The joint-venture engines will be based on Cummins MidRange engines meeting Tier 2 and Tier 3 emissions. The MidRange engines will be fully localized in China and adapted for construction equipment usage by the joint-venture to meet the demand of LiuGong and other equipment manufacturers in China.
Cummins says the new investment in MidRange engine production will complement its existing manufacturing capabilities in China that have focused primarily on the automotive market.
“The joint-venture announced today with LiuGong creates the foundation for both partners to significantly expand in the construction equipment market in China, the largest in the world, and where robust demand will continue to drive growth,” says Tom Linebarger, Cummins president and chief operating officer. “I am delighted that we are expanding our long-term relationship with LiuGong, one of the leading and most respected equipment companies in China. LiuGong has achieved outstanding growth in recent years and is poised to expand its business even faster in the years ahead.”
Cummins currently supplies MidRange engines to LiuGong for both its domestic market in China and for its global operations. The joint-venture operation in Liuzhou City will focus on introducing engines purpose-designed and fully localized for construction equipment in China.
“The joint-venture between LiuGong and Cummins can be seen as a natural progression of our successful 10-year relationship and we are delighted to become even stronger partners,” says Zeng Guang’an, vice chairman and president of Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co. Ltd. “By combining our equipment expertise with Cummins world-class engine capability, we know we have the right formula in place for our new joint-venture to succeed. Initial operations will begin as early as 2012 with engine-kit assembly, providing a useful lead-in to full production engines in 2013.
