On March 31 local time, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Phase II of Zoomlion's German plant was held in Walldürn, Germany. The plant will be expanded for industrial expansion and upgrading, creating a comprehensive overseas production base integrating product display, sales, production and service, and continuously accelerating the company's global development. Mao Weiming, Deputy Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Hunan Province, who is leading a Hunan delegation visiting Germany, Dr. Joe Weingarten, Member of the German Bundestag, Huang Yiyang, Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt, and Zhan Chunxin, Chairman and CEO of Zoomlion, attended and delivered speeches.

▲Group photo of guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Phase II project of Zoomlion's German plant

(Image source: New Hunan Client)

The Hunan delegation, relevant leaders of the joint city of Langenlonsheim-Stromberg and the city of Walldürn in Germany, relevant senior executives of Zoomlion, and the management of Zoomlion Wilbert attended the ceremony.

The project is the first R&D and manufacturing base project independently built in Europe by a Hunan equipment manufacturing enterprise, covering an area of more than 60,000 square meters with an investment of more than 50 million euros. Based on Zoomlion's Wilbert plant in Germany, the project will expand production workshops for industrial expansion and upgrading, producing various tower cranes, truck cranes, concrete machinery and other products, further strengthening localized light assembly. At the same time, a product display area will be added to form a comprehensive overseas production base integrating product display, sales, production and service. Upon reaching full capacity, it will produce more than 1,000 units of construction machinery and equipment annually, with an output value of approximately US$300 million.

Mao Weiming, Deputy Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Hunan Province, said at the groundbreaking ceremony that the Zoomlion German plant project is a model of cooperation between Hunan and German enterprises, a model of Hunan enterprises "going global," and a model of the two sides complementing each other's manufacturing advantages to form new competitiveness. He expressed the hope that both sides will fully leverage their advantages in products, manufacturing and markets to seize opportunities in global competition.

"Zoomlion's investment in Walldürn is a symbol of the further deepening of Sino-German economic cooperation," said Dr. Joe Weingarten, Member of the German Bundestag. He thanked Zoomlion for investing here to promote local economic development, noting that the area has convenient transportation, abundant industrial workers and a strong technical reserve, and that the two sides will surely achieve win-win cooperation.

Huang Yiyang, Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt, said that Zoomlion, starting from Changsha, has rapidly expanded its presence in Europe and continues to write wonderful chapters of Chinese enterprises moving from "going global" to "integrating into the global market." "Hunan Meets Germany" vividly illustrates the deep cooperation between Chinese enterprises represented by Zoomlion and German enterprises represented by Wilbert, achieving localized R&D, production and supply. This event is not only a witness to the project's groundbreaking but also a true reflection of the two countries' confidence in each other.

Zhan Chunxin, Chairman and CEO of Zoomlion, expressed gratitude to all parties who have cared about, supported and advanced the project, and stated that the company will deeply promote coordinated development with upstream and downstream local industries to boost local economic development. Zoomlion will accelerate project implementation according to the investment plan and advance the project's early commissioning.

▲Phase II project of Zoomlion's German plant (rendering)

The project will continue to strengthen Zoomlion's end-to-end connection with customers and the market. Relying on the advantages of the terminal market, the project will develop and manufacture products that are more suitable for the local market and more diverse and extensive. At the same time, the base will also serve as a maintenance base for local and surrounding customers, further improving response speed and providing customers with more convenient and efficient services. The groundbreaking of this project has also further enhanced local customers' confidence in cooperation with Zoomlion. At the event, a German customer said: "We are delighted to witness the groundbreaking of Zoomlion's Phase II plant in Germany. The continuous expansion of the base scale also fills future cooperation with more possibilities and greater prospects."

As a global high-end equipment manufacturer, Zoomlion actively promotes the integration of technology, products, capital and industry with the global market. The company has invested in a number of excellent local enterprises in Germany, achieving deep integration in R&D and manufacturing, supply chain, sales and service in the fields of construction machinery and agricultural machinery, realizing co-creation, sharing and win-win cooperation. In 2018, Zoomlion wholly acquired Wilbert, a long-established German tower crane manufacturer, achieving a perfect complementarity between "Chinese technology" and "German resources." In 2024, Wilbert's operating revenue increased by 68.9% compared with the beginning of the acquisition, and some Zoomlion equipment has been localized in production, realizing a strong alliance.

At present, Zoomlion has 11 R&D and manufacturing bases and 400 outlets overseas, with products covering more than 170 countries and regions. In 2024, overseas revenue accounted for more than 51%. In February this year, Zoomlion announced the construction of an intelligent aerial work machinery plant in Hungary. In just one month, Zoomlion started the construction of the Phase II of its German plant, fully demonstrating the speed and strength of the company's global industrial layout. The continuous improvement of R&D centers, manufacturing plants, sales networks and service teams around the world, along with the continuous enhancement of brand awareness, has laid a solid foundation for the company's stable and high growth in the international market and provided solid growth momentum for the company's steady and sustainable development.