Faithful Industry Partners Share Values

After more than 20 years of loyal partnership, Alcorn Industrial in Indianapolis received a prestigious core value award from Toyota Material Handling North America. “Be faithful to your duties,” the 2026 award reads, reflecting one of Toyota Material Handling’s five core values.

“It was a big surprise for us,” Alcorn VMI/MRO Specialist Hans Weber said of the award. “Most non-directs for Toyota don’t receive awards like these. When I was told about it, I just thought, ‘wow.’ It hits you all of a sudden; all the meaning behind it.”

“Alcorn Industrial has been a trusted partner for more than two decades, consistently demonstrating what it means to ‘be faithful to your duties,’” said Daniel Ayers, Commodity Manager for Toyota Material Handling North America. “Their reliability, commitment, and collaborative spirit go beyond simply supplying products — they work alongside us, understand our needs, and follow through on what they promise.”

The Alcorn team’s history with Toyota Material Handling goes back to President Eric Alcorn’s days as a salesman, Hans said. This branch of Toyota manufactures Toyota and Raymond brand forklifts out of four plant locations in the U.S.: two in Indiana, one in Iowa, and one in New York. When Toyota was looking for a new partner to handle vending in their plants, Alcorn’s proven trustworthiness made the distributor an obvious choice for a seamless transition.

“It was a huge undertaking,” Hans explained. “It takes a team and the right relationships to be able to do this.” Leveraging their NetPlus supplier partnerships, Alcorn was able to lock in the inventory they would need to ensure the project went forward smoothly with enough inventory to meet Toyota’s vending needs. That stock included high-quality products from NetPlus partners like Shurtape Technologies, Protective Industrial Products, Icon Protection, Steiner Industries, and LACO Industries.

In addition to consumables and vending services, Alcorn also supports Toyota Material Handling with production line expertise. Alcorn Territory Sales Manager Craig Reynolds guides their customers to the right tools for various use cases and precise specifications.

“It’s all about relationships in the long run; our relationships with our vendors, with NetPlus, with Toyota,” Hans reflected. “Sometimes it just takes patience while things cultivate. Don’t ever give up, just keep doing what you’re doing and you never know what could come down the line.”