Chinaforklift.com (www.chinaforklift.com) has selected top 10 events in the industry of Chinese industrial truck & forklift in one recent month.

 

Chinaforklift.com chose top 10 events based on the following criteria of 3 indicators:

1.       It occurred in China in 2007;

2.       It is influential;

3.       it can change the situation in the industry of Chinese industrial truck & forklift.

 

Ten events below can meet the above-mentioned criteria and are ranked accordingly.

 

1. Linde Sponsored “Linde Cup” China Tour and Set a Guinness World Record

 

“Linde Cup” China Tour was successfully held in 2007. “Linde Cup” China Tour was jointly organized by China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP) and Linde (China) Forklift Truck Corp., Ltd. (Linde (China)). “Linde Cup” China Tour was dubbed the “Olympic Gala of China Logistics Industry”, where contestants promoted the Olympic spirit of achieving “higher efficiency, faster development, and stronger enterprises” in the logistics industry. It created a new Guinness World Record for the Largest First-ever Event of Forklift Industry across the longest period & the widest geographic region with the most players.  

 

Mr. CP Quek – CEO of Linde (China) talked about the Tour: “Linde instituted a five-year blueprint, i.e. V-Program – Linde’s turnover and sales are planned to increase twice; meanwhile, a set of policy ensures the fulfillment of Linde’s strategic goal, and all the employees are actively implementing the programs and policies.”

 

2. CITA Attended the AITO Annual Convention

 

A most important convention occurred in the industrial truck & forklift industry in Banff, Canada on Sep. 10, 2007, and ITA, JIVA, FEM and CITA (Industrial Truck Sub-association of China Construction Machinery Association) attended the grand gathering.

 

Ms. Zhang Jie, Vice Secretary-General of CITA led a team of manufacturers of forklifts & relevant parts to participate in the convention. CITA has been unanimously approved as a member of the Alliance of Industrial Truck Organizations (AITO) in the convention while as an observer in the previous convention.   

 

AITO released a consolidated report summarizing the reports from all the regional institutions which detailed manufacturing capacity & capability, sales, market demand and growth of forklifts of their own region. The consolidated report is vital for the enterprises in Chinese industrial truck & forklift industry to be acquainted with the outside world.

 

3. Five Over-100-Million-Yuan Projects Started Construction

 

Five eye-catching forklift projects started in succession in China in 2007. Four of five projects each worthy of over RMB 100 million are four members of China Forklift Company, and are listed in the investing sequence as follows:  

　　

1) The RMB 1- billion-Yuan project named Zhejiang Hangcha Industrial Park started construction in Lin’an Economic Development Zone in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in July, 2007. 

 

2) The 110-million-yuan project of Baoji Weibin Plant of Anhui Heli Co., Ltd. started construction on Aug.11, 2007.

 

3) The 265-million-yuan project of Liugong Forklift Indutrial Park started construction in October, 2007.

 

4) The 100-million-yuan-budget project of the new manufacturing base of Jiangsu Jingjiang Forklift Truck Co., Ltd. started construction on Nov.29, 2007.

5) The 100-million-yuan project of the southern electric forklift manufacturing base of Anhui Forklift Group started construction on Dec.18, 2007.

 

4. CITA Annual Convention and CFC Directorate Convention Were Held Successfully

 

It is reported in Chinaforklift.com as follows:

 

2-day Annual Convention of CITA, sponsored by CITA and assisted by Shanghai Tiger Industrial Equipment Co., Ltd, came to a successful end at the 11^th-storey Conference Hall of Shanghai Senior Job Training Centre. Some 200 persons among 96 institutions worldwide, including 14 invited specialists led by ITA chairman James, attended the convention.

 

The 6^th convention of the 9^th directorate of CFC (China Forklift Company), headed by board chairmen of Anhui Forklift Group, Zhejiang Hangcha and Dalian Forklift, was successfully held in Yichang, Hubei Province on Nov. 3^rd, 2007. The convention was hosted by Yichang Jinlun Forklift Co., Ltd., a member of CFC directorate.

 

The participants include all the CFC members, some manufacturers of forklift parts & accessories, Chinese State Construction Machinery Inspection Centre, Beijing Crane Institute and Guangzhou Best Exhibition Co., Ltd. Chinaforklift.com （www.chinaforklift.com）attended the convention as the official website of CFC.

 

5. China Comes First in Asian Forklift Market in Stead of Japan

　　

Chinaforklift.com learnt from CITA that the forklift sales of China took the second place in the globe, second only to USA, and came first in Asian Forklift market in stead of Japan.  

 

The statistical report on global industrial truck showed that the total sales of global forklift market of 2006 rose to 824,095, up 11.72 %, compared with 737,662 in 2005; the sales of Asian forklift market of 2006 rose to 230,851, up 16.99%, compared with 197,321 in 2005; the sales in Chinese market in the total sales of the global forklift market rose to 90,015, up 34.11 %, compared with 67,120 in 2005.

 

The sales of Chinese forklift market account for 10.92% of the total sales of global forklift market, next only to USA, as 38.99% of Asian forklift sales, 230,851, and take the first place in Asia for the first time. The market share of Chinese industrial truck market of 2006 ascended by 1.82% in the globe and by 4.97 % in Asia, compared with that of 2005.

 

Necessarily speaking, China becomes the first in Asian forklift market, i.e. the sales of Chinese forklift market surpasses those of Japan. In terms of throughput of forklift, Japanese throughput of 2002 was 100,000 while China didn’t reach 100,000 until last year. Hence, there is a specific period of time for china to take the first place in the aspects of forklift manufacturing and sales. However, Chinese manufacturing capability of forklifts has had a striking growth in the recent years. It is just a time issue for China to leave behind Japan.      

 

6. Anhui Forklift Group Acquired Hengyang Electric Forklift Plant

 

A message from a Hunan media says as follows:

 

Anhui Heli signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Hengyang Municipality on July 13, 2007. The leaders of Hengyang Municipality attending the signing ceremony included: Xu Minghua (Secretary of CPC Hengyang Committee), Peng Chongge (Deputy Secretary of CPC Hengyang Committee), Duan Zhigang (Vice Mayor of Hengyang Municipality & a member of the standing committee of the CPC Hengyang Committee), Wu Ruixiang (Vice Secretary-General of Hengyang Municipality & Director of Hengyang State-Owned Assets Commission), Zhou Zhihe (Chief of Baishazhou Industrial Park) etc; The attendants from Anhui Heli included Zhang Dejin(Chairman), Yang Anguo(GM), Xue Bai(Vice GM) and Xu Lin(Chief Accountant) etc.

 

Hengyang is a key city in the Southern Hunan Province and an old industrial base endowed with the favorable policy of Mid-China’s Rising. It has rich natural & human resources and convenient transportation. Establishing a Heli forklift manufacturing facility in Hengyang is a part of Heli strategic arrangement nationwide and a guarantee that its throughput will surpass 10 billion by 2010. Furthermore, establishing such a facility is beneficial to meet the excessive market demand, to save logistics costs, to increase market share in Southern China and to raise its competitiveness.

       

The leadership of Hengyang Municipality cared for and supported greatly the investment project. The signing ceremony attendants included such relevant authorities of Hengyang Municipality as Development & Reform Commission, State-Owned Assets Commission, Finance Bureau, State Taxation Bureau, Local Taxation Bureau, Economic Commission, Land & Resource Administration, City Planning Bureau, Industrial & Commercial Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau, Hengyang Daily Agency, Hengyang Branch of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Hengyang Branch of China Construction Bank, in Hengyang.

 

In 2007, Anhui Forklift Group completed two over-100-million-yuan projects – Adding investment to Heli Manufacturing Facility in Baoji and Acquisition of Hengyang Electric Forklift Plant. 

 

7. Cascade’s the 10th Anniversary in China and Hebei New Plant

　

　

It is reported in Cascade Website as follows:

 

A Bird Should Fly High, A Man Should Strive Hard

 

Cascade solemnly celebrated its 10th anniversary in China and its new forklift plant’s operation in Hebei Province.

 

Saluting gun was fired pleasantly accompanied by drumbeats. On May 28 of 2007, American Cascade held a solemn ceremony celebrating its 10th anniversary in China and its new forklift plant of Hebei located in Jingxian County, Hengshui, Hebei province.

 

On May 28 of 1997, American Cascade established Jiahai (Hebei) Forklift Co., Ltd and brought the advanced fork producing techniques into China. In 2006, its turnover reached 180000 pieces, and it became the largest fork manufacturer in china, and the products were sold well to China Mainland and Asia-Pacific area. To meet the global market demand better, Cascade established two new forklift plants in Hebei and Xiamen at one time in 2006 which went into operation respectively in March and April, 2007. Consequently, Cascade annual fork throughput will account to more than 450,000 pieces which can meet 20 percent of global demand now and 35 percent in the later years.

 

The ceremony was attended by more than 150 honorable guests including Cascade President & CEO Mr. Robert, such government officials as Head of People’s Congress of Hengshui Ma Changhe and the guests from North America, Japan, Korea, Singapore.

 

Cascade has been in China for more than 20 years, and has a great impact on Chinese forklift & forklift attachments industry and made a great commercial success accordingly.

 

8. Toyota Introduced BT Products into China

 

China division of Toyota, the largest forklift manufacturer in the world, expressed that it would start selling Swedish BT forklifts in January, 2007.

 

It is common worldwide that a forklift company operates two brands in one market.

 

BT is a European famous forklift manufacturer, and famed for an electric storage forklift producer. Its products entered Chinese market in the 90s of the last century, and was acquired by Toyota in 2002.

 

BT Corporation is one of the leading manufacturers of hydraulic pallet trucks and sells millions of such trucks worldwide annually.

 

Toyota China expressed that through introducing BT products TMHS could supply a series of forklifts from Class 1 to Class 5 and provide the clients with one-stop shopping.

 

At present, Toyota conducts a marketing concept of “one channel and three brands” in the business of industrial trucks, and supplies TOYOTA and BT forklifts to all the TMHS distributors nationwide, and provides a full sales support. Meanwhile, Toyota expects new BT partners to ride its business express so as to become one member of its sales family.

 

TMHS major products include such storage forklifts as BT electric pallet trucks, electric stackers and reach forklift trucks.

 “

Toyota is a number-one industrial truck manufacturer so that its every move can attract the attention of the industry.

 

9. Telescopic Boom Forklift Manufacturers Made a Bright Appearance in China

 

The event occurred recently. It is reported in Chinaforklift.com as follows:

 

Since French Manitou, the largest manufacturer of telescopic boom forklifts & rough terrain forklifts entered China and set up a solely-owned plant in China in November 2006, the manufacturers of telescopic boom forklifts from abroad and at home made a bright appearance in Chinese market as if competing for an only large special forklift market in Asia.

 

Spanish Ausa, the world’s number-two rough terrain forklift manufacturer, made a bright appearance at the beginning of this year and expedited entry of Chinese market. 

 

It is worth mentioning that American Genie, Upright, and JLG, French Haulotte, and Manitou,  Chinese Sunward, Jiafeng, and Sanjiale exhibited telescopic boom forklifts in CONEXPO 2007 Asia.

 

The opinion of Chinaforklift.com: With the rapid growth of Chinese economy, telescopic boom forklifts and terrain rough forklifts will be demanded in more and more big markets such as the markets of stone stock, construction, military, mine, logistics, agriculture, power and environment etc.  

 

Such engineering machinery manufacturers in Europe and America as British JCB, American Gradall, Upright, JLG, Terex, Case, and Genie, Canadian Liftking, Italian Merlo, French Haulotte and Manitou, are world-famous telescopic boom and rough terrain forklift manufacturers, the great majority of which have their own plants or sales branches or agencies in China.

 

10. Dalian Forklift is Listed in Top 20 in the Global Forklift Industry

 

According to the data from Dalian Forklift Co., Ltd., the total sales of Dalian Forklift in 2006 accounted to RMB 775.63 million Yuan, equivalent to US$99.33 million (USD/RMB exchange rate: 1:7.8087, on Dec. 31, 2006, the People’s Bank of China).

 

Consequently, Dalian Forklift’s sales of US$99.33 million exceed that of Irish forklift manufacturer Combilift of US$ 90 million so that Dalian Forklift is listed in Top 20 for the first time and Combilift is listed outside of Top 20. Dalian Forklift ranked in the 22nd place in 2005.

 

Thus, Chinaforklift.com revised the ranking of global forklift manufacturers in 2006 by foreign media with the accurate data.

 

The new ranking shows that currently four Chinese forklift manufacturers, i.e. Heli, Hangcha, Tailift & Dalian Forklift, are listed in Top 20 of Global Forklift industry, of which Heli is listed in Top 10.