Zoomlion Concrete Machinery Company recently successfully delivered 20 CKD (completely knocked down) bodies for 8m³ truck-mounted mixers to Brazil. This shipment represents the first time construction machinery has been transported in the form of a CKD kit by Zoomlion or any Chinese construction machinery enterprise.
Zoomlion's Brazilian subsidiary is Zoomlion's first overseas concrete machinery production base, and it is an important stronghold for achieving the company's goal of expanding its presence in the South American market and markets across the Americas. With the formal commencement of operations by Zoomlion's Brazilian subsidiary, there is an urgent need to adapt the company's products and sales model to the Brazilian market. In the past, Zoomlion assembled 8m³ truck-mounted mixers in China and transported them by sea to their intended destination, with shipments to South America being made by bulk carrier. But the large volume of the cargo meant transportation costs were high, resulting in a loss of market competitiveness. Therefore, in order to reduce transportation costs, a new transportation model was required.
To promote reform in this area, Zoomlion Concrete Machinery Company set up the Brazil Truck-mounted Mixer Project Team composed of members of the subsidiary's management, foreign service personnel, technical personnel and production staff. After repeated meetings involving members of the project team, and drawing on the transportation methods adopted for other construction machinery products overseas, the team agreed to trial CKD kits. To develop the CKD transportation model, technicians formulated and checked the transport plan using computer-aided design and 3D modeling, and designed how each component would be transported and assembled.
In order to check and optimize the packaging, the first container was transported from a port to Yuanjiang Industrial Park. It was then optimized under the guidance of design personnel and taken back to the port. With the concerted efforts of everybody involved, the first 20 kits of 8m³ truck-mounted mixers were successfully boxed up and sent to Brazil via Shanghai.
The use of CKD kits to transport the bodies of truck-mounted mixers has greatly decreased transportation costs compared to bulk transportation. At the same time, the added protection provided by containers reduces the risk of damage due to salt spray, helps to ensure product quality and reduces the likelihood of losing components. The use of CDK kits has not only provided a material basis for quickly getting the Brazilian subsidiary of Zoomlion Concrete Machinery Company on its feet, it has also provided Chinese construction machinery enterprises with a new way of opening up overseas markets.
