A visitor test drives an product of China's Sany Group at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 14, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
Lots of advanced Chinese equipment and new electric fleets for the construction industry were on the show floor, attracting the attention from exhibitors and dealers worldwide.
by Xinhua writers Tan Jingjing, Huang Heng, Liu Yanan
LAS VEGAS, the United States, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Live music show, beer garden, test operation of the latest construction equipment -- the booth of China's Sany Group, a world leading manufacturer of heavy machinery, was packed with participants to CONEXPO-CON/AGG, North America's largest construction trade show.
Sany Group exhibits over 30 machines at the trade show held in Las Vegas this week, including its newest electric-powered excavators and loaders.
"Chinese construction equipment are very competitive in their quality, price, warranty, and service," Thomas Paris from a Tennessee company, 1st Integrity Solutions, told Xinhua while he was test operating a Sany mini swing boom excavator.
"The foot peddle (of the excavator) is made of medal, instead of plastics used by other manufacturers. The track is wider which gives better stability," he described the advantages of the machine.
Paris, who rented a China-made excavator two months ago which worked great on his worksite, said he was also impressed by Sany's 5-year/5,000-hour warranty. Paris said he has already sold his Caterpillar excavator, and intends to purchase the Sany mini excavator at the trade show.
Sany Group was among over 150 Chinese construction equipment brands attending the trade show, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday.
Lots of advanced Chinese equipment and new electric fleets for the construction industry were on the show floor, including hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, bulldozers and rollers.
A visitor test drives a product of China's Sany Group at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 14, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
These premium products have attracted the attention from more than 1,800 exhibitors worldwide as well as international dealers. They also reached out to more potential customers from overseas markets.
Jacob Gray, who works for Gray Excavation, LLC, a contractor company based in Ephrata, Washington State, showed great interest in a crawler excavator manufactured by Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG).
Gray told Xinhua he has learned a lot about Chinese equipment through articles and videos, and was familiar with some Chinese brand names. Now he is visiting the trade show to have a better understanding of the Chinese equipment and try them in person.
"The presence and influence of Chinese equipment continue to grow around the world," Gray said, adding that their price is about 20 percent lower than similar foreign products.
He plans to rent a Chinese excavator and demo at his worksite.
The competence of Chinese construction manufacturers has also won full recognition from their foreign counterparts.
Omni Powertrain Technologies, a global provider of product solutions for modern powertrains of mechanical, hydraulic or electrical designs, started its business in China in 1986.
"China is our largest overseas market," Bernd Blankenbach, R&D director of Omni Powertrain Technologies, told Xinhua in an interview. "We have several customers in China. We supply them powertrains such as gear boxes and electric motors."
"We are producing all of our products, all of the powertrains within Shanghai. It was really proud to see our products integrated in the machines of our Chinese customers over here in the U.S.," he said.
People look at exhibits of China's Liugong Machinery at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the United States, on March 14, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
Noting that the Chinese equipment companies are highly competitive, Blankenbach said there are a lot of different players in the construction machines market. "Without high quality products, it will be pretty soon to get kicked out of the market."
Besides good price and high quality, the Chinese companies are even ahead of global competitors in terms of technology, he said.
Blankenbach expressed full confidence in the Chinese market. "The Chinese market is very, very big. It's still growing and still stable. It is resilient and has great potential."
China's construction and machinery products export has repeatedly hit new highs in recent years, topping 34 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and 44.3 billion dollars in 2022, according to Shi Yonghong, vice president of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.
The export is expected to continue in 2023, Shi told Xinhua in a written interview.
Held every three years in Las Vegas, CONEXPO-CON/AGG features the latest equipment advances and newest technology applications in every field in construction. ■
