Big Lift, LLC.
Big Joe Forklifts, a US material handling equipment manufacturer founded in 1951, produces Class 1 integrated lithium forklifts, Class 3 pallet trucks, stackers, and order pickers, and the Pallet Mover AMR, selling through a North American dealer network to retail, grocery, and industrial customers as a subsidiary of China's EP Equipment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersDe Forest, Wisconsin, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Big Lift, LLC. does
Big Lift, LLC, doing business as Big Joe Forklifts, is a US-based material handling equipment manufacturer founded in 1951 by the Kiefus and Levine families. The company designs and produces Class 1 integrated lithium forklifts as well as Class 3 and Class 3.1 equipment — pallet trucks, stackers, and order pickers — and has added the Pallet Mover AMR, an autonomous mobile robot that uses user-directed automation to move palletized loads. Big Joe is the world's largest single manufacturer of Class 3 equipment, with a cumulative installed base of more than 250,000 units globally, and operates from a new corporate headquarters in DeForest, Wisconsin, a manufacturing footprint in Wisconsin Dells, and a regional headquarters in Chicago.
The company sells primarily through a North American dealer network, with the dealer channel also providing service, parts, and aftermarket support for the installed fleet. Named enterprise customers include Best Buy (5,000+ units), Trader Joe's, and Menards, indicating a strong presence in retail and grocery back-room and distribution-center applications. Big Joe has been a wholly owned subsidiary of EP Equipment, a Hangzhou, China-based material handling OEM, since 2009, and EP Equipment completed an IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (603194.SS) in 2024, providing public-market capital and a vertically integrated supply chain into lithium cells and truck assembly. In 2025 the company restructured its Sales & Marketing leadership, signaling a go-to-market reset following the post-IPO scale-up.
Big Lift, LLC. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Lift, LLC.
- Legal name
- Big Lift, LLC.
- Website
- https://bigliftllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Big Joe Forklifts, a US material handling equipment manufacturer founded in 1951, produces Class 1 integrated lithium forklifts, Class 3 pallet trucks, stackers, and order pickers, and the Pallet Mover AMR, selling through a North American dealer network to retail, grocery, and industrial customers as a subsidiary of China's EP Equipment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Lift, LLC. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Material Handling Equipment
- NAICS
- Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924), Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392)
- SIC
- Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Forklifts & Industrial Trucks (IC & Electric) (IMAHABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Material Handling & Industrial Lift Vehicle Manufacturing (Forklifts/Telehandlers/Reach Stackers) (IMACAFAD)
Keywords
Where Big Lift, LLC. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- De Forest, Wisconsin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Big Lift, LLC. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Electric Forklift Sales: Sale of lithium-ion electric forklifts, pallet trucks, stackers, and order pickers through dealer network. Products include Class 1, Class 3, and Class 3.1 equipment categories.
- Autonomous Mobile Robot Sales: Sale of autonomous material handling solutions including the Pallet Mover AMR for collaborative automation in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
- Aftermarket Parts and Support: Aftermarket support services for installed base, including parts sales and warranty services. Jay Levine ran aftermarket support for decades.
- Equipment Rentals: Rental services available through dealer network for material handling equipment.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Big Lift, LLC. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Lift, LLC. (dba Big Joe Forklifts) designs, manufactures, and sells electric material handling equipment—including lithium-ion forklifts, pallet jacks, stackers, order pickers, and the Pallet Mover autonomous mobile robot—through a nationwide authorized dealer network across North America. The company pairs its equipment with vertically integrated lithium-ion battery systems and single-phase charging, and offers aftermarket parts, service, rentals, and equipment financing through its dealers.
Product overview
Big Joe Forklifts (Big Lift, LLC.) offers a comprehensive portfolio of material handling equipment spanning forklifts, pallet jacks, order pickers, and stackers. The product line includes Class 1 Integrated Lithium sit-down counterbalance forklifts, Class 3 electric pallet trucks (including the revolutionary E30 that created the Class 3.1 classification), power stackers (PDI, PDH, PDC), walkie reach trucks (PDR), the Joey industrial vehicle, and the Pallet Mover AMR autonomous mobile robot. The company has transitioned from internal combustion to electric to autonomous solutions, with vertically integrated lithium-ion battery technology. Products range from manual equipment like the IBH straddle stacker (in production since 1951) to advanced autonomous systems, serving the material handling industry's transformation from IC to electric to fully autonomous operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Class 1 Integrated Lithium Forklifts Sit-down counterbalance forklifts with vertically integrated lithium-ion batteries, designed for warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers converting from internal combustion to electric fleets. Features single-phase charging for simplified fleet electrification.
- Pallet Jacks Electric and powered pallet trucks for material handling operations, including the E30 Electric Pallet Truck (which created the new ITA Class 3.1 classification) and the PPT pallet truck line. Sold through dealers to warehouses, retail chains, and manufacturing facilities.
- Stackers (PDI, PDC, PDH) Power travel stackers and compact powered stackers, including the PDI (the most compact powered stacker in the market), plus PDC and PDH power travel stacker models. Sold to warehouses, retail chains, and manufacturing facilities for stacking applications.
- Order Pickers (SSC, SSCM) Electric order picking equipment, including SSC and SSCM models, designed for warehouse order fulfillment operations.
- Pallet Mover AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) Autonomous mobile robot for entry-level warehouse automation, featuring 'user-directed' collaboration that treats autonomous technology as a productivity force multiplier alongside human workers rather than as a worker replacement. Designed to be inexpensive, easy to deploy, and validated across manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution environments.
- Lithium-Ion Battery Solutions Vertically integrated lithium-ion battery technology and power systems that make fleet electrification easier through single-phase charging. EP Equipment became a global leader in lithium-powered lift trucks leveraging this architecture.
- Joey Industrial Vehicle Industrial vehicle introduced in 2013, designed to address a wide variety of tasks where a stock ladder may commonly be used.
- IBH Manual Straddle Stacker Manual straddle stacker model introduced at Big Joe's founding in 1951, still manufactured at the Wisconsin Dells facility. Represents the original Big Joe approach of finding unique solutions for specific customer applications.
- PDR Walkie Reach Truck Walkie reach truck launched later in the 1980s, expanding Big Joe's portfolio of warehouse solutions for rack-level material handling.
Quantifiable outcome
- Eliminated repetitive transport tasks
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Big Lift, LLC.
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Big Lift, LLC. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Big Lift, LLC. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Big Lift, LLC. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Crown Equipment Corporation: Privately held US-based manufacturer of electric forklifts, pallet trucks, and warehouse equipment. Crown competes head-to-head with Big Joe in Class 1, Class 3, and order picker segments with a strong North American dealer network.
- Toyota Material Handling: The largest forklift manufacturer globally and Big Joe's most direct competitor. Toyota offers a comprehensive line of electric and IC forklifts, pallet jacks, and warehouse equipment distributed through a North American dealer network that directly overlaps Big Joe's channel.
- Hyster-Yale Materials Handling: Publicly traded global OEM of lift trucks, forklifts, and material handling equipment under Hyster and Yale brands. Competes with Big Joe across multiple equipment classes and is investing heavily in lithium and hydrogen fuel cell electrification.
- Raymond Corporation: US-based manufacturer of electric forklifts, pallet trucks, and warehouse solutions, now part of Toyota Industries. Direct competitor to Big Joe in Class 1 electric forklifts and warehouse automation, with strong iWAREHOUSE automation platform.
- Mitsubishi Logisnext: Japanese OEM of forklifts and material handling equipment under Mitsubishi, Cat, and UniCarriers brands. Provides direct competition in North America across multiple equipment classes including electric forklifts and warehouse equipment.
- Clark Material Handling: US-based manufacturer of forklifts and material handling equipment with a national dealer network. Directly competes with Big Joe in Class 1 electric forklifts and Class 3 pallet trucks, with comparable warehouse-focused positioning.
Emerging players
- Geek+: China-based global AMR vendor with broad product portfolio including pallet-moving robots that compete with the Pallet Mover AMR. Brings China-borne cost advantages and growing North American presence, serving as both a peer and a geopolitical risk signal for Big Joe's position.
- Locus Robotics: Venture-backed leader in autonomous mobile robots for warehouse order picking. Competes with Big Joe's Pallet Mover AMR in the warehouse automation space, with a software-native approach and significant customer adoption among 3PLs and large retailers.
Broad incumbents
- KION Group (Linde Material Handling): European-headquartered global leader in industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, umbrella for Linde Material Handling and STILL brands. Competes with Big Joe in lithium-ion forklifts and warehouse automation with significantly larger scale and global footprint.
Others
- Jungheinrich: German global manufacturer of forklifts, pallet trucks, and warehouse equipment with growing North American presence. Directly competes with Big Joe in electric forklifts and has a strong autonomous mobile robot (Arculus) offering that competes with the Pallet Mover AMR.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Big Lift, LLC. social profiles
Digital presenceBig Lift, LLC. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Lift, LLC. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Big Lift, LLC. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Lift, LLC. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Lift, LLC.
What does Big Lift, LLC. do?
Big Lift, LLC. (dba Big Joe Forklifts) designs, manufactures, and sells electric material handling equipment—including lithium-ion forklifts, pallet jacks, stackers, order pickers, and the Pallet Mover autonomous mobile robot—through a nationwide authorized dealer network across North America. The company pairs its equipment with vertically integrated lithium-ion battery systems and single-phase charging, and offers aftermarket parts, service, rentals, and equipment financing through its dealers.
Is Big Lift, LLC. a public or private company?
Big Lift, LLC. is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Big Lift, LLC. founded?
Big Lift, LLC. was founded in 1951. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Big Lift, LLC. based?
Big Lift, LLC. is headquartered in De Forest, Wisconsin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Big Lift, LLC. make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Electric Forklift Sales are the primary driver. The others are autonomous Mobile Robot Sales, aftermarket Parts and Support and equipment Rentals.
Who are Big Lift, LLC.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Crown Equipment Corporation, Toyota Material Handling, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Raymond Corporation, Mitsubishi Logisnext and Clark Material Handling. Emerging players are Geek+ and Locus Robotics. KION Group (Linde Material Handling) is listed as a broad incumbent. Jungheinrich is listed as an others.
Does Big Lift, LLC. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Lift, LLC..
What industry is Big Lift, LLC. in?
Big Lift, LLC.'s product category is Material Handling Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHABAA, Forklifts & Industrial Trucks (IC & Electric), with a secondary code of IMACAFAD, Material Handling & Industrial Lift Vehicle Manufacturing (Forklifts/Telehandlers/Reach Stackers). Its NAICS code is 333924 and its SIC code is 3537.