May I suggest to stop shouting in this Forum, please everybody? You may say you are not shouting, but it sounds like you are shouting.
Please recall the fact that this Forum is titled "Industry News and W-h-i-s-p-e-r-s".

Let us expect a good year for us all in 2008.

Cheers, Ciao,

There are three distinct global markets as I see them. American market: Good stuff cheap. European market: Quality products no matter what the cost. Asian market: Cheap stuff really cheap. That is why in America you see ergonomically designed products with cheap parts. Example: American products have sleek designs with parts from all over the world. European products are made to exacting standards with ergonomic designs and parts from Bosch and Porsche. The best possible product for the job. (Linde, Bosch, Wusthoff) The Asian market is booming so people and companies there just want cheap stuff. Example: Chinese products like Heli and THANKYOU brand forklifts. Really cheap, made to do a job as cheap as possible, disposable.

In China, people use forklifts with abundant spare parts available, you can easily get back up at really low cost as there are so many factories produce the parts you need. So we don't care the consume of the forklift. When Heli get to the American market, everythings is changed. He must meet the high cost of after service, much more than it could afford in China. So finally Heli decide to set up the company and factory in U.S. But the labour in NA waste the advantage of China forklifts, it's failure could be foreseed. Chosing a properly stratagem is important for all of us.

About the forklift, it's not an high-technique products in my footling knowledge. What do you want to equip on them? Nuclear engine? Ferrocarbontitanium? OK, it's just a forklift. We only use them to do material handling. Low cost, reliable performance and long time using age speak louder than any fashion design. That's why many used forklifts are still accepted by market. We Chinese forklift have approached the fisrt, we will make effort to do better for the left two. That's a time problem for a manufacturer as you know.

The best forklift which is suitable for your country market.

I was working for a Heli dealer when the first Heli's were hitting the US market labeled as King forklifts and later World forklifts. In the end Heli set up shop themselves in Florida and started distributing their own forklifts under the Heli label. That lasted for about three years, Heli sold the entire US market to some company in the Southwest and went back to China. The first Heli's labeled as King were King of Krap. The World forklifts weren't any better and the forklifts sold under the Heli label were still junk. Over a period of about six or seven years I didn't really see any improvement in the forklift. The transmissions were weak and most of the parts were junk. The Nissan engine was the one shining star of the entire forklift. The only way I would ever recommend any China made forklift is if you were a very light user, 4-6 hours per WEEK, and you realized savings of at least 20 - 30% over a comparable unit.

Hi Gary!

Thanks for your comments. What exactly do you feel is "cheap" about the Heli truck? Please be specific.

very cheaply made trucks i dont care if the parts and warranty support is good or bad these trucks have no place in todays market

Tom,

I will pray for you.

Regards,

Doc

Kevan

I have read all of the communications in this form regarding the Heli product and what stands out the loudest is there is three types of responses. The first is from people who have had a bad experience with a product but fail to fully inform the public that they are complaining too that they may have been part of the problem by not properly using or maintaining the product. The second is from people who sell competitive product lines that feed off of the disgruntled and further inflate the rumored problem. Finally there are those who just like to see there name in writing and promote there own agenda.
I have been in the material handling industry for over 35 years and have seen them all come and go, I started as a mechanic and tell you none of the products produced in the U.S.A, in Japan or China have been trouble free.
Anticipating your next question, yes I work for a Heli Distributor here in the U.S.A. and I am proud of it.

Where did Jim go?

Heli was 8th in sales in Argentina in 2005, fourth in 2006 an currently (two months) is in third place behind Cat and Toyota. The "H" series Heli trucks with Japonese Isuzu or Nissan engines have proven to be very good and (alas for the dealers) consume remarkably few spares. I also understand that the Chinese engines also available for Heli trucks are not too good.
World wide, Heli now ranks # 13 in sales.
This year they will have their new 40.000 a year plant fully on line. Supposedly this will insure quality standards and reduce production times.

Let's make a fair comparison with China and Japan make product. Japan product has proved their highest quality and reliability over many years. When you consider to buy China forklift, make sure the power train (the most expensive component) is not make in China. It is very unrealible though they give u one to one exchange if break down. Initial investment may be lower but consider your downtime loss in the long run.

No Jim,

I am not your competition. Do not know wher you drew that conclusion.

I have done my research Jim, it is you who have failed to research.

On the other hand I do not know why you are here other than to tout your inferior product.

Regards

Diligence aside.

I stated fact there.

Kevan,

I was merely referencing Heli's position in world rankings, not comparing to Clark.

You really ought to take your meds. Not sure that your posts have any relevance at all. Not sure why you are here.

It's always nice to know that the competition is paying attention. Do your own due diligence when researching a forklift.

Jim

Jim,

With all due respect you want to compare yourself to Clark?

Clark has fallen, fallen and even continues to fall!!!

Would you like a detailed history of what Clark Equipment Company has done to our business?

Let us start at the end of WWII. the TCM deal?

Then the TCM Michigan Loader deal?

Oh and not to forget the Clark Melroe TCM deal?

Oh how about that fateful day, in Battle Creek Michigan, when they let all of those Japaneese people........HMMM my memory is fading, been a while, long ago, ooooh oooh oooh I remember they let all of those Japaneese forklift people come in an Photograph every inch of the Clark Facility in BC Michigan.

Then shortly after that the US recieved the "You asked it you got Toyota forklift" with Datsun AKA Nissan to follow.

Jim I was there that day in BC!!!!!, that was the day the music died.

Do not forget the ECA, GPX, GCX.

Make sure to read the 987 service bulletins for each one of these models, before you trouble shoot any of these.

If you do not have them do not bother to contact Clark the Hat because they lost these documents in a flood in wherever they were stored and that was not BC, it does not flood there.

Clark was once THE UNDISPUTED KING, once, but that was long ago and far away, remember 65% market share, 356 models?

I am not even going to go into the Brazil nightmare, or the other disasters CLARK made., Lexinton, Bowling Green, Mitsubishi, Bruse ETC,.

Oh here is another one do not forget the Drexall disaster of the late 80's, the bankruptcies of the 90's and 2K.

The less than 60% fill rate to their dealers and no parts available due to credit hold from their vendors and bankrupticie leins of the late 90's and early 2K?

I would never compare myself to the Korean Hat Manufacture of the Clark of today.

One more, I forgot, the Samsung deal as well, oh yea right Clark the forklift, I strongly disagree!!! I am thinking Clark the Hat?

The Clark name and logo has only one thing left and that is name recognization, and the Korean hat guy will loose that for them as well.

No not ever at all would I even mention my name along with the Clark of today.

I owe CLARK Equipment Company Battle Creek Michigan my career, but have no alliegance to the Clark of today.

OK Jim :

Tell the truth!

Heli, is TCM China!

TCM did in fact support modernizing forklift truck manufacturing facilities in China including Anhui Heli through its holding company, Anhui Forklift (group) Corp. This was done under the technology transfer agreement according to Chinese government requests from 1985 to 1993. Then, TCM and Anhui Forklift (group) Corp. founded two joint venture companies, one for manufacturing and distributing TCM brand forklift trucks for sales in China under a TCM brand name, another for producing a basic forklift truck component ñ counter weights. A new factory has grown out of this joint venture, and it may possibly produce forklift trucks in the future for sale in Asian countries neighboring China.

Does the US border CHINA, I need to check my Geography.

Read between the lines.

Anyone can research this, crikies mate!

TCM is playing with the same deck of cards Clark gave them, only 3 decades later.

History does repeat itself, I guess that is because people die, and new Idiots are born, this can be the only reason!

The North American Coal guy is probably looking for another OEM to add, Clark may be next maybe TCM ANULI HELI.


Then the new NACCO Green truck will have a built in toaster!

My rant is finished.

Regards