Chinese manufacturer Detank has announced plans to open a new UK headquarters in the Midlands.
The company, which builds heavy duty earth movers and fork lift trucks, has earmarked land in Coventry for its new factory – with dozens of jobs set to follow.
Launched just four years ago on the banks of the Yangtze River, Detank has already become one of the world’s fastest-growing industrial machinery brands.
The company hopes its new base will provide a platform for its range of excavators and fork lift trucks to make a massive impact throughout the UK.
Detank’s parent company, Chery Holdings, already has strong links with Coventry with an exclusive partnership to produce Jaguar Land Rover vehicles on the Chinese mainland.
The man behind Detank UK, Lash Saranna, has a long history of exporting luxury cars to China and India and was head of the UK’s leading independent Porsche Centre.
He said: “Coventry has a proud tradition of industrial engineering, especially fork lift trucks, and it feels right to bring these great machines here.
“Having grown up in Coventry, not far from the Coventry Climax forklift factory – which no longer exists – I feel I am bringing something back to the city.
“The Detank construction equipment is robust and totally reliable, being manufactured with a British-built Cummins engine while the electric forklifts are fitted with British batteries here in the UK.
“Going forward our intention is to further increase the volume of British parts that will go into the build of Detank products with final assembly in China.
“This is a key element in our drive to deliver products that offer long lasting performance and minimal downtime, which is what every buyer of this type of machinery is looking for.”
One of China’s foremost manufacturing companies, building heavy duty earth movers and fork lift trucks, will establish its UK headquarters at in purpose-built premises in Coventry.
Launched just four years ago on the banks of the Yangtze River, Detank has already become one of the world’s fastest-growing industrial machinery brands.
The company hopes its new base will provide an ideal platform for its huge range of excavators and fork lift trucks to make a massive impact throughout the UK.
Detank’s parent company, Chery Holdings, already has strong links with the local area, with an exclusive partnership to produce Jaguar Land Rover vehicles on the Chinese mainland.
In recognition of the significance of the launch event four senior managers flew in from China for a London unveiling of the Detank range, with Zhao Xiaoming of the Chinese Embassy speaking of the benefits of bringing Chinese businesses to the UK.
Parmy Singh, business development adviser for Coventry City Council, was also in attendance, and praised the growing manufacturing links between China and the West Midlands. Welcoming the venture, he presented Detank with a letter from the Lord Mayor Cllr Hazel Noonan along with a welcome gift.
