Sir Neville Bowman-Shaw (second from left) receives award from Hangcha deputy general manager Jason Wu at the recent CeMAT expo in Hannover, Germany.

Samuk Lift Trucks Ltd has received an 'Outstanding Contribution Award' from the Hangcha Group, acknowledging its success as the largest European distributor of Hangcha forklifts.

Hangcha acknowledges Samuk chairman Sir Neville Bowman-Shaw's contribution to the development of Hangcha forklifts since the partnership between the two companies was established.

Bowman-Shaw says he was surprised and honoured to receive the award on behalf of his company.

"My connection with Hangcha began nearly 30 years ago. As chairman of the Lancer Boss Group, I was introduced in 1982 to the company's predecessors via the Chinese embassy.

"Since those early days, Hangcha has adopted many of the innovative Boss features and has invested heavily in design and manufacturing facilities," he explains.

The Samuk-Hangcha joint venture was established in 1996 after Bowman-Shaw visited Hangcha in China. Samuk HC distributes the Chinese forklifts in the UK and some European countries under the Samuk+HC brand (Forkliftaction.com News #321).

The forklifts have European components, including Cummins and Nissan engines, ZF transmissions, Dunlop tyres, Curtis electric components with DC/AC control systems, Kessler drive axles with oil immersed brakes, and ZAPI DC control systems.

Hangcha, based in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, has revealed its ambition to be in the world's top 10 forklift manufacturers by 2012. One of China's top three forklift manufacturers, Hangcha has a production capacity of over 80,000 units a year. It has built up a sales and service network consisting of over 140 national dealers and 70 overseas dealers. Hangcha says its products are now used in over 130 countries.

The first-ever manufacturer's award by Hangcha was presented to Bowman-Shaw by Hangcha deputy general manager Jason Wu at the recent CeMAT expo in Hannover, Germany.