On Sep. 26^th, Anhui Forklift Truck Group Co., Ltd. grandly celebrated their 50^th anniversary as well as the rolling-off ceremony of the 220,000^th set of forklift, leaders from Government, People’s Congress and People’s Political Consultative Conference of Anhui Province, China Machinery Industry Federation and China Forklift Company attending the ceremony.

 

Honored as Top Ten Enterprises in the Field of World Industrial Truck, National 520 Key Enterprises and one of 18 Key Enterprise Groups in Anhui Province, Anhui Forklift Truck Group Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred as Heli) stuck to reform in the general operation and took development as the primal task to build a forceful enterprise, experiencing from small to large and extensive to intensive while walking out a new industrial developing road with high technological content, prospective economic profit, low environmental pollution and effective use of human resource. After 50 years’ development, HELI as a national brand has been known at home and abroad. Meanwhile, as the backbone and leading enterprise in Chinese forklift industry, Heli relying on its integration of design, manufacture, sales and service has grown up to be the production, science and research and export base for forklift industry, which possessed sophisticated scientific and researching design system, several self-intelligent rights and significant scientific and researching results as well as the most completed product ranges in Chinese industrial truck industry. On the back of being the No.1 in domestic industry for successive 17 years, Heli played an active and important role in leading and driving the rapid development of Chinese national forklift industry. In 2006, Heli was titled as Top Ten Enterprises in the Field of World Industrial Truck, making great contribution to rejuvenating national equipment manufacturing industry. During the survey to Heli on Jan. 13^th, 2008, the President & General Secretary of CPC (Communist Party of China) Hu Jintao conducted high compliments to Heli.

 

The predecessor of Heli was Hefei Hoisting and Conveying Machinery Plant established in 1958, mainly producing equipments for hoisting and conveying industry as well as mining and metallurgy. From 1963, the plant began manufacturing forklifts with annual output of only a hundred sets and changed to fixed production of forklifts. As a nationally authorized enterprise to manufacture forklift, Heli only owned RMB 23 million Yuan of capital at that time with low output of forklifts which were lacking in varieties, unsatisfied in quality and little market share. This situation didn’t change until mid-80s when giant foreign forklift manufacturers entered Chinese market.  

 

During that period, Chinese domestic industrial trucks lagged behind the world advanced ones no less than 20 years’ gap, no matter in terms of technological level or production scale. Undertaking the rejuvenation of national forklift industry as their own task, Heli agilely realized that if national forklift manufacturing level could not be improved as soon as possible, Chinese forklift market would be taken place by foreign brands totally. As the reform of economic mechanism taking cities as key points opened in an all round way in 1985, Heli made the decision to grasp the opportunity to lead a high tide in the ascendant and rising economic reform.

 

Heli focused the most advanced forklift manufacturing technology in the international world to conduct all-rounded technological innovation so as to bring a through improvement to the forklift manufacturing technology and process in China. After surveying the markets in West Europe, North America, Japan and Southeast Asia, Heli introduced the manufacturing technology of 1-10T ICE counter-balanced forklifts at international leading level from one Japanese corporation that ranked as one of top ten forklift manufacturers in the world.

 

On one hand, Heli appointed representative team comprising of excellent technicians and core production staff to Japan to learn advanced manufacturing technology and absorb actively, gradually transferring the drawings supplied by the Japanese company into production technology and productivity.

 

On the other hand, being totally aware that technology and equipment level must be the foundation of innovation and development, Heli emphasized technological innovation and reform of enlarging reproduction related enterprise connotation, purchased high-quality, excellent and advanced key computer-controlled equipments by high standard, and added more than 170 suites of computer-controlled equipments centralized in processing, making new degree rate of equipments to 80%. Heli constructed 4 metal processing flexible production lines at international advanced level, realizing computer-control on all the key parts of forklifts; pre-treating, painting and forklift assembly lines; 5-42T large capacity forklift production zone, thin plate production zone and battery forklift production line integrated metal cutting, parts, assembly, test and painting together, leading the technical equipment level of key processes into international advanced level.

 

Furthermore, in order to improve the design precise and quality in terms of optimal structure design, calculation of forklift stability and general parameters of forklift power system, Heli invested 10 million Yuan on CAD (computer-assisted design), MIS (Machine Information System) and CAPP (computer-assisted process planning), not only shortening the design and production cycles of new products and strengthening the adaptability to market changes, but also realizing to be the first enterprise that used computer to design products by quitting drawings among machinery industry in China.

 

Through several years’ adoption and self-innovation, Heli filled the gap at the fastest speed to catch up with the advanced technology, led the colleagues and occupied the commanding points of Chinese forklift market, thus leaping forward to be No.1 in the specific field in 1991, since when the company successively ranked in the first place for 17 years in forklift industry. Heli emerged in a peaceful way and burst out to be glorious.

 

Searching for greater development, Heli constructed new group company in August, 1992. Taking headquarter as the center part the new company is composed by 41 units at four levels (core level, major level, semi-tight level and concord level). Heli took assets as band to align with others, driving the industry to develop while enlarging the scale of their own. At the meantime, Heli proactively absorb foreign capital, establishing two joint-ventured enterprises—Andong Casting Co., Ltd. and Anhui TCM Forklift Co., Ltd. with Japanese company respectively in 1991 and 1993. Although the staff of the two companies was no more than a hundred, their technological and managerial level was at the first class in the world.

 

Small joint-venture brought great effect. The comprehensive quality and practice ability of the joint ventures turned out to be Heli’s window and leveler of innovating. Contrasting the shortcomings to conduct remolding, feeling the tendency of global forklift industry and folling the latest technological status in the world at the angle of joint-venture enterprises, Heli was provided with authorized, exact and timely information. During the joint venture, Heli controlled the initiative right of making use of foreign capital, practicing that the joint-venture enterprises were only a composition of HELI brand, which would consistently transport innovative inspiration and provided the staff with the chance to acquire internally advanced management experience and world-class forklift manufacturing technology without going abroad. Through joint venture, Heli actually reinforced the capacity of occupying market especially the international market, droved the export of forklifts and parts, fastened the pace of entering international market, promoted the implementation of HELI brand strategy as well as improved the general technological and managerial level of the enterprise.   

 

Consequently, Heli put more attention on broadening financing channels so as to solve the capital problem for innovative development. On Oct. 9^th, 1996, shares of Anhui Heli Holdings Co., Ltd. was formally traded in Shanghai Stock Exchange, becoming the first and only one share in forklift industry of China, through which Heli expansively brought in social capital, optimized resource allocation and realized flexibility of assets through capital flow and value-added. Moreover, Heli broke the frame of formerly self-developing relying on capital original accumulation to expand at low cost so as to gamble more easily on the markets at home and abroad. Under the support of economic department of local government, Heli optimized the allocation of social resources to conduct incentive operation in form of free allocation, merge, alignment and reform of joint stock system with details as follows:

 

In 1996, free allocation of Anqing Axle Factory, receiving capital of RMB 20.44 million Yuan;

In the second half year of 1997, merge of Bengbu Hydraulic Machinery Factory trans-provincially, making effective use of the principal assets of the factory while building it into the production base of various forklifts to explore northwestern market in China and export to Southeast Asia and Commonwealth of Independent States;

In 2007, following the emerging of Middle China and further expanding the market share in Southern China, Heli acquired partial assets of Hengyang Generol Battery Truck Factory and invested to establish Heli Industrial Truck Production Base in the South (Hengyang), deeply completing the general layout of domestic forklift manufacture.

 

Innovative development never ends. In the following years, Heli learned the high-quality management concept and method at home and overseas, leading the enterprise to develop under information-base. Making use of state-level technological center and key laboratory for industrial trucks as the platform, Heli formed sophisticated technological innovation system integrated basic research, product development and test. The design and development of products accorded with the state-of-art concept and use the most cut-edged information and management technology, resulting in the shortening of developing cycle and meeting fast and various market demands to the extreme extent. Meanwhile, Heli was the first domestic enterprise to adopt new manufacturing technology to reform traditional industry, which pioneered to establish flexible manufacturing system suitable for multi-kinds and discrete manufacture of small batches, and applied information management technologies such as MRP II and three-dimensioned CAD/CAM/CAPP/PDM/ERP to design manufacturing with the application results being the example in the industry. From production for stock to assembly according to orders, Heli continuously leaped forward on the aspects of manufacturing molds shortening the whole cycle of manufacturing and delivering forklifts. 

 

In 2004, Heli Industrial Park was initiated to construction as the most completed base for designing, manufacturing and selling industrial trucks with the largest scale in current China. Heli did not ever stop their pace in the field from forklifts to parts, from ICE trucks to electrical trucks, from mid-small tonnage to heavy-duty trucks, from introducing technological products to self-designing G-series products in accordance with international requirements on environmental protection.

 

In China, Heli was the first one to endow more connotations to forklift manufacturing. From mid-90s, Heli began to design and manufacture essential parts such as casting parts, transmission, oil cylinder, torque converter and drive axle. Today, essential parts have become one of the main operations in Heli with professional parts manufacturing bases, of which the matching area not only covered domestic market but also exported to European and American markets. Heli has greatly improved the matching environment of industrial truck industry in China, and has led the regulated development of parts industry. Presently, Heli owned the most completed product ranges among Chinese industrial truck industry, realizing technological export at the meantime of exporting products.

 

Heli considered quality to be enterprise’s life. As for such three backboned products as forklifts, relevant construction machinery products and core parts, Heli stressed on brand construction, persisting in building famous brands by quality. They relied on quality management system, made out Quality Principle and Quality Manual to regulate relevant quality affairs so as to enhance the quality control in the whole process of production and operation.

 

Heli passed the authentication of ISO 9001 quality system, winning the license to enter international market. With the ability to design and manufacture 512 kinds of forklift products in with more than 1700 types ranging from 0.5T to 45T and under the principle of self-developing, Heli chose products according to market, conducted innovation for products and carefully selected innovative theme meeting the demands of domestic and international markets combined with the development direction of the enterprises, successfully solving a lot of bottle-necks limiting the technological innovation, enabling to gain 41 patented technologies and launch national forklift brands of H2000 and G-series with complete self-intelligent rights. The introduction of HELI empty container stacker and 45T reachstackers even broke through the situation that foreign brands monopolized domestic market.

 

After 50-year’s splendid developing course, Heli now has stood on the new starting line. In the new march for building a trillion-enterprise and moving for the century anniversary, Heli is confident to make new contribution for the structure adjustment and industrial update of forklift industry in China relying on sound scientific and research base and equipment strength, turning to the platform of Heli Industrial Park and sticking to self-innovation to fasten the industrialization and globalization as well as construct Heli to be a world-class enterprise group under the effort of excellent working team.

 

More than 50 news presses such as People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, www.people.com.cn , China National Radio (CNR), The Economic Daily, Workers Daily, China Industry News, Hong Kong Wen Wei Pao, Ta Kung Pao, Sina (www.sina.com.cn), Sohu (www.sohu.com), Anhui TV, Anhui Daily, Chinaforklift.com (www.chinaforklift.com, English Version: www.forkliftnet.com ), International Construction Machinery Magazine, Logistics Equipment Magazine and Forklift conducted on-spot interview.