The first Volvo excavator built in the new Volvo Construction Equipment factory in China left the production line last week and was delivered to the customer, ZheJiang YuZhong Construction Group, a supplier who is involved in the new Formula One racing track project in Shanghai.
As more and more construction projects emerge in China, the demand for excavators with diversified functions is growing rapidly. Over the last few years, China has become one of the biggest markets for excavators, with sales of more than 17,000 units during 2002. The forecast is that the market will continue to grow.
To be able to meet the demand, Volvo announced last year the establishment of wholly owned company and production facility based on 70,000 m2 of land in Shanghai's Pudong new area.
Initial production will focus on the recently launched 20-ton class B series crawler excavator developed at Volvo CE's global center for excavators in Korea.
"Today's delivery from our new factory in China is a milestone in our company history and our people have done a remarkable job to get production up and running in less than a year," said Tony Helsham, president and CEO of Volvo CE.
