This is the first report by Off-Highway Research to analyse the Chinese market for telescopic handlers, which are sometimes called telehandlers. It examines the supply of domestic manufacturers and importers, assesses the trends in the market and the factors affecting its development, and forecasts the main features of the market in the short to medium term.

The telescopic handler has been described as ‘the Swiss army knife of the industry’ as it is used for a wide range of applications in agriculture, construction, and industry in developed markets. The versatile nature of this machine has contributed to its increasing popularity outside of China over the past three decades.

The history of manufacturing telescopic handlers in China can be traced back to the 1980s, when primitive designs were developed to meet with demand from special operations, as well as the military. Product development to improved standards began some 15 years ago, with exports being the main driver.

Along with the increasing popularity of access platforms in China, telescopic handlers started to gain greater attention as a special access lift, material handler or high reach machine, but it is still widely regarded as a niche concept in the country.

In the standard for product classification proposed by China Construction Machinery Association, telescopic handlers are defined as a type of mobile industrial vehicles, together with the industrial forklift trucks.

The findings presented in this report are based on Off-Highway Research’s database, and on information collected during an extensive field interview programme undertaken from the end of 2023 to the first nine months of 2024, with all major domestic manufacturers, importers as well as some of their key customers.