On March 20^th, MCF Forklift (Dalian) Co., Ltd., built by Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (MHI for short) by investing 49.5 Million Dollars broke earth in Dalian Development District. This was the first forklift manufactory built by MHI as well as the first foreign-funded forklift manufacturing enterprise. Leaders including Mayor of Dalian Xia Deren, Secretary of Dalian Municipal Party Committee Yao Jiakai and Director of Dalin E & T Development Zone Management Committee Zhang Shikun attended the ceremony.

MHI ranked among World Top 100 Strong Enterprises, engaged in fields such as energy, aeronautics, shipyards, railway, logistics equipment, auto, daily products, military products, atomic energy and solar. Established in 1884, MHI now owned registered capital of 265.6 Billion Yen (2.7 Billion Dollars) and annual production value of 3.2 Trillion Yen (3.2 Billion Dollars).

Covering 100,000 square meters in the Dalian Economic & Technological Development District, the factory named MCF Forklift (Dalian) Co., Ltd. is designed to turn out the 11-3 forklifts mainly for the Chinese market.

After the construction is completed in November 2009, the factory will be capable of manufacturing 300 forklifts a year. In the following year, its products will be exported to Russia and Southeast Asia, and the Dalian-based plant will achieve annual production capacity of 7,000 units in 2012 and provide more than 300 jobs.

Upon the development strategy, the factory will also sell its products to the US and Netherlands, where the Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift (MCF) production bases are located, said people familiar with the matter.