Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks Opens Customer Focus Area at National Dealer Meeting; Continuing Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks' commitment to product reliability

Business Wire, Dec 5, 2005

HOUSTON -- Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks officially opened its new Customer Focus Area last month to rave reviews from dealers attending the annual dealer conference in Houston.

The dealers were the first to observe the Customer Focus Area in full operation as the company randomly pulled Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks from the assembly line to inspect.

Located in a 24-foot X 24-foot area within view of the assembly line, the forklift trucks are thoroughly inspected in the Customer Focus Area using a detailed checklist outlining more than 100 items.

The location of the Customer Focus Area within the production facility was strategic and designed to demonstrate to employees that customer focus is a top priority for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks.

"All employees realize how important product reliability is at Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, and our employees take great pride in their work. We think it is a good idea to let them see quality audits and learn the results," said Manager of Corporate Quality John Kristoff.

"Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks are the most reliable lift trucks on the market and that is because we take the time to conduct such detailed inspections," Kristoff said.

"These are not quick pass-through inspections, these inspections take about five hours for each truck, and that is in addition to our normal inspection and quality control process," he added.

According to Kristoff the rigorous inspection focuses on four main areas: work order accuracy; performance and assembly; critical torque; and overall appearance.

The meticulous audit inspection includes an extensive engine diagnostic test, review of brakes, fluid levels, drive train, steer axle and mounting, welding, quality of paint finish, customer requested options and more.

"It was clear that our Mitsubishi Forklift Truck dealers were impressed with the time we take out of the production day to make sure everything is right. That is important to the customers and so it is important to us," Kristoff said.

He noted that the inspection ratings are prioritized and used to identify opportunities for improvement in design, production or feature options.

"Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks' inspection results are tabulated and reviewed with the functional groups and the company's executive committee on a weekly basis. We are constantly measuring, evaluating and testing our systems to review ways to continually improve the reliability of our forklift trucks," Kristoff said.

Manufactured in Houston, Texas to ISO 9001:2000 standards, Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks offers a full line of innovative lift trucks with models ranging from 2,500 to 33,000 pounds. Today's Mitsubishi forklift trucks continue to provide customers with innovative solutions for their material handling needs. For more information on the entire ready, reliable product line from Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, please visit www.mit-lift.com or call 1-800-MIT-LIFT.