Shandong construction machinery gaining popularity in SCO countries

Headquartered in Jining, Shandong province, Shantui Construction Machinery Co has been making inroads in the Central Asian market since 2009.

"Shantui has a share of 30 percent in the five major categories of construction machinery including bulldozers, excavators, and road rollers that China exports to Kyrgyzstan," said Chai Sen, deputy general manager of Shantui Import & Export Co, a subsidiary of Shantui Construction Machinery Co.

After China officially proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, Shantui increased its efforts in developing the Central Asian market. The company has established a dealer network in Central Asia, setting up offices in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other important markets.

The company's first franchise store in Central Asia was officially opened in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, on April 25. The Chinese construction machinery company has been dedicated to serving the Central Asian market for 10 years and is increasingly recognized by local consumers.

According to Chai, many of the bulldozers exported from China to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are manufactured by Shantui. The company's sales in Kazakhstan are expected to increase significantly in the first half of this year.

In recent years, a growing number of Chinese machinery manufacturing companies like Shantui have been welcomed by the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

As a regional organization based in Europe and Asia whose influence spreads across the whole world, SCO covers about 44 percent of the world's total population. Many SCO countries have infrastructure construction demand, while enjoying demographic and resource dividends.

Shandong Wuzheng Group Co, which is one of the key enterprises in China's machinery industry, has exported more than 2,000 sets of sanitation vehicles, encompassing compressed vehicles, garbage dump trucks, garbage hooks, and sprinklers, to Pakistan in recent years.

"Pakistan is located in a tropical and subtropical region. It requires right-hand driving. We fully considered local needs at the beginning of the design for the vehicles we exported," said Zhang Xiwen, general manager of the International Trade Department of Wuzheng Group.

He said that the company's sanitation vehicles adopt professional automotive spraying technology. Their service life is two to three times longer than the industry average, which helps extend the equipment replacement cycle of local sanitation departments.

The company has also made a lot of adjustments to the chassis, gearbox, and clutch to improve the vehicle's reliability. It has set up different high and low speed gears for uphill, downhill, and landfill dumping, which not only increases the vehicle's ability to climb the slope, but also improved its fuel efficiency.

In addition, an increasing amount of "Chinese machinery," such as electric tricycles and tractors, has also become popular in SCO member countries, especially in Central Asia.

In November of last year, a number of tractor products manufactured by the Shandong-based Lovol Heavy Industries Co were showcased at the Kyrgyz International Agricultural Exhibition. The products were highly praised by users and industry experts for their stylish appearance and advanced technology.

According to Lovol, third-generation tractors developed specifically for the Central Asian market were exhibited, ranging from 40 to 110 hp. They can be used with a variety of machine tools, including front-end loaders, snow shovels, trailers, mowing and baling machines, rotary cultivators, as well as wood chippers.

Many local customers stated that the tractors are very efficient, and that the repair service and spare parts supply is timely. They also said that they will continue to choose Lovol's products.

Li Guangjie, a researcher of international economics at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the SCO is the most comprehensive and populous regional organization in the world.

He pointed out that in recent years, trade between SCO countries has grown stronger, and that Central Asia has become the important overseas market for China's construction machinery enterprises to "go global."