The X10 Handle, a new feature boosting operator comfort and productivity from Crown, has been recognized with two prominent international design awards.

The X10 Handle was selected by an international panel to receive a 2004 Red Dot Award for high quality product design. In competition sponsored by Design Zentrum Nordrhein West Falen, one of the oldest and most respected design institutions in Europe, the X10 Handle was chosen from more than 4,000 entries from 40 countries. Product functionality and innovation are emphasized in the Red Dot Award program.

The X10 Handle’s Red Dot Award recognition marks the third time since 2000 a Crown product or feature has earned the highly sought design award. The ESR 4000 Series Reach Truck and the Wave®Work Assist Vehicle were previous Crown products receiving Red Dot Awards.

This innovative Crown feature also received an Industry Forum (iF) Award (Hannover Messe) for outstanding design of an industrial product in 2003. The iF design award is regarded as one of the most important design competitions worldwide, attracting over 1,800 entries from 30 different countries every year. As with the Red Dot Awards, a jury of top international designers makes the selections.

The innovative X10 Handle appears on Crown ST/SX 3000 Series Stackers and the WP 2300 Series Walkie Pallet Trucks. The multi-purpose handle provides ergonomic and functional features increasing the operator’s comfort, performance and productivity, all through the use of the operator’s hands.

The X10 Handle minimizes hand and wrist movements while simplifying control. Both tactile and visual differentiation of controls provides for a natural, more efficient interface for left-hand and right-hand operation. For example, the horn button is integrated into the grip and provides immediate access without interrupting other control operations, the first and only handle with this capability.

With more than 50 design awards to its credit, Crown Equipment Corporation is the No. 1 brand of electric lift trucks in the United States and the fifth largest lift truck manufacturer in the world. Crown’s award-winning line of lift trucks has earned a reputation for exceptional product design, engineering and manufacturing.