JOHANNESBURG, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese manufacturing advances drew attention at the South Africa Infrastructure Expo held from Tuesday to Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city.
Held alongside Big 5 Construct South Africa and Transport Evolution Africa, the expo formed part of an integrated industry platform covering infrastructure, transport, and construction, with exhibitors from more than 25 countries and regions.
Around 120 Chinese companies participated in the event, showcasing products and services related to construction machinery, pipeline and water facilities, road materials, building materials and hardware, and intelligent transportation.
Chinese exhibitors see potential in the South African market, where growing infrastructure demand and rising customer expectations for equipment performance, operating costs, and after-sales support are creating room for more localized products and solutions.
At the booth of SANY Group, a leading Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer, electric heavy trucks, electric forklifts, and telehandlers were among the highlights. The company displayed its progress in the electrification of construction machinery, with a focus on construction, logistics, and warehousing.
Guan Di, international marketing manager of SANY Marine Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., said South Africa has a solid industrial foundation and a relatively mature transport system, giving the market strong potential.
"High fuel costs in the country have also made electric equipment more attractive to local customers," Guan said.
To support its business in South Africa, SANY has built an industrial park and a central warehouse in the country, providing spare parts support for customers. It has also set up a training center for local service personnel.
"Local employees currently account for about 90 percent of the workforce at the industrial park," he said.
As customers pay increasing attention to equipment reliability, operating costs and after-sales services, product quality, service networks, and customization capabilities are becoming increasingly important for Chinese companies expanding in African markets.
In addition to major construction machinery companies, Chinese private enterprises in infrastructure-related sectors are also using South Africa as an important stop to deepen their presence in Africa.
Jin Dandan, general manager of Shanxi Jinbiao Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd., said her company was attending the expo in South Africa for the first time and plans to further expand in the African market this year.
"The company customizes products according to customer needs, so that they are better suited to the local climate, power environment, and usage scenarios," she said, adding that the strengths of Chinese manufacturing lie in its complete industrial chain and strong manufacturing capacity.
Mameetse Masemola, head of Infrastructure South Africa, told Xinhua that South Africa hopes to draw on China's experience in infrastructure development.
"China has cutting-edge technologies and new methodologies for construction, and leads the world in infrastructure," she said.
South Africa would like to see more partnerships between local enterprises and Chinese companies, Masemola said, adding that Chinese companies can bring technology and professional expertise to help strengthen the capacity of South African businesses.
Jin, the Shanxi Jinbiao general manager, said: "We hope more Chinese companies will go global together and bring better products and services to overseas markets." ■