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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
MARCH 2017
19
EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT
the fact that South Africa, as the most
advanced equipment market in southern
Africa, is still dominated by premium dozer
manufacturers. However, he tells Capital
Equipment News that after Caterpillar
and Komatsu, Shantui is the next biggest
supplier of dozers by volume to the local
market, especially in construction and
small and medium mining applications.
While South Africa remains the biggest
dozer market in the region, Gao says Shantui
has made strong inroads into the rest of
southern Africa where several of its units
are operating in countries such as Zambia,
Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Since its arrival in southern Africa back in
2010, the Chinese construction equipment
maker has well over 1000 units operating
in the field.
Competitive edge
One of the key competitive edges is that
Shantui plays in the value sector of the
market, and few other competitors in this
market category have minimal focus on
their dozer offerings. Gao says Shantui’s
dozer offerings are reliable, basic pieces of
equipment that come with no extra “bells
and whistles” often found on premium
makers’ products.
The simplicity approach meets the needs
of the upcoming construction contracting
fraternity, as well as smaller and medium
miners, and these market segments remain
the lucrative and targeted customer base
for Shantui. “Obviously our biggest benefit
to this group of customers is our price
advantage. Because we offer a simple
product that comes with no expensive
and sophisticated features, we are able
to sell our dozers at a significantly lesser
price compared with the premium OEMs,”
adds Gao. A Shantui dozer is generally
said to cost half the price of a comparable
Caterpillar unit, while it is 30% cheaper
than a comparable Komatsu offering.
Another key competitive edge of the
Shantui dozer range is the quality of the
machine, which Gao says is based on critical
components from renowned manufacturers
such as Komatsu and Cummins. Apparently,
in China, Shantui started off as a Komatsu
dozer importer before it ventured into the
production of its own gear.
“In Africa, we still stick to less advanced,
but robust mechanical offerings,” says
Gao. He reasons that the simplicity of
the product not only translates into ease
David Gao, chief operating officer at Everstar
Industries, the authorised dealer of the Shantui range
of construction equipment in southern Africa.