Lansing Bagnall was a British materials handling manufacturer based in Kingsclere Road, Basingstoke. It grew out of the London office of the American Lansing company, made industrial and station platform tractors in the 1940s and became known above all for forklift trucks and for inventing the reach truck. In 1989 the business was taken over by Linde AG and traded as Linde Lansing.
Lansing Bagnall at a glance
| Type | lift truck and materials handling manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Base | Kingsclere Road, Basingstoke, England |
| Beginnings | 1920, as the London office of the Lansing company of Michigan |
| Incorporated | 1937, as Lansing Bagnall and Company Limited, Isleworth, London |
| Owners from 1943 | Emmanuel Kaye and John R Sharp (J E Shay Ltd) |
| Trading name | Lansing Bagnall and Shay’s, 1946 |
| First Basingstoke factory | March 1949 |
| Early products | petrol and electric industrial and station platform tractors |
| Known for | the invention of the reach truck |
| Acquired | Henley Forklift, 1976 |
| Taken over | Linde AG, 1989; traded as Linde Lansing |
| Today | Linde Material Handling, part of the KION Group |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on Lansing Bagnall.
History of the Lansing Bagnall
A London office, then a Basingstoke factory
The business began in 1920 as a company office in London, where W G Bagnall arrived as the representative of the Lansing company of Michigan. When the American parent stopped manufacturing in 1930, Bagnall took charge and in 1937 incorporated the firm as Lansing Bagnall and Company Limited in Isleworth, London. The company’s first factory in Basingstoke opened in March 1949, and the town on Kingsclere Road remained its base.
J E Shay Ltd and the tractors
In 1943 the company was bought out of bankruptcy by Emmanuel Kaye and John R Sharp, who renamed it after themselves as J E Shay Ltd. At that time the firm made petrol and electric, industrial and station platform tractors; forklift trucks came later. In 1946 it was operating as Lansing Bagnall and Shay’s.
Forklifts, Henley and Linde
Lansing Bagnall went on to produce forklift trucks and is known for the invention of the reach truck. In 1976 it acquired Henley Forklift, a private forklift manufacturer founded in 1966 and developed through the early 1970s, which had earned three Queen’s Awards for export achievement. Linde AG acquired Lansing Bagnall in 1989, after which the business operated under the Linde Lansing brand name. In September 2006 Linde announced its intention to float or sell the materials handling business that included Linde Lansing; Linde Material Handling is now part of the KION Group.
Design and features
- Reach truck: the company is known for inventing this compact warehouse forklift.
- Tractors before trucks: petrol and electric industrial and station platform tractors were the firm’s early products.
- Basingstoke: the first factory opened there in March 1949, and the company stayed in the town.
- Henley Forklift: acquired in 1976 with an export record of three Queen’s Awards.
Lansing Bagnall versions
- Industrial and station platform tractors: petrol and electric machines of the 1940s, before the forklift era.
- Forklift trucks: the main product of the post-war decades.
- Reach truck: the warehouse truck Lansing Bagnall is credited with inventing.
- Henley Forklift: the acquired brand, founded in 1966 and sold alongside Lansing Bagnall trucks after 1976.
More British makers are in the Lansing collection.
Video: Lansing Bagnall Tow Tractor
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Lansing Bagnall, English Wikipedia: history, products, Henley, Linde takeover