Crown Equipment Limited is the New Zealand arm of Crown Equipment Corporation, a privately held, family-led manufacturer of material handling equipment founded in 1945 by Carl H. Dicke and Allen A. Dicke in New Bremen, Ohio. Now in its fourth generation of Dicke family leadership, the company has grown from a one-room rural operation into one of the world's largest lift truck manufacturers, with 24 manufacturing facilities and retail or service presence across 84 countries.
The company designs and manufactures a broad range of lift trucks - spanning electric and internal combustion powertrains - as well as hand pallet trucks and high-lifting turret trucks for narrow-aisle and high-reach warehouse environments. A defining feature of Crown's engineering model is deep vertical integration: the company designs and manufactures up to 85 percent of its lift truck components in-house, including motors, drive units, and electronic modules. This approach underpins both its quality control and its capacity for technical innovation, which has earned it more than 100 global design awards.
Beyond physical equipment, Crown develops warehouse technology products including InfoLink, a fleet management platform, and QuickPick Remote, a remote picking system aimed at improving warehouse throughput. The technical stack spans onboard electronics, fleet management software, and warehouse automation - with human-centred design applied across hardware and software to prioritise operator productivity, comfort, and safety.
Crown's technical domains relevant to engineering and software roles include:
- Electric and internal combustion vehicle systems
- Motor and drive unit design
- Onboard electronics and electronic modules
- Fleet management and warehouse software
- Warehouse picking and automation technologies
