Growing Presence From Zoomlion Machines

Customer confidence in Zoomlion machines is growing, says Zoomlion Gulf GM Flander Fan, with orders for larger tonnage machines across its range.

Zoomlion is seeing increasing sales of equipment in the Middle East as the brand adds new products to its line-up in the region, including aerial work platforms and earthmoving machinery. Notably, the brand is scaling up its footprint in the region, having increased its staff numbers in the Middle East from around 40-50 last year to nearly 80, Flander Fan, Zoomlion Gulf GM, tells Plant & Equipment.

“The Middle East is one of our core strategic markets and we are very confident for these markets, and that is why we are adding to our sales and service capabilities,” says Fan, adding that confidence is growing as the firm sees more and more repeat customers, while recognition of the value proposition of the Zoomlion products and brand continues to steadily grow.

Zoomlion rejigged its approach to the Middle East around 2014, establishing a stable dealer network as well as reinforcing its spare parts holding and technical support via its regional headquarters in Dubai. The UAE market it services directly. That approach continues to yield results, with customers buying an ever-wider range of machines, including larger tonnage machines in areas such as crawler cranes.

With a solid foundation across key segments established, the brand is also launching new product ranges. Rental companies will be a significant focus, and the firm has already concluded a number of large deals. Though overall market conditions are challenging, Zoomlion’s machines give buyers more choice, especially since their products are extremely competitively priced, particularly when compared with European brands, says Fan.

The company has introduced its range of AWPs, including telescoping boom lifts, articulating boom lifts and DC series scissor lifts, which comply with CE/ANSI standards. That includes the new ZT42J, a telescopic boom lift with maximum platform height of 42m and horizontal outreach of 25m, 4WD drive mode and three steering modes: four wheels, front wheel and crab. It has a platform capacity of 300/454kg (unrestricted/restricted), and gross weight is 21,900kg.

The manufacturer has also launched earthmoving equipment, including crawler excavators and bulldozers, and in recent months has sold 70-80 units, says Javel Liu, Regional Director of Earth Moving Middle East & Africa at Zoomlion.

That includes machines such as the ZE360E, a 34.3 tonne crawler excavator with Cummins engine and Kawasaki hydraulic system. Features include an updated electrical control system to match the engine output precisely with the power demands of the hydraulic pump, boosting efficiency, fuel consumption and improving operator control. Meanwhile, high quality hydraulic components and the robust hydraulic system ensure strong digging force, allowing the machine to perform arduous earthwork tasks; equipped with a large bucket, the machine is highly productive. 

Later this year Zoomlion will launch the ZE370E, a 34.6-tonne operating weight machine powered by a Cummins 6LTAA8.9 engine, offering rated power of 241kW @ 2,000rpm from the 8.9-litre Euro 2 engine. Standard capacity bucket is 1.65m3, with 219kN of bucket digging force. The smaller ZE215 hydraulic excavator is also available.

In addition, the bulldozer range features the ZD220-3/6, with operating weight of 23,600kg and length of 5.46m (without ripper). Its straight tilt blade has a capacity of 6.4m3, and it is powered by a Cummins engine with rated power of 175kW (235Hp). The wider bulldozer range features smaller and larger machines, as well as a number of different blade types and operating configurations.

The new machines launched in international markets, including the Middle East, have been thoroughly tested in the Chinese domestic market, adds Liu.

Landmark projects

Seeing its equipment active on landmark projects is an important mark of success for any brand. Zoomlion has been involved in a number of major projects across the region and has concluded sales contracts with some of the region’s most demanding customers. That includes a number of rough terrain cranes sold to ADNOC, the UAE state oil company, over the past 12 months.

Zoomlion tower cranes have been used for the construction of the Lusail National Stadium in Qatar.

In Qatar, eight Zoomlion TC8039-25 saddle jib cranes have been used for construction of the roof on the stadium in Lusail, the main stadium for the 2022 World Cup. The cranes have been on-site since 2017 and were used for the key job of stretching a 2,300-tonne main cable-net 66m above the ground, which was docked to the steel structure.

In the wider Middle East, the brand has also seen success. In Turkey, two L760-50 luffing jib tower cranes are in use on the Istanbul International Financial Centre. The luffing jib cranes can reach a height of 51.45m unsupported, maximum reach is 60m, and maximum load is 50 tonnes, or 11 tonnes at jib end.

In the Middle East, Zoomlion has sold a large amount of concrete equipment, including truck-mounted booms, placing booms and transit mixers in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, according to Mark Yang, Zoomlion Middle East Regional Director for Concrete Machinery. It has increased international staff to help handle deals in the local markets. “Our sales have increased by 17% over the past year, so we are very optimistic about the future,” he says.

Rough terrain cranes are one area of the market where Zoomlion is seeing greater demand from customers.

Crawler cranes are another segment with increased market demand, with large units sold in the Gulf, Egypt and Turkey. “The demand is not only for smaller capacity crawler cranes under 100 tonnes from Zoomlion, but for larger and larger machines.” That includes a 260-tonne crawler sold to a rental company, a 350-tonne CC unit sold to a contracting company in Egypt, two 800-tonne crawler cranes in Turkey, and 1,250-tonne and 2,000-tonne crawler cranes to the largest rental company in Turkey.

For all-terrain cranes, Zoomlion has also been delivering 150- and 230-tonne machines. “This year I believe we will make a breakthrough for the high-capacity all-terrain cranes,” says Fan. Likewise, there is demand for the full variety of truck cranes. Customers buying larger capacity cranes typically start by buying smaller capacity machines, moving on to bigger ones once they are assured of the quality and reliability of the Zoomlion products in the field.

This comes as economic disruptions are creating challenges. Prices of raw material, especially steel, have risen sharply, and there are also massive logistics challenges. But on this matter, all companies are facing similar problems, says Fan. In addition, the brand is reallocating resources from the domestic market – where there is sufficient stock – to meet the demand of international customers.

Overall, despite challenging circumstances. Zoomlion continues to report strong sales growth. In April this year, it reported its highest ever annual revenue – $10.1bn (65.1bn yuan) in 2020, up more than 50% year-on-year.