inperson
Brett Wood is president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA),
which is composed of three main companies: Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. Inc. (TMHU),
Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Inc., and The Raymond Corp. He has worked
in the material handling industry since 1989, previously serving in positions at Toyota that
included TMHU president as well as vice president of marketing, product, strategic planning,
and training operations. Wood has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell
University. He recently spoke with DC VELOCITY Editorial Director David Maloney.
Brett Wood
of Toyota
They see the big picture as well as the details.
Engineers value input from customers. These
traits have all benefited me in my career,
whether I was focused on engineering a product or managing the company’s growth or
setting our future strategic direction.
Q: IN JANUARY, TOYOTA ANNOUNCED A REORGANIZATION OF ITS BUSINESS UNITS TO FORM
A SINGLE COMPANY TO BE KNOWN AS TOYOTA
MATERIAL HANDLING. HOW DOES THIS BETTER
POSITION YOU IN THE MARKETPLACE?
A: By bringing the manufacturing and engineering group (Toyota Industrial Equipment
Manufacturing) together with the sales,
marketing, and distribution group (Toyota
Material Handling USA), we are simply better
able to serve the needs of our dealers and customers. We’re able to eliminate wasted time
and energy in certain areas to move faster …
and bring one strong voice to our customers
and our community.
Q: TOYOTA HAS BEEN ADDING MATERIAL HANDLING COMPANIES OUTSIDE OF ITS CORE FORKLIFT BUSINESS, LIKE VANDERLANDE AND BASTIAN
SOLUTIONS. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE REASONS
BEHIND THIS STRATEGY?
A: Changing dynamics in the North American
material handling market have created
demand for new forms of logistics solutions
beyond forklifts. We intend to build a stronger presence in the area of advanced logistics
technology.
Q: HOW DO YOU VIEW THE CURRENT
STATE OF THE MATERIAL HANDLING
INDUSTRY?
A: Simply stated, it’s a great time to
be in the material handling industry.
Exciting technology is being introduced into our industry every day.
Material handling products and services are now extremely innovative
and becoming more sophisticated.
As a result, our customers are more
productive than ever before. As a
former engineer, I can’t wait to see how efficient North America’s
material handling industry will be by the year 2025.
Q: THE INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ASSOCIATION RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT
FORKLIFT TRUCK SALES IN NORTH AMERICA RECORDED THEIR FOURTH
CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF GROWTH. TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE
ONGOING STRENGTH OF THE FORKLIFT MARKET?
A: The U.S. economy is currently fairly strong, and forklift sales
are a reflection of a strong economy. Our industry is mixed, with
an entirely different set of customer expectations and buying habits, resulting in diverse applications. For example, e-commerce
and the expectation of next-day delivery for virtually everything
has increased the speed at which we need to pick, palletize, and
move materials.
Q: IT’S RATHER UNUSUAL FOR AN ENGINEER TO RISE TO BE PRESIDENT
AND CEO OF A LARGE CORPORATION. HOW DO THE SKILLS YOU DEVELOPED AS AN ENGINEER BENEFIT YOU AS A LEADER?
A: In some companies, an engineering path is not a normal rise
to the highest levels of leadership. But at Toyota, a process-driven
and customer-focused company, an engineering mindset is very
beneficial. Engineers are curious and creative problem-solvers.
In our continuing series of
discussions with top supply
chain company executives,
Brett Wood of Toyota dis-cusses the steady growth
in the use of forklifts, and
changes and acquisitions
by his company.
