Early in October, 2007, Anhui TV and CCTV News reported the news that Anhui Heli Forklift Truck Group Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred as Anhui Heli) had successfully developed and manufactured heavy duty forklifts that were exported abroad and changed the situation relying on importing heavy duty forklifts from overseas market, attracting concerns in the forklift industry at home and abroad and brought great social benefits.

Now four years passed, how about the development situation of heavy duty forklifts in Anhui Heli? Making use of the opportunity provided by the 11th Beijing International Construction Machinery Exhibition & Seminar and Beijing International Commercial Vehicle Exhibition (BICES/IVEX 2011) held in Beijing, the Manager of Chinaforklift.com (www.chinaforklift.com, English version: www.forkliftnet.com) interviewed Li Hao, the Vice General Manager of Marketing Department and Manager of Heavy Duty Forklift Sales Department in Anhui Heli, to know more details about the development of heavy duty forklifts.

Chinaforklift.com: Mr. Li, how about the development of heavy duty forklifts in Heli in these years?

Li Hao: It has been nearly ten years for Heli to enter heavy duty forklift field. Compared with the small tonnage forklifts in Heli, the production scale and portion of heavy duty forklifts are both relatively small, still a young business department in the forklift industry at home and abroad. We sold accumulatively more than 1000 sets of heavy duty forklifts, which were mainly 12-46 ton forklifts, and over 200 sets of containers, stackers and reach stackers. As for Heli, heavy duty forklift is a business department developing from the starting line, and this new business increases in a rate of 40%, surpassing the average increasing rate of the whole industry when seeing from the developing rate.

Chinaforklift.com: What do you think about the achievements accomplished by Heli at present?

Li Hao: As I had mentioned, the production of heavy duty forklift had a small proportion in the overall layout of Heli’s development. Despite this, the developing rate of heavy duty forklift department is relatively faster compare with other departments in the Group. It was estimated that in 2011, the whole forklift industry in China would increase more than 30%, among which heavy duty forklift sector was anticipated to increase about 50%. This is a remarkable number. We will continue to spare no effort to raise our marketing shares of heavy duty forklifts.
　　
Chinaforklift.com: As we all know, in the past the heavy duty handling equipment market in China was mainly monopolized by foreign brands, and there were only Dalian Forklift and Baoji Forklift in domestic China that entered in heavy duty forklift industry. Nowadays, the leading companies in the construction machinery such as Heli, Hangcha, Sany, Lonking, LiuGong and Sunward began to manufacture heavy duty forklifts. What is your opinion on such kind of a competitive situation?

Li Hao: On domestic market, there are not only those brands you mentioned. Foreign-funded heavy duty forklift brands also held a powerful development momentum and developed at a fast rate, such as Konecranes, Kalmar that had stayed at the leading position on the market at home and abroad and Linde who annually manufactured more than 100 sets of heavy duty forklifts in Xiamen. Heli had been working hard to catch up with their steps in these years. Ranging from 12 ton to 46 ton, the heavy duty forklifts in Heli basically covered all the types and models with relatively completed production lines and categories to meet the market demands. Along with the development of heavy duty forklift market, we have been improving our technology and enhancing our capacity of developing new products to better meet the demands of markets at home and abroad.

At present, the market was full of fierce competition. Usually the heavy duty equipment is purchased through bidding and tendering. During this process, we have found that the price of foreign-funded brands and domestic brands are both in reduction. Although there is a price variance, the gap is contracting, which lead to less profits due to the compression of profitable space. Foreign-funded brands increased their marketing shares, while we are sparing no effort to catch up, making the competition on the market fiercer. However, it is inevitable for the industrial vehicle market in China to form such a marketing layout that is comprised of diversified brands to compete with each other. Heli will face the competition directly through uninterrupted progress in developing and manufacturing new products.
　
Chinaforklift.com: How do you thing about the potentials of heavy duty forklift industry in China?

Li Hao: The potential is clearly shown as the handling of heavy and large items become more and more along with the development of container, logistics and steel industries, which lead to the increasing demands on heavy duty forklifts. It could be seen from the statistical data of Industrial Vehicle Institution of China Construction Machinery Association (CITA) that the demands of the market on heavy duty forklifts had been raising year on year.