When Sany Group signed a USD 100 million procurement agreement with Consolidated Contractors International Company, the focus of discussions was not traditional equipment, but cooperation on new energy products. This detail reflects a profound transformation underway in the global expansion of China’s construction machinery industry.
According to data released by the China Construction Machinery Association, China’s construction machinery exports reached 10.686 billion US dollars in the first two months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 33.4%. Behind the figures lies not merely growth in volume, but an upgrade in quality. Chinese enterprises are shifting from simple product exports to a new stage featuring technology export, localized production and full-industry-chain operation.
This trend is fully reflected in corporate global layouts. The Phase I project of Zoomlion’s intelligent aerial work platform factory in Hungary officially opened recently, marking the group’s accelerated integration into the global industrial ecosystem via its "1+N" manufacturing and service model. This is not an isolated case. LiuGong disclosed on investor interaction platforms that by the end of 2025, it had built a worldwide marketing and service network with over 500 dealers and more than 1,300 service outlets, with international business accounting for over 45% of its total revenue.
The shift from selling products overseas to rooting deeply in local markets stems from the systematic upgrading of corporate operational capabilities. Since 2024, Shantui has set up an application engineering department and dispatched overseas specialists to conduct localized R&D and tailored services for segmented regional markets. This market-oriented organizational structure enables the company to accurately respond to differentiated demands across different regions.
Deeper changes are taking place in cooperation models. During the signing ceremony between Sany Group and CCC Group, both sides held in-depth exchanges on global market layout and business synergy. This demonstrates that Chinese construction machinery manufacturers are evolving from pure equipment suppliers into strategic global partners.
Zhu Keli, founding dean of the Guoyan New Economic Research Institute, pointed out in an interview that leading enterprises expanding overseas through diversified paths showcase the comprehensive strength of China’s equipment manufacturing sector. Amid rising global demand for green and intelligent equipment, Chinese firms are accelerating global deployment by leveraging technological and supply chain advantages, poised to further expand overseas market share.
Market results have validated this capability upgrade. Exports exceeding 10 billion US dollars in two months, along with a single-month export volume of 5.1 billion US dollars in February, prove growing global recognition for Chinese construction machinery. As Adep Precision Machinery stated on investor platforms, the construction machinery industry shows clear signs of a bottoming recovery, and the company has maintained a sufficient order backlog since the start of the year.
From product export to capability output, from single trade cooperation to ecological co-construction, China’s construction machinery industry is writing a brand-new chapter in its overseas expansion journey.
