XCMG to enter access market

XCMG, China's largest crane manufacturer will enter the powered access market next year with a 22 m working height stick boom model. A 26 m model will follow according to vice president Zhang Yu Chun.

Mr Zhang described the Chinese access market as having, "Huge potential, although it's not clear how big the market is."

He added that there were no laws regarding safe working at height in China, which is seen as a barrier to the development of the powered access market. Indeed, according to Mr Zhang, XCMG's first models will be rented out or even loaned to users to test the market and gather feedback.

According to Mr Zhang, the most popular models in China are around the 20 m working height class, with prices around CNY 200000 (US$30000).

XCMG Group is China's largest construction equipment manufacturer, with sales last year around $1.8 billion. It is no.1 in the country's mobile crane market and no.3 in the crawler crane market, and it also manufacturers a variety of earthmoving equipment.