The Crown company was founded in 1945 by two brothers, Allen A. Dicke and the late Carl H. Dicke. Carl’s son and Chairman Emeritus, James F. Dicke, joined the family company later that same year. Presently, his son, James F. Dicke II, is Chairman and CEO. James F. Dicke III, serves as the company Head today, becoming the fourth generation of the Dicke descendants to continue this position. Now an globally diversified organization, Crown originally created temperature controls for coal burning furnaces, servicing a small client base. The production of these control units took place in a former hardware store located in New Bremen, Ohio, where Crown’s headquarters presently remain. In 1949, responding to the public’s mounting interest in TV, Crown moved into the production of antenna rotators. This product was utilized to enhance TV reception and image quality. The company’s lucrative move allowed them to become a leading producer of units until 2001. The company ceased production in October after a decline in the worldwide need for TV antenna rotators. Crown before long diversified its manufacturing to take in the repair of mechanized and electrical components for private and government use in the early 1950's. Following a number of profitable bids within a short period of time, the company had developed a reputable business in this field. Versatility and success dominated Crown’s capability to diversify once again. In 1957, production into the materials handling industry began with forklift manufacturing. The organization believed the market needed a smaller line of superior quality lift trucks. Crown immediately produced an exceptional series of modern equipment and swiftly became the most rapidly evolving materials handling company with its variety of products. By 1966, Crown had ventured into the foreign material handling markets by opening up shop in Sydney, Australia. Sydney is now a regional head office for Crown for all Pacific Asian sales, marketing, and services. Crown remains an unwavering industry leader these days, supported by exceptional operations, solid sales and strong production operations. In 1968, Crown established itself in the European market by obtaining an Irish manufacturing facility from its parent company, Steinbock, who was a German firm. They began to manufacture Crowns’ (PTH), hand pallet trucks. Later on that same year, Crown began their first London operation located close by Heathrow Airport. The sales and service operation of Crown’s complete forklift line was accessible in the UK by the end of the decade. In the early 1970’s, Crown expanded and began marketing forklifts across Europe through independent dealers. Crown these days has a sizable network of Crown-owned and independently-owned sellers in various key worldwide marketplaces delivering a huge fleet of electric forklifts. They are responsible for managing the company’s product sales and service. Corporate offices in New Bremen, Ohio and Munich, Germany provide national marketing and promotional sales support to all supplier and sales personnel. Both Crown sales and dealer personnel are factory- trained in all disciplines to guarantee the utmost reliability and service. The Munich office was launched in the 1980’s and provides purchasing, marketing, engineering and design capabilities for India, Africa, the Middle East along with Europe. The diverse relations of international sellers and Crown-owned sellers successfully operate in nearly 100 overseas city environments. Crown has established 6 manufacturing locations in the United States that include: New Knoxville; Celina, Ohio; Greencastle, Indiana; Kinston, North Carolina; Fort Loramie, Ohio; and New Bremen, Ohio. Serving their expanding overseas markets, Crown has production facilities in Sydney, Australia (since 1966); Queretaro, Mexico (since 1973); Roding, Germany (since 1986); and Suzhou, China (since 2006). Crown also owns branch sales and service center operations in more than 30 locations in the USA. International branch sales and service center operations include locations in Singapore, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Korea, Malaysia, England, Germany, Belgium and Australia. Through its numerous clientèle around the world, Crown has built an first-rate reputation as a manufacturer of forward-thinking, safe and dependable machines. The company has been awarded more than 50 distinguished design awards and the products that Crown develops continues to attain credit for innovation and top design excellence. For example, in the 1970’s, Crown’s introduction of the side-stance design proved exciting and unparalleled by material handling professionals. Today, this design has gained popular acceptance and earned a Design of the Decade award from the International Design Society of America. Once again, more than thirty years later, the 5200S Series Reach Truck is another market first, providing the operator with many comfort alternatives to lean, sit or stand, along with its unmatched productivity capacity.