Toyota Material Handling opens $100 million electric forklift factory at its Columbus, Indiana campus

Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) cut the ribbon on a new dedicated electric forklift factory at its Columbus, Indiana campus on 5 August 2026^[1]. The 295,000 sq ft facility cost $100 million - the largest single investment TMHNA has made to expand its manufacturing footprint, and production had already begun the previous month, in July 2026.

What the factory produces

The plant is dedicated exclusively to electric forklifts for both the Toyota and Raymond brands^[1], consolidating output for TMHNA's two main go-to-market labels under one roof. The new building brings the company's total Columbus footprint to 1.9 million sq ft across the campus.

TMHNA's broader North American manufacturing network now spans nearly 2.5 million sq ft across four sites:

• Columbus, Indiana (headquarters and now the new electric factory)
• Greene, New York
• Muscatine, Iowa
• East Chicago, Indiana

Together those four locations produce more than 1,900 forklifts per week.

Scale of the investment

Construction started in June 2024 and ran for roughly 25 months before production began. The new factory adds 140 jobs to a Columbus campus that already employs more than 2,100 people.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation committed performance-based support including up to $1.1 million in conditional tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants when the project was announced at groundbreaking.

The ribbon-cutting drew Indiana Governor Mike Braun, Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon, U.S. Representative Erin Houchin, and Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) President Koichi Ito alongside TMHNA leadership.

The electrification case behind the build

TMHNA president and CEO Brett Wood cited shifting market composition as the direct driver. In 2023, 66% of all lift trucks sold in North America were electric-powered; by the time the factory opened that share had risen to approximately 70%. Wood said demand is likely to reach 80% before 2035.

One in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product, which means TMHNA's capacity decisions carry outsized weight for the broader rental and dealer supply chain. Rental fleets, which are typically the purchaser of record for large forklift orders, have been accelerating electric transitions as warehouse and distribution-center customers push for zero-emission indoor equipment.

What to watch

TMHNA has not disclosed specific model lines or battery specifications for units coming off the new line, nor has it published rated output capacity for the Columbus electric factory alone. The key near-term question is whether the 140 new jobs and the dedicated electric line are sufficient to keep pace with demand growth - or whether the company's other three sites will need parallel electric-focused investment as the market pushes toward that 80% threshold before 2035.