Visitors inspect Luigong's 922D hybrid hydraulic excavator after its official unveiling
The 2010 bauma China event did, as expected, break all previous records, with companies launching more new equipment than ever. Patrick Smith reports
The queues at the entrances on the first day ofAs Zhou Weidong, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade - Machinery Sub-Council (CCPIT-MSC), said: "With the rapid development of China's construction machinery market, bauma China breaks all records again. Due to the incredibly huge visitor flow, we are sure that both exhibitors and visitors have achieved their expected goal. bauma China was a complete success." Indeed, the 5th International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Construction Vehicles and Equipment broke all records for exhibition space, exhibitor numbers and visitor numbers.
However, while Chinese companies understandably topped the exhibitor list with all the major manufacturers (
For example,
"The enormous growth in visitor numbers as well as the outstanding positive feedback from our exhibitors is impressive evidence that bauma China is the leading business platform for the construction industry in China and Asia," explained Eugen Egetenmeir, managing director of Messe München. It organises the event along with Messe München International/MMI (Shanghai); China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA); CCPIT-MSC and China Construction Machinery Co (CNCMC).
International partners are the
More than 150,000 visitors from 165 countries attended this year's bauma China (2008: 112,674 visitors from 124 countries), a 33% increase compared to the last event.
After China, the top ten countries and regions of origin among the visitors were Korea, India, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia.
Covering 230,000m² of exhibition space, bauma China 2010 was 10% bigger in area than in 2008, when the show took up 210,000m².
A further highlight at the event was the national pavilions from Austria, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Korea, Spain and the USA, all showcasing state-of-the-art technology produced in these countries and informing on research and development trends.
Kenny He, vice president of Zoomlion, said: "bauma China is not only the most important platform for our globalisation drive it is also the most efficient access to the latest industrial information. We do not see bauma China only as a marketplace, but also as a channel for meeting existing customers and new contacts from India, South Asia, South America and Africa." Gwenne Henricks, president at
Indeed, Chinese company LiuGong, which for the third quarter of 2010 posted total sales revenue of ¥11.75 billion (US$1.75 billion), a 61% increase from the same period in 2009, and a net profit of ¥1.26 billion ($189 million) on total gross profits of ¥1.5 billion ($227 million), a 122% increase from the same period last year, also plans two major new factories in China along with the opening of three new subsidiaries in Singapore, Johannesburg (South Africa) and Dubai.
The factories are in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China for excavator manufacturing and an R&D, and the other is at the LiuGong manufacturing campus in Liuzhou where a state-of-the art hydraulic component manufacturing facility will be built. Both represent a total investment of more than ¥2.6 billion ($390 million.) Aiming to become among the top ten construction equipment makers in the world and a globally recognised brand by 2015, bauma China offered the company, like others, further exposure, and it unveiled in a ceremony watched by hundreds, three new models for the home market, including the CLG862 hybrid wheel loader with an operating weight of 20.5tonnes and a bucket capacity of 1.8-5.6m³ and the CLG922D hybrid hydraulic excavator with an operating weight of 22tonnes, bucket capacity of 0.95-16m³ and powered by a 110kW rated engine.
David Beatenbough, vice president of research and development for LiuGong, said that at capacity, the hydraulics plant will produce 355,000 cylinders and 238,000 valves per year.
"This factory will be among the most advanced in the world. This groundbreaking represents LiuGong's total commitment to quality in our quest to become a top global machine brand."
Meanwhile, Chinese company
The SWLT T90 paver has a paving width ranging from 2.5m to 9m and a paving depth of some 350mm, while the SWM 100 milling machine is 1m wide and can cut up to 120mm deep. It has also introduced the SWE230S hybrid excavator, which is available in China.
Meanwhile, Shantui also rolled out a line of road construction equipment that included the SRP asphalt paver, capable of paving widths between 2.5m and 13.5m with a 350mm paving depth; the 17tonne SD16T bulldozer with a dozing capacity of between 4.4-5m³, and a number of vibratory rollers including its SR22M/P with a weight of 22tonnes.
From Germany, the Wirtgen Group offered new road building products with its
A premiere for China was the new Kleemann MR 110 ZS impact crusher along with the MR130, both with the new EVO technology, which helped launch a campaign to introduce mobile crushing and screening equipment from the German manufacturer into the market.
Of its six milling machines on show, Wirtgen says its W 100 and the W 100 L are the most efficient and highly versatile 1m machines for local contractors, while the W 1900 and W 2000 had a design facelift for the show.
The new WR 2000 XL cold recycler and soil stabiliser, based on the successful WR 2000 model, but adapted to specific local market requirements, can be equipped with an industry standard 2m wide recycling drum, optionally with a 2.4m recycling drum, and cuts up to 500mm deep.
Special equipment from
A new road paver segment is presented with the compact machines Super 800, Super 1103-2 and the Super 1300-2, while among
Also launching new equipment, including the D1550 drill rig, Sandvik Mining and Construction said that it had made big strides in Asia, which represented 18% of the company's business in 2009 with order intake and invoiced sales rising to 28% in the third quarter of 2010.
Yan Yi, Sandvik's vice president for East Asia, said the company's tunnel technology has proved profitable.
"Tunnelling has been a real success story for Sandvik Mining and Construction in Asia. We have technology which is top-notch, and we try to be solution partners for our clients by solving their needs in planning, service and productivity." In August, 2010, Sandvik opened a new research and development facility in Shnghai, and the first challenge laid out to its engineers and scientists was to design drills tailored for the Chinese market. Some projects are ongoing and will be realised in 2011.
As part of its focus on drills, the company introduced the D1550, the first model of its new generation of down-the-hole (DTH) drill rigs, while displaying its stationary and mobile crushers and screens, "showing the strong position Sandvik has built over the last few years in Asian markets in numerous construction applications." After a record year in sales in 2010 in China, Sandvik is planning to significantly increase its 2011 production plan of crushers and screens at its largest facility in Jiading.
The new Sandvik DI550 features a 328kW diesel engine and a 24.4m3 compressor air flow at 24 bar pressure, and is said to be a perfect match for the 5" DTH hammer.
It has a modern, accurate control system with simple icon displays and comprehensive service information, and a new efficient dust collector with non-stop cleaning that decreases the amount of dust emissions to the environment.
The DI550 is suited to work at its maximum performance with Sandvik's RH550 hammers from 3-5" that come with bits from 90-165mm with three different bit face designs.
Meanwhile, Volvo Construction Equipment launched its 20tonne EC200B Prime excavator, exclusively for the Chinese market, along with its DD118HF asphalt compactor and the ABG6820 paver.
The EC200B is designed for general construction in segments such as utility, building and road construction in the Chinese market, and the 6820 paver offers an enhanced 9m paving width with Volvo's latest Electronic Paving Management (EPM) system to ensure optimum paving.
Volvo Construction Equipment's president and chief executive Olof Persson highlighted a US$100-plus million investment programme and a major expansion of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) market-focused products.
"Volvo is committed to supporting our capacity and product offering in China and throughout Asia. We will achieve this by a comprehensive programme of investments in our Asian industrial operations, a strengthening of our dealer network and an expansion of Volvo and SDLG (Shandong Lingong)-branded products that are more closely tailored to the specific needs of customers in this region," said Persson.
"Our business in Asia has doubled this year alone. We must recognise that the needs of these markets differ from those of Europe and North America. While customers in BRIC markets will continue to need premium global products offering increased performance and productivity, there is a large proportion of customers who require reliable, competitive equipment. The Volvo brand will continue to support its established premium customer segments, while the SDLG brand will serve the larger mass market. Our dual brand approach offers a unique advantage to meet the needs of a much wider customer base." In a special ceremony, SDLG launched four brand new "flagship" excavators, the LG6150, LG6210, LG6250 and the LG6300, which are among the company's first-ever excavator product line unveiled in 2010. Among Liebherr's exhibits was the L 556 II, a completely new model in its wheel loader programme.
In cooperation with the European Competence Center for Liebherr wheel loaders, the L 556 II has been specially developed to satisfy the needs of the Chinese market, and is built at Liebherr's local production plant in Dalian.
The L 556 II has an overturning load limit of 12,900kg and is supplied as standard with a 3.5m³ shovel. With a service weight of just under 17.4tonnes, it is powered by a 140kW diesel engine, and from April, 2011, the L 556 II will be available from selected Liebherr dealers in China.
As part of its visit to China, the UK Construction Equipment Association (CEA), supported by UK Trade and Investment and BIS (the UK government department for Business Innovation and Skills), assisted British companies to exhibit.
Following the show a Meet the Buyer and factory visits were organised in Liuzhou and Changsha to inform the Chinese construction equipment sector about the advanced capabilities of the UK construction equipment manufacturing base.
