Lonking enters Mexico, Central America
Lonking Holdings Ltd of Shanghai is producing forklifts for sale through a website in Mexico and Central America, distributor International Construction Products (ICP) reports. Sales will extend to the US and Canada by 2015.
Materials handling equipment industry veteran Tim Frank of Asheville, North Carolina is ICP board chairman.
Frank, CEO Wes Lee and others formed ICP to partner with Asian equipment brands wanting to expand globally.
ICP is taking steps to meet US Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory requirements to bring Lonking forklifts to the US and Canada and, in coming months, will determine which models to distribute in those countries.
In addition to China, Lonking forklifts are distributed in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines and other countries such as Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Lonking produces private-label forklifts for MGA Forklift Co Ltd of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Lonking LPG-powered LG30GLT forklift
The ICP-Lonking team displayed four of 11 electric, LPG and diesel forklift models along with other heavy-duty equipment including excavators and wheel loaders during the recent ConExpo-Con/Agg trade show in Las Vegas.
Publicly traded Lonking manufactures the forklifts in a Shanghai facility that also produces wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators, road rollers and skid steer loaders. Lonking began forklift production in 2001 and, during 2013, delivered more than 10,000 forklifts.
Through the website, an ICP customer purchases the forklifts in quantities of four units. ICP arranges for container delivery directly to the customer’s port of choice.
An ICP Service-Your-Way program enables customers to select a service dealer from the ICP network, choose a local dealer or, in some cases, qualify to do warranty work themselves. If a customer chooses a service dealer outside the ICP network, ICP will seek to qualify that dealer and add them to the system.
ICP says it offers generous terms for service dealers. A three-year or 3,000-hour warranty protects customers. An ICP partner, global supplier TVH of Waregem, Belgium, fulfills the need for aftermarket parts and accessories.
Five electric Lonking models have lift capacities with a range from 2,866 lb. (1,300 kg) to 5,512 lb. (2,500 kg). The Lonking LG13BE, LG16BE and LG18BE electric counterbalance forklifts feature a 48-volt battery and a maximum lift height of 9 ft. 10 in. (3 m). The BE models have lift capacities of 2,866 lb. (1,300 kg), 3,527 lb. (1,600 kg) and 3,968 lb. (1,800 kg), respectively. The LG20B and LG25B electric counterbalance trucks also have a maximum lift height of 9 ft. 10 in. (3 m), with lift capacities of 4,409 lb. (2,000 kg) and 5,512 lb. (2,500 kg), respectively.
Four internal-combustion diesel models ? LG20DT, LG25DT, LG30DT and LG35DT ? feature 49.3hp (36.8 kW) diesel engines and maximum lift height of 9 ft. 10 in. (3 m). Maximum lift capacities are 4,409 lb. (2,000 kg), 5,512 lb. (2,500 kg), 6,614 lb. (3,000 kg) and 8,598 lb. (3,500 kg), respectively.
The LPG-powered models ? LG30GLT and LG35GLT ? have rated power of 50 hp (37 kW), lift height of 9 ft. 10 in. (3 m) and lift capacity of 6,614 lb. (3,000 kg) and 8,598 lb. (3,500 kg), respectively.
In addition to forklifts, ICP expects to bring other machine types and brands to its markets in the near future.
Lonking is a subsidiary of China Longgong Group Holdings Ltd.
