The bauma Africa Trade Fair will provide 60 000m2 of exhibition space at the Gallagher Convention Centre, bringing together more than 500 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors from the construction and mining sectors. Shantui Equipment Southern Africa director and vice general manager for Shandong Shantui Construction Machinery Import and Export Co., Ltd Dylan Chicken believes that this event serves as the ideal platform for the company's new product launches.
"Shantui's substantial 800 m2 exhibition area will see the launch of a number of the company's latest product and network developments. What's more, Shantui will also be demonstrating a range of its more established and trusted machinery, in order to emphasize the company's long term commitment to the rapidly developing African economy," he explains.
Chicken stresses that Africa will play an instrumental role in the future growth and development of the Shantui brand, which currently has a total machine population in excess of 5,500 units throughout the continent, of which more than 550 units are in Southern Africa. "Africa is a strategic market for Shantui, and this is clearly evident in the fact that three of the company's ten global subsidiaries are located in Africa, which holds unlimited potential for growth opportunities."
Shantui Equipment Southern Africa vice general manager, Garron Troskie, points out that the company's new SE480 Excavator boasts a 47.6 ton operating weight and a bucket capacity of 2.3m3, making it ideally suited for mining and quarrying applications.
"Mining and quarrying are among the most rapidly developing sectors in Africa, and the introduction of the SE480 Excavator will assist Shantui in gaining a stronger foothold in this market. The Excavator offers power and quality at an affordable price, and is designed for quarrying applications, as well as for entry level mining operations."
Chicken highlights the fact that the latest -3 version of the Shantui SL60W Wheel Loader is also designed for mining and quarry applications. "The Shantui SL60W-3 Wheel Loader is powered by a Cummins engine, which develops 175 kW.This unit has an operating weight of 21 tons and has a 3.5m3 bucket capacity," he continues.
In addition to the new product launches, Shantui will also be displaying its range of tried and trusted machinery at bauma Africa, including;
Shantui SD32W Bulldozer: Powered by a Cummins NTA855-C360 engine,which develops 235 kW/ 320 hp, it has an operating weight of 41.5 tons and is equipped with a single-shank ripper with a ripping depth of 1 m. The unit is further equipped with a R.O.P.S. /F.O.P.S. cab, rock application tracks and blade.
Shantui SD22W Bulldozer: This model is powered by a Cummins NTA855-C280 engine, which develops 162 kW/220 hp. This unit has an operating weight of 25.5 tons and includes a three-shank ripper with a R.O.P.S. /F.O.P.S.cab.
Shantui SG21-3 motor Grader: Driven by an In-line six cylinder, 4 stroke, overhead valve direct injection Cummins 6CTAA8.3-C215 engine, which is turbo charged and intercooled and develops 160 kW. It has an operating weight of 17 tons, while the working performance of the blade at an inclined angle is 90 degrees, and the turning angle of the blade is 360 degrees. This unit comes complete with a 3965 mm/4270 mm blade, and includes air conditioning.
Shantui SR12 roller: The Shantui SR12-5 smooth drum roller ispowered by a Deutz engine, which develops 82 kW/116 hp, has a fullyenclosed cab, front drum and rear wheel drive, variable frequency and amplitudecontrol and a climbing gradeability of 40 percent. Also included are pad-footshells for attachment to the smooth drum.
Shantui SF50 forklift: Is powered by a Weichai engine, which develops 81 kW. This unit has an operating weight of 8.1 tons. The lifting height of this machine is 4.42 m, with the bottom mast clearance of 195 mm, in addition to a 5 ton lifting capacity.
China-based Shantui has managed to distance itself from the negative typecast of inferior quality and service commonly associated with the Chinese manufacturing sector, to become the largest Bulldozer manufacturer in the world.
Chicken attributes this continued success and rapidly increasing geographical footprint across Africa to the company's core values and solid business strategy. "We insist on specified components that our African customers have come to know and trust, as opposed to merely accepting generic components from any factory in China. We also place a high emphasis on customer relationships, and always encourage customer feedback to constantly improve our overall product and service offering."
Another major contributor to this success is the fact that most Shantui machinery is powered by engines manufactured by Cummins - a global leader in the manufacture, sales and servicing of diesel engines and related technology.
Long term commitment to Africa
Shandong Shantui Construction Machinery Import & Export Co., Ltd established its presence in Africa in 2010, by opening its first subsidiary in South Africa which now has a total of 35 employees. The company has since opened two additional subsidiaries in East and West Africa, looking after the more than 5,500 Shantui machines operating at projects located across the continent. Troskie attributes this phenomenal growth to a balance of quality, reliability, affordability, ease of operation and parts availability.
"A number of African economies are still in the infancy stages of development and, as a result, many projects do not necessarily have highly skilled technicians or the required hardware and software for advanced diagnostics. Instead, they require a simple yet robust machine that is able to withstand the harsh African climate and operating conditions, and emerging economies now recognize and trust the Shantui brand to meet these unique demands," he states.
Although Shantui has experienced unprecedented success in Africa, Chicken points out that the company is not planning on significant internal expansion, but rather on the growth of its distributor network, where each individual distributor becomes an exclusive supplier of Shantui products in a specific region, supported through subsidiary hubs.
"In order to be considered as an official Shantui distributor and partner, it is essential that the relevant applicant has the necessary capacity, knowledge, premises, workshops, parts stores and skills set to provide Shantui customers with the highest standards of service and support that they have come to expect from the brand," he notes.
Bearing this in mind, Shantui has already signed distributorships in Namibia, Botswana,Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Mauritius and Madagascar. Furthermore, Troskie notes that the company is also looking at establishing a greater distributor network in South Africa too. "Shantui plans to consistently build integrity into the business and the distributor network not only on a national level, but on a provincial level too, thereby ensuring that the company remains a preferred OEM at all levels in the local market," he concludes.
