25 Years of Crown in the Netherlands: Success through Consistent Customer Focus

Crown, one of the world's leading providers of material handling solutions, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the Netherlands and its 80th anniversary worldwide. Since its opening in 2000, the Almere facility has gradually grown and established itself as a major player in the Dutch material handling industry. The company is distinguished by advanced, thoughtful technology and first-class customer service. Leading companies in logistics, manufacturing, transportation, wholesale, retail and healthcare rely on Crown's innovative and progressive solutions and professional customer service.

Three key growth factors: innovation, quality and first-class service

After acquiring the dealer for the Netherlands that had been active for years, Crown set up its own branch at the turn of the century. The success story began with a small staff in Almere, a strategically located town near Amsterdam. Today, a strong team provides added value to many customers every day. The focus is on practical solutions that increase productivity while reducing warehouse costs.

From the beginning, the combination of innovation, high quality and consistent customer focus has been a key success factor for Crown. Thanks to this approach, the Almere facility has grown significantly: from 25 employees at the start to nearly 100 today. This has helped build an impressive customer base and meet increasing customer demand. The team spirit within the Almere office is still strong: for example, lunch is served together every day, promoting open communication and cooperation between different teams.

"We are proud of the reputation we have built in the Netherlands over the past 25 years. Our customers trust our reliable products and appreciate our advice and first-class service," said Jules de Jong, general manager at Crown Intern Transport in the Netherlands. "Our in-depth market knowledge allows us to respond specifically to our customers' needs and requirements and help them achieve greater efficiency, higher productivity and safety with our customized solutions. We owe this success story on the one hand to the close and long-term cooperation with our customers and partners, and on the other hand above all to our employees, who are committed to our success every day. Many of them have been with us for many years and guarantee professionalism in every area."

Bastiaan Vosselman of Decostar, a Dutch wholesaler of home décor items and home accessories and a long-time Crown customer, is also impressed by Crown's consistent customer focus: "We have grown significantly in recent years and needed to modernize and expand our fleet of forklifts. We chose Crown as a total supplier because we had good experiences with their products in the past. Crown forklifts are reliable and safe. We have also become accustomed to Crown's excellent service."

Field-proven solutions for smoothly running processes

Crown's extensive product line includes a wide range of rugged and durable forklifts for virtually any application - from the Wave Work Assist Vehicle, pallet trucks and reach trucks to narrow aisle and counterbalance trucks. They stand for safe operation, ergonomics, reliability and productivity. Automation and fleet management complete the offering, as do modern energy solutions and customized financing and maintenance programs. 

More than 100 awards for industrial design excellence prove that Crown sets new standards time after time. Among other awards, Crown has received the prestigious International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Award for the QuickPick Remote technology for order picking, the ESR series reach trucks and The high order pickers of the SP series. 

Ken Dufford, Vice President for Europe at Crown and formerly the first managing director at the Almere branch, is optimistic about the future: "We make a unique brand promise to our customers: when every minute counts, they can count on Crown to keep their business running. Innovation, quality and reliability are firmly embedded in our DNA, shape our long-term vision and help us succeed in the dynamic Dutch market full of competition. With our dedicated team, we aim to strengthen and solidify our position as one of the leading companies in our industry."

80 Years of Crown Worldwide

Along with its 25th anniversary in the Netherlands, Crown is celebrating its 80th anniversary worldwide. The company was founded in 1945 by brothers Carl H. and Allen A. Dicke in a garage in New Bremen, Ohio (USA). Since then, the company has grown into an internationally recognized manufacturer of transportation equipment and intralogistics solutions. Today Crown employs more than 19,600 people worldwide and supplies many well-known brands and industry leaders. 

Also in its 80th year, close collaboration with customers is at the forefront of Crown's efforts to respond to trends that are driving change in warehouse storage and the entire supply chain - and to help actively shape these developments. Key focus areas include flexible approaches to automation, connectivity solutions for an even better operator experience and increased productivity, intelligent data use to improve business processes and advanced energy management solutions.