Exhibition special: China-made machinery shines at Paris expo

The exhibition booth of Sany at the ongoing INTERMAT. [Provided to China Daily]

More than 30 Chinese engineering and construction machinery makers are participating in the six-day event, along with firms from 43 other countries and regions.

Companies from China include Sany Heavy Industry Co Ltd, Xugong Construction Machinery Group, Shantui Construction Machinery Co Ltd and Zoomline Heavy Industry Science and Technology Development Corp.

Sany

Sany Heavy Industry Co Ltd, China's largest listed machinery manufacturer, is planning greater overseas expansion and sees the expo as a good opportunity to showcase its latest products to the world.

"Going abroad is a strategic step for Sany," said Xiang Wenbo, company president. "By the year's end, Sany is expected to achieve 100 billion yuan ($15.4 billion) in revenue. And the international share should account for no less than 30 percent of total sales."

Earlier this year, the company completed its acquisition of Germany's Putzmeister Holding GmbH, the world's largest concrete pump producer. The deal will give Sany access to all of Putzmeister's patents and global sales networks to make it "a new global leader in the concrete-pumping machinery industry", Xiang said.

The company now has plants in the United States, India and Brazil. Its products are exported to more than 110 countries and regions.

In its bid to become a top global brand, Sany plans to build plants in Indonesia, Russia, North African countries and South Africa in the next two years, according to Xiang.

Xugong

As one of the world's top seven construction machinery makers, Xugong is highlighting six types of its products that are internationally competitive - including crane trucks, loaders, excavators, road rollers and graders - at a 1,098-square-meter pavilion.

"The group is committed to becoming the world's top machinery manufacturers by using advanced technology and modern management," said Liu Jiansen, assistant president of the group.

Last year the group reported gross income of more than 87 billion yuan and 12 types of products that have the largest share of their respective markets in China.

With Jiangsu as its headquarters, the group has established some 15 overseas subsidiaries and manufacturing plants, exporting products to 147 countries and regions.

The exports generated $1.09 billion last year, an increase of 125 percent over 2010, making the group China's largest source of export revenue in the sector.

According to Liu, the group is projected to have annual income of 300 billion yuan and join the world's top three engineering machinery manufacturers by 2015.

Shantui

The competitive products exhibited by Shantui include most of its best sellers, ranging from bulldozers, road rollers to forklifts, which have attracted more than 300 potential clients in the past few days, said Zhang Xiuwen, president of the company.

According to Zhang, the company has long been regarded as the "King of the Hill" in China. Its bulldozer sales ranked first both in the domestic market and export share for three years running.

Besides bulldozers, it also offers a highly diversified line of construction and concrete machinery, making everything from wheel loaders, road rollers, truck cranes, motor graders, to forklifts and excavators.

It now has branches in South Africa, Russia, Brazil and the UAE, and exports products to 133 countries across the world. Its exports are expected to account for a half of its sales revenue in the next few years.

Zoomline

"The expo reveals that China-made machinery is becoming more competitive in overseas markets, as increasing number of European clients are showing a preference for our products," said Yan Chunxin, president of the Changsha-based Zoomline.

To further boost its global sales, the company is showcasing 15 of its latest concrete and hoisting machinery, including a brand-new flat-top tower crane.

According to Yan, the tower crane making its debut at the expo was designed and produced after the company purchased the complete state-of-the-art technologies from the Germany's Jost Cranes Gmbh Pte Ltd last year.

The new product features a more integrated electric control room and a more spacious and comfortable cab - an example of the company's efforts to cooperate with world-leading machinery makers and access advanced markets in Europe and North America.

Four years ago, it acquired Italy's Compagnia Italiana Forme Acciaio SpA, known as CIFA, which has a 20 percent market share in Western Europe and ranks third in the global concrete machinery sector.

The deal boosted Zoomlion's global sales and technology, making it the top Chinese concrete machinery maker in worldwide sales.

Its products are now exported to more than 70 countries and regions. In the first month of this year alone it exported machinery valued at 800 million yuan.

Contact the writers at juchuanjiang@chinadaily.com.cn and wangqian2@chinadaily.com.cn