer honors throughout this time period.

2000's

To stay ahead of growing customer demands, Associated expanded their business model in the 2000's to include Fleet Management and Engineering Services. The addition of these complementary offerings allowed Associated to provide its customers with enhanced integrated and flexible solutions to create sustainable value within their supply chain. This continued to keep Associated at the leading edge of innovation while providing valued solutions.

As Associated modified its business to satisfy changing customer needs, so did The Raymond Corporation as they expanded their product line. Starting with the first AC-powered Reach-Fork truck built in America in 2001. As the decade progressed Raymond redesigned their entire line of product offerings to give operators unprecedented levels of productivity and ergonomics. In addition to their product enhancements they also launched iWarehouse™, the industries most powerful and comprehensive fleet optimization solution. This solution is a revolutionary leap forward in the way businesses acquire, analyze, and act upon information about their lift truck fleet operations. It has the ability to give customers unparalleled visibility into their operations that they never had before.

Associated's continued approach to offering value based solutions and Raymond's innovations helped them to become one of the most comprehensive material handling dealers in the country. This commitment has been recognized time and again through their receipt of multiple industry and professional awards, such as Raymond's Dealer of Distinction, Crain's Chicago Business' list of "Largest Privately Held Companies" and Inc. Magazine's 500 Fastest Growing Companies.

2010's

During the past five decades, Associated has forged long term relationships with its customers by providing leading edge design and engineering solutions, industry leading products and comprehensive support services that increase efficiencies and maximize cost savings within the supply chain. They have gone from one small store front in Chicago, IL with one customer to six locations servicing over 16,000 customers throughout the country. From one man with an idea to 300+ employees who work every day to create innovative solutions to improve their customers supply chain.

Although Associated has had a successful 50 year history, they are looking toward the future. They are committed to developing new and innovative methods that provide value to their customer's supply chains. Associated launched a new brand identity, Associated Integrated Supply Chain Solutions, which serves as the platform to provide their customers with enhanced levels of innovation and exceptional customer service. With this enhanced business model, they have made the commitment to grow from the material handling company of the past 50 years into the supply chain solution provider of the future.