Earlier in 1985, China had introduced technology of explosion forklift from West Europe and put into application. Through years of digestion and absorption, there appeared several forklift companies owning explosion-proof certificate to provide explosion-proof forklift technology in domestic market after 2000. Recently such enterprises centralize in Hunan and Zhejiang Province in China.

As a most special product among special material handling tools, explosion-proof forklifts developed rapidly in recent years thanks to the fast and intense development of forklift and industrial vehicles. The production and demand amount of Chinese forklift market realized increasing margin of 30%, enabling China surpass Japan to be the 2^nd largest forklift consumption market in 2007 with sales volume of 100,000 sets and production output over 150,000 sets. Therefore, under the background that China is on the way to call for harmony, safety, health and environmentally-friendly, explosion-proof forklifts have been more and more well-received by the market due to their special functions and visions, which are fully presented by increasing demands.

On international forklift market, the companies able to provide explosion-proof forklifts and explosion-proof technology solutions are divided into five categories as follows:

I. Technology-type companies specialized in providing explosion-proof, safety and environmentally-friendly solutions for forklift manufacturers.

These companies do not sell branded explosion-proof forklifts, but conducting explosion-proof modification for forklift manufacturers. For example, British Pyroban Group is the largest company in the world to provide explosion, safety and environmentally-friendly solutions for global leading industrial vehicle manufactures. Pyroban has established a separate plant in China—Pyroban (Suzhou) Safety Systems Co., Ltd; and Italian Miretti S. p. A. established Shanghai Miretti Flameproof Equipment Co., Ltd. in China.  

II. Explosion-proof forklift companies that provide not only explosion-proof, safety and environmentally-friendly solutions for forklift manufacturers, but also self-branded explosion-proof forklifts to the market, such as Hunan Bontruck Forklift Co., Ltd. and Hunan Xiangpu Special Vehicle Co., Ltd. in China.

III. The companies that adopt technologies from companies of first or second class while provide self-branded explosion-proof forklifts. Most of forklift manufactures in the world provide explosion-proof forklifts in this way, such as Linde, Toyota, Heli, Mitsubishi, Hangcha, Doosan, Jungheninrich, Hyster, etc.

IV. The companies that own explosion-proof technology and only provide self-branded explosion-proof forklifts to the market, such as Zhejiang Jiali Technology Co., Ltd. in China and Miag Fahrzeugbau Gmbh in Germany.

V. The companies that only provide self-branded explosion-proof forklifts and possess parts of explosion-proof technology while some technologies are adopted from companies of first or second class, such as German Linde Forklift Co., Ltd. which has their own electric explosion-proof technology while using other’s technology of internal combustion forklifts.

According to data and evaluation of Chinaforlift.com (ForkliftNet.com) from relevant authoritative personnel, explosion-proof forklift market in China covers a scale of  RMB 150 million Yuan, consumption amount up to 400 sets of electric and ICE explosion-proof forklifts including modified and imported ones.

As a kind of special product with high technological content and value added, explosion-proof forklifts have to be certified by relevant authority. Presently, there are no more than ten enterprises in China that can provide explosion-proof forklifts and technology (excluding the above III-type companies), among which Pyroban and Miretti (first-type), two foreign-funded explosion-proof technology companies have established modification plants in China and Miag (forth-type) has distributors in China. With the rapid development of economy and in the atmosphere that safety, health and environmentally-friendly become more and more important for the society and people’s life, it’s undoubtedly that this market will have immense consumption volume and broad prospect, exactly due to the following reasons:

Firstly, as a great manufacturing country, China lays increasing stress on the safety of production and storage.

Safety comes first when building a harmonious environment in China. In those extreme fields with potentials to threaten people’s life and properties, it’s necessary to equip explosion-proof and safe tools now that material handling is inevitable.

Secondly, explosion-proof forklifts are used widely in China, especially in the fields of national defense, petroleum, chemical, pharmacy, drilling and coal mining industries, etc.

As a military power and energy consumption country, series industries related to military, petroleum and chemicals need to adopt explosive measures, thus explosion-proof forklifts as the handling tools shall stand in the front line.

Thirdly, other special situations have unique requirements on handling tools, such as ports, railways and warehouses with explosive mixtures, loading/unloading, stacking and handling operation location; places that produce, condense, liquefy and transport flammable gas; plants that produce, fill, discharge and transport flammable liquid as well as those use these liquid to process and clean parts; factories that manufacture and process rubber and plastic and metal, pharmacy, resin and plastic product workshop as well as gunpowder factory that may occur explosive dust, conductive combustible dust and flammable fiber when processing, crashing and storing.

To sum up, presently the demand amount of explosion-proof forklifts (modified and imported ones) in China paces in between 300-400 sets (including electric and ICE explosion-proof forklifts). This amount seems not suitable for the position of China as a manufacturing power.   

We are glad to see that revolutionary explosion-proof forklift manufacturers will innovate and invest capital continuously as they learn from the foreign technologies. In 2007, Anhui Forklift Group, the largest forklift manufacturer in China acquired Hunan Hengyang Electric Forklift Plant, and invested a lot to establish production bases of common electric forklift and explosion-proof forklifts. Meanwhile, Zhejiang Jiali Technology Co., Ltd.—the only one domestic electric explosion-proof forklift manufacturer has successfully set their products in to China PLA Navy.

Therefore, we have reasons to believe that China has a broad prospect explosion-proof forklift market, requiring our concerns and focus.