Kalmar Ottawa’s legacy in the terminal tractor market now spans 65 years. Founded in 1958, the company’s Finnish ownership dates back to 1993, when Ottawa Trucks was purchased by Sisu Terminal Systems, which subsequently shut down its own plant in White Oak, Texas, and eventually merged its own brand Magnum into what is now known as Kalmar Ottawa.

Kalmar Ottawa is proud of its history as the “original manufacturer of terminal tractors”. The company notes it has consistently delivered reliable, durable, and high-performance terminal tractors. “With a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by its customers, Kalmar Ottawa has continuously evolved its products to meet the changing demands of the industry,” the company said.  

Kalmar Ottawa is also proud of its record in R&D, its extensive network of dealers and service centres and commitment to maintenance and spare parts. “Kalmar Ottawa has been the leader in terminal tractors for 65 years. During those years we have created something special to innovate new products, serve our customers across the world, and deliver over 80,000 terminal tractor units,” said Hermanni Lyyski, Vice President of terminal tractors at Kalmar. “With that heritage and expertise, we are well positioned for the next 65 years to lead the development of terminal tractors.”

The last two years have, however, been challenging for Kalmar Ottawa on two fronts. Firstly, demand for terminal tractors, coupled with pandemic-related supply chain challenges, has meant that Kalmar Ottawa has not be able to keep up with demand. As has been reported previously lead times for a terminal tractor had pushed out past 12 months in April 2022.

The other challenge is delivering a battery electric tractor that is viable in the North American market. Kalmar Ottawa introduced an electric T2, but subsequently withdrew it from the market and is not currently offering an electric machine in North America while it develops a “next generation” product. At the same time, Orange EV has sold over 600 of its battery electric tractors, which are built on a Kalmar platform. Furthermore, there are now battery electric tractors from Mexico’s DINA and Germany’s Mafi in the US.  

Kalmar is responding to these challenges. Executives have made it clear to WorldCargo News that the company will have a battery electric machine in the US market soon, and output at the expanded Ottawa Kansas plant has increased. Brunno Muller, Director of Operations at Kalmar Ottawa said this year the plant has achieved “a recent all time high production record with a 44% productivity increase from 2022 to 2023, a significant accomplishment that reflects the company’s commitment to meeting the increasing customer demand for their products. Transforming manufacturing processes is an essential aspect of staying competitive and ensuring efficiency in today’s rapidly changing industrial landscape,” he said.

At the same time Kalmar Ottawa faces a new challenger to its long-standing leading position in the Americas. Terberg Taylor Americas LLC, the joint venture between Taylor Group of Companies of Louisville, Mississippi, and Royal Terberg Group of the Netherlands, completed its first two “Terberg Taylor” tractors for the Americas market this month. Work on joint venture’s new production plant in Columbus, Mississippi, is proceeding according to schedule and the facility will start producing its first machines in the US in 2024. This will bring the market leader in terminal tractors in Europe and other markets into Kalmar Ottawa’s North American stronghold.