China's Mini-excavators （PHOTO: Bing International）China's Mini-excavators （PHOTO: Bing International）

BY QI Liming

Business has been booming strongly for Chinese excavator makers since the beginning of this year, fueled by surging market demands and signs of economic rebounds both at home and abroad.

In the first quarter, China's 26 leading excavator makers sold a total of 126,941 digging machines, up 85 percent year-on-year, data from the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA) showed. While digging into the domestic market, Chinese excavators have been seeking a stronger global presence.

Chinese mini-excavators are especially in demand from consumers looking for special customized designs.

Sunward Intelligent Equipment, an excavator manufacturer based in Changsha, the capital city of central China's Hunan province, has launched a type of mini-excavator targeting consumers in Europe and the U.S. It is designed with a bigger operating room capable of fitting a user taller than 1.7 meters. In addition, it is equipped with an automatic control system, making it easier to operate than traditional models.

In the city of Xuzhou, one of the country's top excavator manufacturers, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, reported annual exports of 1.6 billion (USD), covering 187 countries and regions. Its overseas income accounts for about 30 percent of its total revenue in 2020.

To further capitalize on foreign consumers' growing appetite for excavators, some Chinese mini-excavator manufacturers have developed tailor-made products to cater to the specific needs of overseas customers.

According to Su Zimeng, CCMA chairman, the sales boom of excavators can be attributed to China's huge capacity for economic growth and sizeable infrastructure scale.

At present, the excavator market is still on the rise, with equal stress on stock update and incremental demand. It is predicted that the high level of prosperity will last for China's construction machinery industry, which will surely continue to grow steadily in the next five years.

Also, an industry expert said the mini-excavator makers are working to make sure their products meet local technical requirements including emission standards.

From 5G big data centers to urban rail transit, the presence of construction machinery manufacturers remains crucial, generating sustainable growth of China's construction machinery market in the future.

(Source: Xinhua)