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  • A sepia photo of Associated's first service vehicle, a '53 Pontiac with the rear seats removed to transport parts

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    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.

    Image: Associated’s first service vehicle: a 1953 Pontiac. The rear seat was removed for transporting parts. July 1962 at a Sunco Gas Station/

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  • A sepia photo of Associated's first service vehicle, a '53 Pontiac with the rear seats removed to transport parts

    1960's block 1

    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.

    Image: Associated’s first service vehicle: a 1953 Pontiac. The rear seat was removed for transporting parts. July 1962 at a Sunco Gas Station/

  • A sepia photo of Associated's first service vehicle, a '53 Pontiac with the rear seats removed to transport parts

    1960's block 2

    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.

    Image: Associated’s first service vehicle: a 1953 Pontiac. The rear seat was removed for transporting parts. July 1962 at a Sunco Gas Station/

  • Newspaper clipping from 1979 of a group photo of technicians at the Raymond Service School, representing various Raymond dealerships

    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.

     

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    Image: Raymond Service School - 1979


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  • Group photo of Associated's 1979-1980 service team

    1980's

    Allied Associated logo

    In 1984 Associated acquired Allied Handling Equipment Company which expanded their Midwest market coverage to include Central 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.

    Image: Service team in 1980.

  • 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.

  • Employees in a group photo outside the Carol Stream office with a forklift

    Employees at Associated’s office in Carol Stream, IL in the 90’s
  • Group photo from 1997 of the employees at the Associated office in Eagan, MN

    Employees at Associated’s office in Eagan, MN in 1997


  • Associated in the 2000's

    Associated receives the Raymond Dealer of Merit award. Carol Stream, IL - 2001

    To stay ahead of growing customer demands, Associated expanded their services in the 2000’s to include Fleet Management and Engineering & Design Solutions.

    The addition of these complementary services allowed Associated to provide its customers with additional 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.

  • 2007 - Groundbreaking for the new building in Addison, IL

    2001 - the first AC Reach Truck

    As Associated recognized the changing business environment, 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, so did Raymond with the launch of several other innovations such as:


7400 Reach Fork Truck

The Model 7400 Reach Trucks: giving operators unprecedented levels of productivity and ergonomics.

Order Picker

The 5000 Series Orderpickers and 8000 series Pallet Trucks: designed to boost productivity and enhance operator’s comfort.

turret trucks

The 9000 Series Swing-Reach: offering industry leading energy-saving features.

iWAREHOUSE Essential Fleet Management

In 2008, Raymond introduced iWAREHOUSE: the industry's most comprehensive forklift fleet management system.

  • iWAREHOUSE Evolution unit

    In 2016, Raymond introduced iWAREHOUSE Evolution, a scalable telematics platform that allows features to be easily aded or removed to suit your business needs - from essential forklift fleet management to maintenance tracking, remote service dispatch. labor management tools and custom consulting services.

  • lithium ion, raymond lithium, lithium ion forklift

    In 2017, Raymond introduced its first lift truck powered by a Lithum-ion Battery as well as integrated technologies to create the next generation of lift trucks. That included a multifunction color touchscreen display built into the control system of the truck that provides real-time truck data.

  • virtual reality simulator, forklift training

    In 2018, Raymond debuted its Virtual Reality simulator. A complement and supplement to training programs.

  • Stoffel Equipment Company
    Near the end of the decade Associated acquired Stoffel Equipment company which expanded their territory to include all of Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

    Associated’s continued approach to offering value based solutions and Raymond’s innovations have helped them to become one of the largest 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.

During the past six 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 service over 16,000 customers throughout the country. From one man with an idea to 400+ employees who work every day to create innovative solutions to improve their customers supply chain.

Although Associated has had a successful 60+ 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 chain.


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