CLARK European headquarters celebrates its 20th anniversary at the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex

NEWS - 20 years of CLARK Europe

CLARK Europe celebrates its 20th anniversary at Zeche Zollverein in Essen

The year 2024 is an important milestone for CLARK Europe, as the company has been operating under this name in the heart of the Ruhr region for 20 years now: first in Mülheim an der Ruhr and now for ten years in the Niederrhein Business Park in Duisburg. With the European headquarters there, CLARK has not only been able to build on past successes, but also continue its success story. If that's not a reason to celebrate!

In mid-September, the industrial truck manufacturer invited its sales partners from Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as CLARK employees to a big anniversary celebration at the Zeche Zollverein in Essen. In the ambience of the former coal mine, which is now an architectural and industrial monument and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, the CLARK family came together to celebrate this milestone in style.

"The 20th anniversary of our company is a reason to celebrate," explained Rolf Eiten, President & CEO of CLARK Europe. Being able to hold our own on the market for so many years and look back on a successful company history is a special achievement and the reward for the work we have done." The fact that the "CLARK" brand is now one of the world's leading providers of in-plant logistics solutions and stands for modern and robust product design, advanced, sophisticated technology and first-class customer service worldwide is ultimately thanks to CLARK's committed employees, many of whom have been with the company for many years. In his speech, Rolf Eiten therefore thanked the entire CLARK Europe team for their great work, which has helped to make the "CLARK" brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa what it is today: a guarantee of innovation, quality and reliability.

In his speech, he not only looked back on the beginnings of CLARK Europe, but also on the legacy of US-American Eugene Bradley Clark, who developed the first IC engine-powered industrial forklift in 1917 and thus laid the foundation for the company's more than 100 years of global success today, with over 1.4 million forklifts sold worldwide. It was also thanks to this expertise that in 2004 a small team in a tiny office a stone's throw away from the company's current location was able to breathe new life into CLARK Europe's business activities. "Thanks to their entrepreneurial courage and commitment, CLARK was able to grow again, establish a comprehensive dealer network in the EMEA region and thus successfully reposition the "CLARK" brand for industrial trucks on the market," emphasized Eiten, making it clear that the current location in Duisburg has laid another important foundation stone for the company's long-term growth.

In his speech, the Chairman of YoungAn & CLARK, SS Baik, who had travelled all the way from South Korea, emphasized that he looked back with fondness on the successes of the last 20 years and that he wanted to set further milestones in the future. These include, for example, the opening of the new Global Headquarters in Dallas, Texas (USA) in January 2025, which will see the inventor of the forklift truck and one of the leading American brands return to the USA. "With this strategic step, we are laying the foundation for a global growth strategy in the coming decades," says SS Baik. According to Baik, the fact that the second generation is already in charge of the company's fortunes and the third generation is also committed to a career at CLARK shows that the Korean parent company is behind this promise for the future.

One of the guests of honour was Chuck Moratz, President and CEO of CLARK Material Handling Company North American Headquarters and President of CLARK Global Headquarters: In his speech, he congratulated CLARK Europe on its anniversary and 20 successful years. He also emphasized the importance of worldwide cooperation between the CLARK locations, as only teamwork leads to the best possible solutions and further growth.

The formal part of the event was concluded by Sören Link, Lord Mayor of the City of Duisburg. He congratulated CLARK Europe on its 20th anniversary and referred to the company's more than one hundred years of global presence: "Whether in Los Angeles or Sydney, whether in Spitsbergen or Cape Town: anyone who talks about their 'CLARK' means their forklift truck. And anyone who talks about their forklift truck very probably means their 'CLARK'. The fact that these two terms are almost interchangeable and are used as synonyms speaks for the esteem in which your vehicles and your traditional company are held. The fact that around 350,000 of your forklift trucks are currently in operation worldwide is also proof of their high level of reliability. Only a few can achieve such an exceptional position. And this good reputation is the reward for a performance of which you can be proud."

CLARK kicked off the informal part of the event with a look behind the scenes. Visitors were able to have a first look at upcoming product highlights, such as the new 48-volt three- and four-wheel forklift trucks from the STE/SE series with lithium-ion technology, which, like their 80-volt counterparts, are part of the S-Series Electric and are also characterized by the attributes Smart, Strong and Safe, the new S25-35XE and L25-35XE electric forklift truck series, which will replace IC engine-powered counterbalance trucks in the future, or the brand-new CLARK S160D - an IC engine-powered forklift truck with a load capacity of 16 tonnes, with which CLARK is venturing into the heavy-duty forklift truck segment for the first time and aims to tap into new industries and customers. Before the cosy part of the event began and there was time for networking, visitors were given an insight into the history of the Zollverein colliery, which was once the largest coal mine in the world.