Sellick Equipment, which manufactures forklifts in Harrow, Ontario, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009.

Harrow, Ontario-based Sellick Equipment last week announced it is celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2009. Originally started in 1969, Walter Sellick along with sons Howard and David modified an industrial Ford tractor into a 6,000-pound forklift for outdoor use.

From the tractor conversion, an integral one-piece frame concept was introduced in the 1970’s and the Ford tractor power train was retained as the basic power module for most models.

This new rugged design and breadth of line (5,000 to 8,000 pounds, and 2- and 4-wheel drive) paved the way to increased sales throughout the 80s, which also saw a new component-designed series featuring new engines, shift-on-the-go transmissions and the SeeThru roller mast on the SD and low-profile SG series, plus a 10,000- and 12,000-pound capacity SD series was introduced.

The 90s saw the introduction of the truck-mounted forklift, which gave companies a complete delivery system offering them the opportunity to save valuable cargo space on the truck and delivering the payload directly on the jobsite. In 1997, Sellick Equipment became part of Avis Industrial Corp.

In recent years the company introduced a new generation of forklifts featuring enhanced ergonomics, environmentally friendly diesel engines and increased lift capacities. The Sellick product line consists of the flagship S Series, the low-profile SLP, the S160 (16,000-pound capacity with 4-wheel drive and 4-wheel steer), the STT80 (a rough-terrain tow forklift) and the STM Series of truck-mounted forklifts.

Over the past 40 years Sellick Equipment has had manufacturing and distribution agreements for companies including John Deere, International Harvester, Kawasaki, Kubota and JCB.

Currently, there are more than 10,000 Sellick machines in the field that are serviced by a North American dealer network consisting of 230 locations.

For more information, visit www.sellickequipment.com.