The Manitou brand was born in France in 1957 with the invention of the first commercial all-terrain forklift truck (by reversing the design of a tractor and adding a lift mast upfront). Manitou now manufacturers forklifts, cherry pickers, telehandlers, and other heavy equipment out of their base in Ancenis, France.
"Why not reverse the design of a farm tractor and add a lift mast and hydraulic steering to it?" These were the thoughts of Marcel Braud as he developed the World’s first rough-terrain forklift.
After a successful initial internationalization effort which included opening 26 subsidiaries around the World, the group entered the telehandler market with machines which become the new flagship products for the brand.
More successful product launches followed, with the introduction of aerial work platforms in 1993 and truck-mounted forklifts in 1995. Fast-forward to present day and Manitou Group have celebrated the production of their 800,000th machine and unveiled the World’s first prototype of an electric telehandler.
Manitou aims to increase comfort, performance and boost profitability for users through it’s innovative designs.
Manitou’s Comfort Steering System (CSS) is a type of adaptive power steering which requires 40% less steering input from the driver to manoeuvre the machine. The system was developed in response to certain injuries associated with repeated shoulder, elbow, and wrist movements. The system helps to protect end users by reducing strain.
Manitou’s Intelligent Hydraulic Systems allows users to programme a series of movements to enable to machine to deal with common operations, including a ‘Quick Lift’ function for vertical lifting, and a Return to Load solution which manages all machine operations during loading. This reduces the risk of injury from repetitive movements and increases productivity.