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2. Remarkable upturn for Chinese excavator market

Sales of hydraulic excavators in China are expected to rise 83 per cent this year, compared to last year. The first half of 2017 saw volumes soar to more than double what they were in the same period in 2016, but this momentum has slowed slightly since June.

According to Off-Highway Research, the surge in demand for excavators began in 2016 with improvements in the environment for infrastructure project funding.” On the one hand, large state-owned contractors found it increasingly easy to obtain bank loans for their projects, while on the other hand the State Council started to put pressure on local governments to carry out infrastructure projects that had been approved. Finally, the implementation of PPP projects has been accelerated by both the central and the local governments. The start of many new projects, including roads and

highways, airports, subways as well as civil work has been taking place across the country,” said Off-Highway Research’s new report on the hydraulic excavator industry.

The Chinese market for excavators over 6 tonnes is dominated by crawler models – only 1 per cent of sales last year were wheeled machines.

Although Off-Highway Research is concerned as to whether the sales volume seen in 2017 will be sustained in to 2018, and also notes that the expected introduction of China IV emissions standards in 2019 may disrupt the market, it expects annual demand to be maintained around the 80,000-unit level for the next four to five years. This would take the market back to a similar level to 2014, rather than the deep lows of 2015 and 2016.

Off-Highway Research’s 80-page study on the Chinese hydraulic excavator segment forms part of the company’s Chinese Service, and is now available to subscribers via the Internet Access Service. More information on the Chinese Service is available here. The report is also available to buy as a stand-alone product. Click here for more details.

September will also see Off-Highway Research publish an in-depth 400-page study on the Global Hydraulic Excavator industry, which includes a section on China, as well as covering other key regions including Europe, India, Japan and North America. More information and buying options can be found here.