Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), the Houston, Texas-based provider of Jungheinrich lift trucks and narrow aisle products, and Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp., announced a joint venture to form Industrial Components of Texas, LLC (ICOTEX), a Conroe, Texas-based manufacturer of industrial components. MCFA will be the primary customer, using ICOTEX components in the forklift production process at MCFA’s Houston manufacturing plant.

Construction of a dedicated ICOTEX 71,000-square-foot facility is underway in Conroe, Texas, and is scheduled to open in late summer of 2017. ICOTEX will be recruiting approximately 80 new employees to produce over 600 different types of components.

“ICOTEX is a strategic opportunity for MCFA and Jungheinrich to strengthen their existing North American partnership and support growth goals in the region, while continuing to deliver value and innovation to customers,” says Reinhild Kuehne, president at ICOTEX. ”The collaboration will deliver supply chain efficiencies, with customers ultimately benefiting from improved quality control and forklift manufacturing lead times. The ICOTEX joint venture is a natural evolution since MCFA has produced Jungheinrich-designed forklift models in Houston for many years and has earned a reputation for reliability and performance.”