The state-owned construction equipment manufacturer Changsha Zoomlion began making tower cranes in 1993. Although the Changsha Research Institute, which dates back to the 1950s, provided technical assistance to about 270 Chinese tower crane manufacturers, only 15 or 20 of these are significant, according to the Tower Crane Company manager Shao Fang Tang. Most produce very small quantities of small tower cranes of under 100tm capacity.
A total of six Zoomlion towers work around the clock on the Sun 100 apartment complex – one of the dozens of massive re-housing schemes in the city of Changsha alone
He estimates that the total production last year was between 10,000-11,000 units. More than 50% offer maximum radiuses of 50m to 60m with a capacity of 1t or 1.5t at the end of the jib. But, he adds, demand for larger cranes is growing.
The company employs 460 people, mostly in Changde, near Shanghai. Last year it built 300 saddle jib tower cranes of up to 210tm capacity.
In 2005, the company introduced three new models – the TC 5013, TC 5518 and TC 7030B.
Tower crane sections await shipment at the Changsha Zoomlion plant.
This year the company is introducing its largest crane to date, the TC 7052 with a maximum capacity of 25t at 18m radius, with 5.2t capacity at 70m jib-end and a maximum working height of 73m.
The stockyard of Zoomlion’s plant in downtown Changsha
The company sells through eight branch offices located in Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Yunan, Guizhou, Shanghai and Beijing, and through independent dealers in Shandong and Fujian Provinces. The company has about sixty sales and service personnel, based mainly at its branches.
Another Zoomlion crane with climbing attachment at work in the city of Changsha
But it does not neglect export, though mainly to the developing world. “Last year Zoomlion exported about 30% of its production thanks to a very large order for 79 units of our 5616 and 5015 models for residential construction projects in Angola funded by our government’s economic assistance programmes,” Tang says.
“India is also an exciting market for us. Last year we exhibited at the EXCON trade show in Bangalore and signed a manufacturing license agreement with ACE Construction Machinery Company.
“Other good markets are the Middle East and Kazakhstan. This year we received our first order from Turkey for four of our 5013 cranes and in response to our dealer’s request we have obtained CE Certification.”
