More than 1,000 attendees from over 70 countries attended LiuGong’s 2017 Global Dealer Conference, held this week in Changzhou, China. The event also celebrated the company’s coming 60th anniversary, and announced a global tour that will stop at each overseas facility.
Established in 1958, LiuGong now has 15 product lines. Recent developments include the September launch of the company’s European research and development center in Warsaw, Poland, bringing the number of company research and development centers to five, including centers in China, the United States, India and in the United Kingdom. In addition, the company announced new production capabilities at LiuGong Dressta Machinery in Poland, enlarging its pipe-layer operations and increasing manufacturing of loaders and excavators for European distribution. It also started volume production at its Brazil manufacturing plant.
LuiGong says it now has nearly 300 dealers in more than 100 countries. These dealers are assisted by 12 regional subsidiaries, nine parts distribution centers and three manufacturing plants outside of China. Currently, 30 percent of company business comes from non-Chinese operations.
Earlier this year, LiuGong Machinery named Kevin Thieneman as chairman of LiuGong North America and senior chief director of Guangxi LiuGong Machinery. The company also showcased its new VL80A vertical lift loader at ConExpo.