HELI — The Global Supplier Behind HandlerKraft Equipment

HandlerKraft is the authorised HELI importer for the Republic of Moldova, and today more than 80% of our equipment range comes directly from this manufacturer. Choosing a forklift also means choosing the supplier who will stand behind it for years — with spare parts, technical support, and a product range that keeps developing.

On this page we explain who HELI is, what the HandlerKraft–HELI partnership means, and why this supplier's scale matters for a long-term investment in materials handling equipment.

68 years of history: from a regional factory to a global industrial group

• 1958In Anhui province, China, the Hefei Mining Machinery Factory is founded — a state-owned enterprise of modest size.
• 1964The first HELI forklift with an internal combustion engine is launched.
• 1983The company is reorganised as Hefei Forklift Factory and dedicates itself exclusively to designing and manufacturing forklifts — the turning point that marks the birth of today's brand.
• 1985The company produces its first electric forklift, becoming one of the pioneers of materials handling electrification in China.
• 1996Anhui HELI Co., Ltd. is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (ticker 600761) — a step that marks the shift from a regional manufacturer to a modern industrial company with access to capital for sustained investment in research, development and international expansion.
• Today68 years after its founding, HELI is no longer just a forklift manufacturer but an industrial group with four integrated business lines: complete equipment manufacturing, parts and components production, aftermarket services, and intelligent logistics solutions.

The company's name is an acronym of the four strategic directions it follows today: Handling, Electric, Logistics and Intelligent (automation and artificial intelligence) — four directions the wider industry has only adopted in the last decade.

HELI, ranked 7th worldwide — what this ranking actually means

Every year, the American publication Modern Materials Handling compiles the "Top 20 Lift Truck Suppliers" list, the most recognised global ranking of materials handling equipment manufacturers, based on revenue from forklifts and related industrial equipment across the seven truck classes defined by the Industrial Truck Association.

This position sets HELI apart from dozens of smaller Asian manufacturers, which have neither the production volume nor the global infrastructure needed to support an international parts and service network. In China's domestic market, HELI has been the undisputed leader for more than three decades — the company has held the No. 1 spot among Chinese forklift manufacturers for 34 consecutive years (from 1991 to today), a continuity rarely seen in the industry.

In 2025, the group's revenue reached nearly 20 billion yuan (19.8 billion), up more than 11% year-on-year — the best financial result in the company's history.

The numbers behind the brand: production, sales, exports

A manufacturer's real size shows up in sales figures, not slogans. In 2025, HELI sold approximately 394,500 forklifts and pieces of equipment worldwide, up nearly 16% year-on-year. Of that volume, 243,300 units were sold in China's domestic market, and 151,200 units were exported — nearly 40% of total production reaching export markets, Moldova included.

For comparison, in 2024 HELI sold around 340,200 units (+16.5% versus 2023), holding more than 26% of the Chinese forklift market — the largest share in the industry. The company now employs over 11,000 people and runs an integrated production system, with its central manufacturing base in Hefei and dedicated facilities for casting, hydraulic systems, and transmission components.

In practice, this production volume means three things for a buyer: standardised components across models (meaning spare parts are available faster), a large body of real-world operating data used to improve reliability, and financial strength that supports the range's continuity long-term. These are exactly the factors that matter for a machine used for 8–10 years.

Electrification, automation, robotics — where HELI is heading

HELI is investing actively in electrification and automation, beyond its traditional diesel forklift production. In 2025, for the first time, electric equipment exceeded 70% of the company's domestic sales (70.15%, up from 64.8% the previous year) — a jump driven mainly by the K2 lithium-ion forklift series, fitted with cells from CATL and Guoxuan High-Tech, using around 12% less energy than the previous generation.

On the AI and robotics side, HELI signed a partnership with Huawei in March 2025 to establish the "Tiangong" joint innovation lab, dedicated to intelligent logistics solutions, and is developing next-generation handling robots through a second research centre (Jianghuai Frontier Center, the "Tianshu" lab). The company's intelligent logistics segment grew sharply in 2025: signed contract value rose 45%, and revenue from this segment rose 69% year-on-year.

For a buyer in Moldova, this strategic direction matters: choosing HELI equipment means access, over time, to a product range that keeps evolving technologically, rather than one frozen at a decade-old level of technology.

A global network: 400+ distributors, present in 180+ countries

HELI's international network now includes more than 400 distributors, active in over 180 countries and regions, with the company holding the leading market position in 34 of the export markets where it operates. The global structure is supported by eight international regional centres — Europe (France, since 2014), North America (USA, since 2019), Southeast Asia (Thailand, since 2018), the Middle East (UAE), plus dedicated centres for Oceania, Eurasia and South America, opened from 2022–2023 onwards.

HELI has also built strategic partnerships with leading European industrial players: it has worked with Jungheinrich on equipment leasing services since 2015, and with ZF Group on transmission and drivetrain component development since 2018. The company regularly attends major international trade shows in the sector, such as MODEX (USA), strengthening its visibility alongside established Western brands.

The complete HELI equipment range

HELI's portfolio covers virtually the entire range of materials handling and intralogistics equipment, from compact pallet trucks to a 70-tonne forklift for extreme loads, officially launched in 2025 — the heaviest machine of its type ever built in China.

This range reflects the group's four business lines — complete equipment, components, aftermarket, and intelligent logistics — developed together, not as independent products.

Why a manufacturer's scale matters, not just the price of a machine

When you buy a forklift, you're really buying the manufacturer's ability to support it long-term — 5, 7, 10 years of operation. The figures above translate directly into concrete guarantees for a B2B buyer:

• Spare parts — a volume of over 390,000 units sold annually means standardised components and continuous parts production, year after year.
• Technical documentation and standardised support, backed by ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and CE certifications.
• Diagnostics and technical support, backed by know-how built up from millions of machine-hours in operation.
• Continuous range development, supported by active investment in electrification and automation.
• An international network of 400+ distributors across 180+ countries, ensuring continuity even for smaller markets like Moldova.

HandlerKraft & HELI: the partnership behind every machine sold in Moldova

HandlerKraft is the authorised HELI importer for the Republic of Moldova. Today, more than 80% of the equipment HandlerKraft sells — diesel and electric forklifts, pallet trucks, reach trucks, and heavy-tonnage equipment — comes directly from this manufacturer. In practice, choosing a machine from handlerkraft.md means choosing the product of a company ranked in the world's top 7, backed by a local team in Chișinău that understands the specifics of the Moldovan market.

In practice, this partnership means two things for our customers: on one hand, access to the scale and stability of a global manufacturer — spare parts, documentation, range continuity; on the other, a local point of contact for correctly specifying the equipment, delivery, maintenance, and service, with no extra intermediaries and no language or time-zone barriers. It's the combination worth looking for in any serious industrial investment: the reliability of a global brand and the involvement of a local partner.

HELI through HandlerKraft — an investment supported for the long term

Today HELI is a 68-year-old industrial group, ranked 7th worldwide among materials handling equipment manufacturers, with a complete range — from pallet trucks to 70-tonne forklifts. In Moldova, this brand reaches customers through HandlerKraft.