In a troubled economy, how a company serves its market says more about it than sales numbers can. That’s why in this exclusive interview with Jim Moran, senior vice president of Crown Equipment Corp., MHM focused on the company’s aggressive go-to-market strategy during these dicey economic times and what Crown hopes to achieve with it.—Tom Andel, editor-in-chief

Psion Teklogixa global provider of mobile computing solutions, introduced a global Partner Program that opens opportunities for its value-added resellers, systems integrators, application providers and hardware partners to co-create mobile hardware, software and services. The program will combine the best of existing mobile devices with customized proprietary devices. It also combines discounts, marketing materials and funds, technical support and training.

United Natural Foods, Inc., a leading independent national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in the United States and Canada, is the first organization to use The Raymond Corp.’s new hydrogen fuel cell-compatible orderpicker. It’s part of a UNFI initiative to transform its Sarasota, Fla., distribution facility’s lift truck fleet to hydrogen fuel cell power. The goals for this conversion include eliminating time for battery charging, changing and maintenance, as well as enhancing its sustainability goals.

NSF International gave its Food Equipment Certification to the recyclable plastic rental pallets offered by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS Company, LLC). This certification demonstrates the pallet complies with the organization’s food protection and sanitation requirements for materials, design, fabrication and construction of food handling and processing equipment.

Pallets don’t normally cost an arm and a leg, but they can cost a few fingers, or at least a sore back, especially pallets that weigh 65 pounds. At companies built around building such pallets, incidents like this often become considered normal occupational hazards. Even companies that build safety into their culture may find it hard to go a year without someone getting hurt.

I have a candidate for the annoying buzzword of the moment: sticky. I’ve heard this word a lot lately as we media types try to find ways to keep you audience types stuck to our websites.

These articles were those most viewed in last week's newsletter.

Toyota's Brett Wood on the economy: More a "swoosh" than a "V"
Usually when Americans travel to Japan, whether as tourists or as business people, they come back with stories of what they learned. Brett Wood is no different. But when he travels to Japan he must also impart knowledge. As president of Toyota Material Handling USA, part of his job is to keep his counterparts in Japan updated on what’s happening in the U.S. lift truck market. With all the angst the global economy has caused among lift truck buyers and sellers, MHM thought this would be a perfect time to ask Wood what he told the parent company on his most recent trip a few weeks ago.—Tom Andel, editor-in-chief

Imperial Sugar pays millions for ignoring combustible dust
Imperial Sugar has finally learned the price for ignoring the combustible dust hazard that killed 14 of its employees and injured dozens more in a 2008 explosion at its Port Wentworth, Ga., plant. In monetary terms it will be more than $6 million, but the cost to its image and its freedom are incalculable.

Toyota names new executives
Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) and Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM) announced the appointment of Martin Boyd to vice president of product planning and marketing for TMHU and Tony Miller to vice president of production engineering, design engineering, manufacturing and maintenance for TIEM.