Lord Mayor of Coventry Councillor Hazel Noonan has confirmed Coventry's bright industrial future with the opening of Detank's UK headquarters.

Chinese equipment maker Detank has opened its UK headquarters in Coventry.

Established four years ago on the banks of the Yangtze River, Detank manufactures forklifts and heavy-duty earthmoving equipment. The company's UK operations, Detank UK, were launched last northern summer (Forkliftaction.com News #681).

Managing director Lash Saranna, a former head of the UK's independent Porsche Centre, boasts: "Currently, our customers span no less than four continents - with dealers in several European countries, the Middle East, Brazil and Mexico.

"This site offers the perfect platform for our huge range of lift trucks and, along with our excavator storage facility just down the road in Dudley, we are planning to make a huge impact across the globe... including here in the UK."

Detank's construction equipment is made with a British-built Cummins engine, and all of its electric forklifts are fitted with British batteries. However, the equipment maker intends to boost the number of British-made parts that go into the build of Detank products during final assembly in China.

Saranna tells Forkliftaction.com News that the company will start by having the forks and hydraulic components of forklifts made in the UK, and eventually have British-built engines.

"We feel this would give all UK and European customers peace of mind they are purchasing a truly global product. An example of this is the car world where manufacturers such as JLR and Porsche all use parts that are produced in China, Taiwan and the UK but assembled in one factory, which could be anywhere from China to Brazil."

At a ceremony held last month that paid homage to Coventry's engineering heritage, Lord Mayor of Coventry Councillor Hazel Noonan spoke about the city's industrial future with the opening of Detank's UK headquarters.

Noonan said: "Coventry has a rich industrial engineering heritage. Over the years, it has served as a base for companies such as Massey Ferguson and Coventry Climax and is currently the home to Jaguar Land Rover.

"We are always proud to see our city attract new industries and jobs - but more so when those businesses take advantage of all that it has to offer them."

Detank UK will be Detank's international distributing arm for the UK, Europe and beyond.