LiuGong has been dabbling in the global quarry and aggregates markets over the past few years, but now the Chinese manufacturer says it’s making its full entry into the segment. The company will have 20 new product launches this year, including upgrades to its entire lineup of wheel loaders and excavators.
Attendees at the recent World of Concrete in Las Vegas got a first look at the refreshed 856H and 890H wheel loaders and 913FCR and 922F excavators.
“Customers are going to appreciate the higher technology and better fuel efficiency on the Stage V engines,” said Kevin Thieneman, chairman of LiuGong North America. “The F series excavators and H series wheel loaders are both coming with E-H controls for ease of operation.” (Stage V is Europe's latest emissions-reduction stage, which also meets U.S. Tier 4 Final standards.)
Thieneman says the company has already received positive feedback from quarry and aggregate customers on the new machines, and they expect to have good product availability despite ongoing global supply chain issues.
“The industry in China is declining, which frees up some capacity for us to reallocate resources,” said Thieneman.
So, why the big push into the quarry and mining markets? The manufacturer says the move will provide global customers with more cost-effective equipment options and offer dealers more revenue opportunities from new equipment sales and rebuilds.
“This is a global initiative, not just a North American initiative,” says Chris Saucedo, senior vice president, strategy and customer solutions at LiuGong North America. “It’s a low-volume, high-value segment of the market that’s dominated by two potential players in most sites. We believe we have an option that will provide some alternatives to customers that may not be able to afford a hybrid electric machine, for example, from a total cost of ownership perspective. That machine will be out of their reach, but we still have options for them.”
