The construction machinery industry is an important industry that supports infrastructure construction. At the just concluded 17th China (Beijing) International Construction Machinery, Building Materials Machinery and Mining Machinery Exhibition (BICES 2025), the vitality of the industry was fully demonstrated. More than a thousand exhibiting companies have brought numerous high-end, green, and intelligent new technologies, products, and achievements, attracting overseas buyers from all over the world.
Su Zimeng, President of the China Construction Machinery Industry Association, stated that the products showcased at the exhibition fully demonstrate the industry's development achievements since the 14th Five Year Plan.
Digitization leads change
The 135 ton LiuGong 9135FE electric excavator, known as the "heavyweight protagonist," used a digging bucket to collect soil and steadily poured it into a pure electric mining truck. After unloading, the bulldozer flattens, the pure electric loader collects, the pure electric grader flattens, the pure electric roller compacts in one go, and there is also a mobile power delivery car that quickly replenishes energy. On the morning of the launch, Guangxi Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd. officially released a large-scale smart green mining solution. During the on-site dynamic demonstration, the collaborative and efficient solution of LiuGong's large-scale smart green mining was clearly demonstrated.
Solving scenario based requirements is the key to the successful implementation of intelligence. Taking the mining scene mentioned above as an example, the complex and varied construction scenarios pose many challenges for promoting intelligence. Zheng Jin, Chairman of Liugong Machinery, stated that the plan focuses on large-scale, electrification, and intelligence, consisting of a combination of core component solutions, complete system solutions, comprehensive energy solutions, and complete intelligent solutions. 'Mining energy replenishment' cannot be separated from a smart 'brain'. Liugong has launched a smart mine management system that enables unmanned grouping and operation of electric products.
In recent years, significant achievements have been made in the digital upgrading of China's construction machinery industry. Intelligence not only improves construction safety, but also brings about improvements in construction efficiency and quality, as well as a reduction in construction energy consumption. At the exhibition site, multiple companies showcased their intelligent products and technologies, showcasing the innovative achievements of the construction machinery industry towards intelligence.
When driven by someone, this loader can achieve L2 level assisted driving function, and the driver can lift, shovel and unload with one click. ”Zhang Chunsheng, Chief Engineer of Unmanned Engineering at XCMG Loading Machinery Research Institute, introduced that under unmanned driving conditions, this product can achieve L3 level unmanned driving and can automatically create maps according to the scene. The loader constructs a three-dimensional point cloud map of the surrounding environment based on LiDAR, high-definition cameras, and various sensors. Combined with XCMG's independently developed AI model, it achieves autonomous unmanned operation.
Unmanned engineering machinery like this has been applied in relatively closed scenarios such as ports, steel mills, and mixing plants. Zuo Huihui, Deputy General Manager of XCMG Industry Customer Center, stated that unmanned machinery has reduced labor costs for customers and has now achieved continuous operations within relatively fixed areas.
At present, the industry is in a critical period of transformation and upgrading, and "high-end, intelligent, green, and independent" are inevitable trends. Independent innovation is the core engine driving this trend. According to data from the China Construction Machinery Industry Association, in 2024, the entire construction machinery industry will achieve a revenue of 816.5 billion yuan, with fruitful achievements in scientific and technological innovation, and a significant improvement in the level of advanced industrial foundation and modernization of the industrial chain.
New breakthroughs in green development
With the deepening of the "dual carbon" strategy, the construction machinery industry is accelerating its transformation towards greenization, and electrification has become a development trend. Su Zimeng stated that the industry has made new breakthroughs in green development, and electric construction machinery is gradually forming a competitive advantage with good adaptability to working conditions, zero exhaust emissions, low noise, high reliability, easy maintenance, and high efficiency.
More and more construction machinery vehicles are adopting pure electric power. Electrification can help customers reduce their usage costs, "said Wang Wei, Vice General Manager of Sany Group. Sany continues to explore the path of electrification and low-carbon transformation of construction machinery, and systematically realizes a full industry chain solution for equipment electrification, energy cleanliness, and intelligent operation.
At the exhibition site, Sany Group showcased its innovative achievements in the field of electrification. Zhang Xuejian, the project manager of Sany Heavy Machinery Electrification Company, pointed to a 65 ton mining excavator behind him and told reporters that the electric drive system efficiency of this equipment is as high as 96%, which has the characteristic of high energy efficiency. Compared with oil excavators of the same tonnage, it can save energy consumption costs of about 900000 yuan per year.
The core challenge in transitioning from traditional power to electrification lies in the bottleneck of range and charging efficiency. Leading enterprises are continuously improving the reliability and comprehensive performance of electric products under complex working conditions through independent research and development, focusing on tackling key issues.
This L968HEV electric loader adopts an innovative 'three motor+fixed axis 8-speed automatic transmission' power solution, matched with a large capacity battery, with a range of 5 to 7 hours, capable of handling high-intensity continuous operations. ”Zhao Pu, the head of the Technical Service Department of Shandong Lingong Engineering Machinery Co., Ltd., introduced that the product is equipped with an independent battery thermal management system, which greatly reduces maintenance requirements. Compared with traditional diesel equipment, running 3500 hours per year can save over 400000 yuan in operating costs, making it suitable for heavy load conditions such as mines and ports.
In the field of electrification, by 2024, the penetration rate of electric lifting platforms in China will reach 92.5%, the penetration rate of electric forklifts will reach 73.6%, and the proportion of electric loaders will reach 10.4%.
Su Zimeng stated that as the demand for electric engineering machinery continues to expand and the scale of its application in engineering continues to grow, the batteries, electrical appliances, control systems, and technology of electric engineering machinery are rapidly improving, and related technologies and infrastructure are accelerating to better meet the requirements of green construction and construction operations in special environments.
Forge overseas competitiveness
This construction machinery exhibition has attracted the attention of buyers from all over the world, demonstrating the strong competitiveness of Chinese construction machinery products in the international market. According to an exhibitor, overseas buyers from over 50 countries and regions are planning to sign orders for 2026, with each company expected to sign contracts worth up to 5 billion yuan.
By accurately understanding overseas demand, Chinese construction machinery enterprises are continuously making breakthroughs in overseas markets with differentiated and specialized products.
On September 5th, a soil pressure balance shield machine with a diameter of 12.49 meters was accepted and produced in the Changsha Second Industrial Park of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Group Co., Ltd. This equipment is the largest diameter shield tunneling machine exported by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry to Europe. When engineering machinery goes abroad, it is necessary to do a good job of localization, "said Liu Yong, Deputy General Manager of the Overseas Department of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry. In order to meet the EU admission standards, the equipment integrates gas detection, ventilation, emergency lighting, communication, power supply and other systems that comply with European directives, effectively ensuring that the whole machine passes the EU's product safety certification. As of now, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry's products have been exported to 52 countries and regions including Italy, Switzerland, and Poland.
Good news is coming one after another. Recently, XCMG Group held a strategic cooperation agreement signing ceremony for green mining equipment solutions with Australia's Fords River Group. XCMG Group will provide 150 to 200 units of 240 ton pure electric mining trucks to Fordshi River Group between 2028 and 2030. This is the largest green mining machinery export order signed by China so far.
The latest data from the China Construction Machinery Industry Association shows that overseas markets have become an important growth point for the industry. From January to August this year, the import and export trade volume of the entire industry was 40.398 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 11%. Among them, the export amount reached 38.597 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 11.4%, far exceeding the import amount of 1.8 billion US dollars. The advantage of trade surplus continues to expand.
The leapfrog development of overseas markets is of great significance to domestic construction machinery enterprises. In just five years from 2020 to 2024, the proportion of overseas revenue of A-share listed construction machinery companies has rapidly increased from 11.38% to 47.48%. Leading enterprises such as Sany Heavy Industry and Zoomlion Heavy Industry have contributed more than half of the company's operating income from overseas business, becoming the "ballast stone" for promoting high-quality development of the enterprise.
Su Zimeng stated that with the increase in macroeconomic regulation and the combination of policy effects, favorable factors supporting the stable operation and high-quality development of the industry are gathering more and more, and the development environment of China's construction machinery industry will steadily improve. China's engineering machinery technology, products, and services are increasingly recognized by international users, and the overseas business layout of industry enterprises is constantly improving and upgrading. This year, the industry's export volume will still maintain a high level.
