Escorts to sell Zoomlions in India

Indian crane manufacturer Escorts Construction Equipment Ltd. (ECEL) has formed an agreement with Chinese crane manufacturer Zoomlion to sell its truck and all terrain cranes in the country.

ECEL manufactures pick and carry cranes with lifting capacities from 5 to 23 tonnes, and rough terrain and yard cranes up to 40 tonnes. Rajesh Sharma, ECEL vice-president and head of marketing and sales, said the time is now right to introduce more new truck cranes and all terrains into the market.

About 100 new truck cranes and all terrains are sold in India each year. The only manufacturer to make similar machines is TIL, which produces boom trucks, said Sharma.

There is, however, a large used crane market for truck cranes and all terrains in India, mainly because new western manufactured products are too expensive, added Sharma. ECEL believes the cheaper new products from Chinese manufacturer Zoomlion will prove to be popular and hopes to sell up to 25 units a year.

ECEL is setting up a sales and support network to promote the full range of Zoomlion truck cranes from 12 to 150 tonnes capacity and the manufacturer's all terrain models up to 220 tonnes. The Chinese company will soon launch a 350 tonne all terrain, which will also be sold in India.

Sharma says the deal means ECEL now offers a complete line of cranes, following a similar arrangement with Italian loader crane manufacturer Fassi. Orders for Zoomlion products are expected to start coming through in the next two to three months.