Zoomlion Hoists Banner High

With strength in technology and an expanding global network, China's top construction machinery maker Zoomlion is shaping the trends in its industry and earning money and honor for the nation.

 

Founded in 1992, the Changsha Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Development Co Ltd now is focused on research and manufacturing of hi-tech equipment used in national infrastructure projects, including construction, energy and transportation.

 

In 2007, the company had sales of 14.6 billion yuan, up 69 percent over the previous year as its export volume increased by three times. It registered the highest profit rate of all listed construction machinery companies in the nation.

 

For the first three quarters this year, its sales revenue reached 9.9 billion yuan, increasing 60.39 percent year-on-year.

 

Headquartered in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, the company now has branches in nine industrial parks at home and abroad, including one in the CIFA industrial park in Italy.

 

By purchasing eight companies in China, the United Kingdom and Italy in recent years, Zoomlion has expanded into other fields.

 

On September 28, Zoomlion signed a purchase agreement with Italy's Compagnia Italiana Forme Acciaio Spa (CIFA), the world's third largest concrete machinery maker.

 

Zoomlion paid 163 million euros ($206.8 million) for a 60 percent stake in CIFA to become a leader in the sector.

 

"The deal will give Zoomlion a foothold in foreign markets and boost its overseas sales by combining CIFA's international brands, global sales and distribution network," said Zhan Chunxin, chairman and CEO of Zoomlion.

 

Zoomlion has now developed more than 460 products with full intellectual property rights in 13 categories, including concrete machinery, mobile cranes, hoisting machinery, road machinery, pile foundation machinery, earth working machinery, environmental and sanitation machinery, special vehicles and fire fighting equipment.

 

With 5 percent of its revenues used for research and development, Zoomlion continues to emphasize on innovation, in part through cooperation with the Changsha Research Institute of Construction Machinery, a national science and technology institution with more than 3,000 professionals.

 

Because of its technology advantages, Zoomlion serves as the secretary general of the National Construction Machinery Industry Association and has been chosen as one of the first 103 innovative experimental enterprises in China.

 

Zoomlion has completed more than 90 national science and technology projects for the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000), the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-05) and the 863 Program.

 

Because of its performance, the Ministry of Science and Technology approved Zoomlion to establish the "National Laboratory of Key Technologies in Construction Machinery" in August 2007, among the first 36 enterprises to be approved to establish such laboratories.

 

As an international enterprise with a strong sense of corporate social responsibility, Zoomlion donated more than 1 million yuan each year to build schools since 2003.

Its charity project "Change fate with loving hearts" collected more than 10 million yuan for rescue and disaster relief.

 

The company took an active part in rescue and relief work in response to the Wenchuan Earthquake in May and the massive winter storm in southern China at the beginning of this year.

 

Its efforts resulted in Zoomlion receiving the "Award of Remarkable Contribution in China's Charity Cause" presented by the China Charity Federation and the "National Anti-earthquake and Disaster-relief Hero Group" presented by the central government.

 

Since its establishment in 1992, the company has participated in several national key construction projects, such as the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and the Beijing 2008 Olympic venues, the China Aerospace Center, the China Antarctica Science Research Station and the China High-Speed Railway.

 

By creating new national and world records of construction engineering, Zoomlion has become more powerful and mature in the global market.

 

Zoomlion has now set new goals - to sell 40 percent of its products with full intellectual property rights to overseas markets in five years and become one of the global top 10 construction machinery makers within five to 10 years.

 

It has participated in every major international exhibition, including the Bauma Exhibition in Germany, the Bauma-China Exhibition in Shanghai, the Conexpo in the United States, the Conexpo-Asia in Guangzhou, the Intermat in France, the CTT in Russia, the Civenex in Australia and Big 5 in Dubai.

 

Zoomlion said it respects the technology standards of different countries and attaches great importance to gaining international certifications.

 

The company has received certification from the TV in Germany, CE in the European Union, GOST in Russia and UkrSEPRO in Ukraine, as well as from South Korea and the Italian Ministry of Transportation.

 

To realize its ambitious goal of becoming a world-leading construction machinery maker, Zoomlion is developing a global network with branches, agents and 4S shops.

It now has more than 30 overseas branches, in the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Russia, Algeria, India, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam.

 

It is now entering top machinery markets in Europe, Australia and North America.

 

By June, Zoomlion had an export volume equal to the total export volume of last year, up 112.66 percent year-on-year.