Sumitomo to increase Chinese excavator manufacturing capacity

Sumitomo will increase the capacity of its excavator plant in China's Tangshan, Hebei province from 3000 units per year to 5000 next year. The Japanese head-quartered company will also start producing larger machines at the factory.

According to company president Kensuke Shimizu, the plant, which currently produces 20 and 24 tonne crawler excavators, will have a 36 tonne model added to its portfolio to coincide with the capacity expansion.

Sumitomo has a narrow product range, consisting of just its excavators and asphalt pavers. According to Mr Shimizu, the company's future will continue to be as a specialist in these niches.

"We have a lot of internal discussions about this," he said. "Our sales company would like to see a bigger range, but our current plan is to focus on excavators and pavers. They are our strongest point and excavators will be our central product."

Mr Shimizu added that he saw the need to develop more robust machines for the Chinese market, due to the country's propensity for long working hours and heavy duty applications.