Crown Equipment and JBT Work on Automated Material Handling Products

March 28, 2019

2 min read

Crown39s DualMode T tow tractor — Crown's DualMode T tow tractor.

Crown Equipment Corp., one of the world’s largest material handling companies, and JBT Corp., a leading global solutions provider of technologically sophisticated systems and products, are forming a strategic collaboration in order to support customers seeking to maximize the benefits of material handling automation to achieve tangible predictable return on investment. The association of these two proven technology leaders provides increased access to an expanding portfolio of automation capabilities to meet material handling needs today and in the future.

The automation expertise and insight JBT brings to the relationship will amplify and complement Crown’s ongoing research and development related to automation technologies. For example, the Crown DualMode T tow tractor, which can switch between manual and automated operation, is an early result of this collaboration that is currently being piloted through Crown’s early adopter release initiative. It joins Crown’s growing automation solutions portfolio that includes the QuickPick Remote order picking system and the Crown STP Series turret trucks with Auto Positioning Systems.

“While the market has been buzzing about the potential of material handling automation, we have been working diligently to develop a practical approach for our customers to leverage automation-related technologies to solve operational challenges,” said Jim Mozer, senior vice president, Crown Equipment. “Part of our approach is collaborating with the experts at JBT to accelerate the development of Crown’s DualMode scalable and flexible automated solutions that are capable of multiple methods of operation, providing the support customers need as they transition through their entire automation journey.”

“Our customers are always looking for an easy way into automation,” said Barry Douglas, general manager and vice president, JBT Automated Systems. “By working with Crown, we can more easily meet these expectations for end users. Also, they know that Crown trusts JBT, which reinforces the trust they place in us. Ultimately, our work with Crown will push the industry forward in a genuine way.”

About the Author

Michael Roth

Editor

Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.