Troubled times are afoot for carmakers across the globe, and many carmakers are taking strategic steps to reduce costs and grow their businesses. One such corporation is the Nissan Motor Company.

This week, Japan’s Nissan Motor Company announced a strategic partnership with Hitachi Machinery. The partnership involves a forklift operations merger that will result in a new company called UniCarriers Corp.

Affect on US Workers

What does this mean for global forklift operations and corporate forklift production? New machines, potential new technology, and new standards. Nissan’s forklifts division is already producing over 30,000 units annually, so this strategic move will set the Nissan and Hitachi partnership as a major contender for forklift production around the world.

Another global contender creating up-to-date forklift technologies can guarantee the competition will hustle to keep up – and this means newer machines, more safety features, and a higher safety standard in the United States and other first-world countries.

Safety is so important, and mergers that result in more (and better) forklifts and other heavy machinery worldwide can only benefit forklift workers. Forklift certification standards will rise to meet new technology and machinery, propelling the entire industry forward.

Global and Long-Term Impact

While at a glance, the Nissan/Hitachi merger may seem like less business for the United States, the merger may result in more advanced machines with better safety features. These features could also come at more affordable rates for smaller companies in the United States.

With ever-increasing safety standards and new forklift technologies such as the Sky Siren, employees seeking forklift certification may be safer than ever out there. And when it comes to getting the job done – and getting it done safety – utilizing new machinery can help American workers be safer on the job than any other country in the world. That’s a step worth taking – and new, well-produced forklift machines from the Nissan-Hitachi merger may help us get there.