Hengli was founded in Suzhou as a weaving factory in 1994 by husband and wife Chen Jianhua and Fan Hongwei.[3]
One of the world's largest companies, Hengli was ranked 67th in the Fortune Global 500 for 2021, and 3rd on a list of China's top 500 Private Enterprises.[4][5][6]
It is described as "focused on energy efficiency in both their products and processes."[7][8]
In 2020, environmentalists criticised the Hengli Group's plans to begin manufacturing plastics from coal.[9]
In 2021, the company was criticised for seeking only male candidates for positions as drivers in Guizhou.[10]