From a Failing Forklift to a Fleet You Can Count On: How Norrenberns Lumber Partnered with Union Machinery on Electric UniCarriers Forklifts
Switching to electric pays off in reliability, lower costs and a fleet built for the work ahead
Published: October 8, 2026
When your lumber yard depends on moving heavy loads every day, a forklift you can't count on isn't just an inconvenience, it's a bottleneck for the whole operation. That's the situation Norrenberns Lumber, based in St. Louis, Missouri, found itself in with an aging forklift that was becoming harder and more expensive to keep running.
Today Norrenberns runs a larger, more reliable fleet built around UniCarriers MX2 Series of electric pneumatic forklifts, backed by their dealer, Union Machinery of Union, MO. Here's how the partnership came together and what it meant for the business.
The Challenge
Norrenberns' original forklift was showing its age. Breakdowns were becoming more frequent, and getting timely service from the original provider was a struggle. For a lumber yard that moves significant volumes of material every day, that kind of downtime isn't something you can absorb quietly — it slows down loading, deliveries, and everything downstream.
What Norrenberns needed wasn't just a new machine. It needed a dealer who could keep things running now while helping plan for the long term.
The Solution: A Partnership, Not Just a Purchase
That's where Union Machinery came in. Rather than pushing an immediate full fleet replacement, Union worked with Norrenberns to service and stabilize the existing equipment first — and earn their trust in the process.
From there, the two companies built a phased plan to modernize the fleet over time. As Norrenberns' operation grew, so did the fleet, gradually expanding to support the business's rising demands. Along the way, Norrenberns added UniCarriers MX2 Series electric pneumatic forklifts, moving part of their operation from propane to electric power.
Why UniCarriers?
For a lumber yard, equipment has to hold up to mud, weather, and heavy daily use — not just perform well on a clean warehouse floor. The features that stood out to the Norrenberns team:
- Sealed components built to handle mud, ice, and outdoor conditions
- Hydrostatic drive for smooth, responsive control
- Fingertip controls that reduce operator fatigue over long shifts
- Tight turning radius for maneuvering in a busy yard
- 80V battery power delivering the speed and torque heavy material handling demands
- Overall safety and durability built for demanding daily use
The Results
Switching part of the fleet to electric has changed the day-to-day economics of running it. On the operating cost side, the team has seen a meaningful drop in fuel and maintenance spend compared to the old equipment — electric power costs a fraction of what propane did to run, and there's simply less to break down and service.
Just as important: the fleet itself is no longer the thing slowing the operation down. What was once a single unreliable forklift is now a right-sized, dependable fleet that's grown alongside the business — with a dealer relationship behind it that Norrenberns trusts to keep it that way.
“What started as a repair on an aging forklift turned into a trusted partnership. Union Machinery helped us keep operating, then helped us plan to replace equipment over time. Today we have a larger, more reliable fleet, lower operating costs, and equipment our operators enjoy using.”
— Norrenberns Lumber team
The Takeaway
Fleet modernization doesn't have to mean ripping and replacing everything at once. For Norrenberns, it started with a dealer willing to fix what was broken, build trust, and grow the relationship into a long-term plan — one that's paid off in reliability, lower costs, and a fleet built for the work ahead.
Watch the UniCarriers Forklift MX2 Series in Action
Frequently Asked Questions
An electric pneumatic tire forklift combines battery-powered operation with pneumatic tires designed for outdoor surfaces, allowing businesses to benefit from electric power while maintaining versatility across challenging environments.
Yes. Modern electric pneumatic tire forklifts, such as the UniCarriers MX2 series, are designed for demanding applications and are suitable for industries including lumber and building materials.
According to the customer testimonial, Norrenberns transitioned to electric UniCarriers forklifts and experienced cost-saving benefits while maintaining the heavy-duty performance needed for their operation.
Many businesses find that electric forklifts can reduce fuel-related costs and lower maintenance expenses compared to internal combustion equipment.
Electric forklifts generally have fewer mechanical components than internal combustion forklifts, which can simplify maintenance and reduce service requirements.