On October 9, Guangxi Daily published a full-page feature in its fourth edition titled "Where Does the Confidence for 'Smart Manufacturing' Going Global Come From? — Exploring LiuGong's Path to International Growth," focusing on LiuGong's strategic layout and practical achievements in advancing toward the sea. Over the past 23 years, LiuGong has written a "going global" case study of a local state-owned enterprise transforming into a global player, and is driving industrial innovation with "smart and green" solutions, embarking on a new journey of transformation from internationalization to globalization.

The following is the original text of the report:

On the afternoon of September 23, in the production plant of Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "LiuGong"), a batch delivery ceremony of wheel loaders for key customers in the Asia-Pacific region was being held. Sixty brand-new wheel loaders stood ready for delivery to customers in Vietnam and other locations.

"In recent years, orders from the ASEAN region have continued to grow," said Liu Wenlang, Manufacturing Operations Director of LiuGong Wheel Loaders. In 2024, LiuGong's intelligent wheel loader factory was fully put into operation; its production lines feature digital, intelligent, and flexible characteristics, enabling flexible production across products and multiple models. To ensure order supply, the factory has set up a dedicated manufacturing line for ASEAN products, sufficient to meet current market demand as well as growth expectations for the next five years.

As a leading enterprise in Guangxi's machinery manufacturing industry, LiuGong has cultivated the ASEAN market for many years. From January to August this year, LiuGong's equipment exports to ASEAN countries grew 45% year on year. The company has transformed from a traditional construction machinery exporter into a supplier capable of providing a full range of products and comprehensive solutions.

Advancing toward the sea, how has LiuGong achieved sustained order growth? Where does its confidence in going global lie? Over the past several days, the reporter conducted a series of research and interviews.

Smart Manufacturing, Strongly Seizing Overseas Markets

From September 17 to 21, at the LiuGong exhibition hall during the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo, the "AI LiuGong" intelligent diagnostic system made its debut, attracting widespread attention.

"We are not just selling products; we are committed to providing overall solutions," said Sun Shuai, Executive Deputy Director of the Digital Research Institute at LiuGong's Global R&D Center. The system dynamically connects to equipment data, allowing operators to identify potential mechanical faults in real time. It is also equipped with a 3D visualized maintenance guidance module that can highlight faulty components and push intelligent animated solutions, enabling intelligent operational guidance.

The system supports multilingual interaction and attracted many overseas merchants to experience it firsthand. One customer from Indonesia remarked: "AI technology can not only intelligently identify potential faults but also break down language barriers to answer questions in real time—efficient and worry-free. I look forward to LiuGong's AI technology being applied in Indonesian engineering projects soon!"

The "AI LiuGong" intelligent diagnostic system is another important achievement in LiuGong's march toward intelligence and high-end development.

Since its founding in 1958, LiuGong has always regarded technological innovation as the core driving force of corporate development. From China's first wheel loader and the world's first plateau-type wheel loader, to the world's first commercial 5G intelligent remote-controlled wheel loader, and then to the industry's first unmanned loaders, excavators, and road rollers, as well as a new generation of unmanned electric loaders, smart mining systems, intelligent stewards, and "AI LiuGong," LiuGong has consistently stood at the forefront of technological transformation in China's construction machinery industry.

While "smart manufacturing" continues to upgrade, LiuGong's global layout is also accelerating, enabling it to demonstrate strong competitiveness in international markets, especially in ASEAN.

Leveraging intelligent and green product innovation, LiuGong is deeply involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. In response to the high-temperature, high-humidity, and rainy environmental characteristics of the ASEAN region, it has customized and developed a number of highly adaptable intelligent equipment. For example, in an Indonesian nickel mining project, LiuGong's intelligent remote-controlled loader achieved remote-controlled operation, increasing efficiency by 50% and reducing labor costs by 60%, becoming a benchmark case for local smart mine construction.

"Since LiuGong entered the Southeast Asian market in 2003, more than 40,000 units of equipment have cumulatively served infrastructure, mining, agriculture, and other sectors in ASEAN countries, winning the trust of local customers," said Xiang Dongsheng, General Manager of LiuGong's Asia-Pacific Region. LiuGong wheel loaders have long maintained the top market share in ASEAN. In recent years, the company has also made significant breakthroughs in excavators, road machinery, agricultural machinery, and electric products.

Smart Management, Advancing "Ecological Win-Win" Across the Entire Value Chain

In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization, bringing historic opportunities for corporate globalization. LiuGong keenly seized this opportunity and began its internationalization journey in 2002.

Guided by its internationalization strategy, LiuGong entered the Southeast Asian market in 2003, becoming one of the earliest enterprises in China's construction machinery industry to explore the region.

In the process of expanding markets, LiuGong implements a smart management model across the entire value chain, creating value through cooperation.

The LiuGong wheel loaders shipped to Vietnam on September 23 use the traditional dual-lever control method rather than the currently popular single-lever or pilot joystick control. The reason is that LiuGong product designers found in their research that Vietnamese drivers are more accustomed to dual-lever operation; after consultation with customers, a production plan better suited to local needs was ultimately determined.

"To meet overseas market demand, we conduct market research at the front end of production," Liu Wenlang introduced. LiuGong has built an "iron triangle" organizational mechanism composed of "international business—product R&D—product line." R&D personnel go on site to understand product applicability, while production lines complete production and delivery to customers according to standards, ensuring products precisely match the market.

Full value chain management is also reflected in the provision of localized technical support and rapid-response services. LiuGong has established five overseas subsidiaries in ASEAN, with training centers, call centers, and regional parts warehouses in each region. More than 50 dealers and over 200 service outlets are spread across Southeast Asia, building a comprehensive marketing and service system in the industry.

At present, ASEAN has become LiuGong's second-largest overseas home market, with Indonesia being a strategic core region.

However, market competition is increasingly fierce, and challenges follow. Lin Long, General Manager of LiuGong Indonesia, said: "The Indonesian company is developing rapidly, and we must continuously enhance the competitiveness of our products and aftermarket services."

While other companies' ASEAN operations remain primarily marketing-focused, LiuGong Indonesia has gradually developed into a comprehensive enterprise integrating four major segments: R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and finance.

In August this year, LiuGong Financial Indonesia Co., Ltd. officially opened, a key step in LiuGong's advancement of "comprehensive internationalization" and "full value chain localization." Through financial empowerment, LiuGong has upgraded from single product output to comprehensive value output of "products + capital + services." In 2025, LiuGong will also increase investment in local manufacturing plants and R&D centers in Indonesia, laying the foundation for the deep implementation of the full value chain in Indonesia.

From the development path of LiuGong Indonesia, it can be seen that LiuGong's future overseas development strategy is transforming from product sales to "value-driven" and "ecosystem building," relying on high-quality channels, excellent aftermarket services, and ecological mechanisms to enhance customer stickiness and continuously consolidate its international market advantages.

Integrating Industry and Education with Intelligence, Deep Roots Make a Mighty Tree

After 23 years of internationalization, LiuGong has built a vast and comprehensive global marketing and service system, demonstrating strong market influence.

As business continues to expand, the demand for talent is also growing.

"Our company has multiple suppliers in Indonesia, and with the future commissioning of LiuGong's Indonesian factory, the talent gap will further widen," Lin Long said.

Deep roots make a mighty tree. To address this development bottleneck, LiuGong actively explores international industry-education integration pathways. In January 2018, the LiuGong–Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College Global Customer Experience Center opened, and the tripartite cooperative education model among LiuGong, Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College, and Indonesian vocational colleges was promoted in Indonesia. In 2022, the first batch of students from Thailand and Indonesia went to Liuzhou to receive training at Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College and LiuGong; after assessment, nearly 50 students joined the local LiuGong system upon graduation.

"During my studies and training at LiuGong and Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College, I not only mastered the main components, parameters, and functions of various LiuGong products, but also learned about service warranty policies, the parts system, and other knowledge. My professional skills have improved, and I hope to stay and work at LiuGong in the future," said Nika, a student in the Indonesian order-based class, full of expectation.

Like Nika, the number of students benefiting from international industry-education integration continues to grow. At present, LiuGong, together with Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College, has signed cooperative education agreements with quality institutions in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries to jointly cultivate high-quality international technical craftsmen, providing talent support for LiuGong's internationalization and localization development.

While strengthening international school-enterprise cooperation, LiuGong also builds platforms for international exchange and competition among global construction machinery technicians by holding skills competitions and other events.

From August to September this year, the preliminary rounds of LiuGong's 8th Global Skills Competition were held successively in Indonesia, Latin America, South Asia, and other regions.

The Indonesia regional final was held on August 28–29 at the Jakarta After-Sales Service Center, with nearly 300 contestants participating in assessments including fault diagnosis and parts disassembly. The final winners will go to Ayutthaya, Thailand, on October 21–22 to participate in the global finals of the LiuGong Skills Competition, competing on the same stage with contestants from around the world.

Xiang Dongsheng said that the skills competition not only provides a stage for technicians to showcase their talents and win international honors, but also, through "promoting learning and training through competition," drives the overall skill improvement of LiuGong's after-sales service network, helping customers maximize the value of equipment throughout its life cycle.

Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish. LiuGong always regards local technical talent cultivation as the core of its corporate social responsibility and long-term development strategy. By continuously deepening international industry-education integration and creating high-level international skills competitions, it further promotes the implementation of its "comprehensive internationalization" and "deep localization" strategies.

Smart Chain for the Future, Extending Human Power

In September, LiuGong continued to shine on the industry stage. Following the attention-grabbing "AI LiuGong" at the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo, on September 23 LiuGong appeared at the 17th China (Beijing) International Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines and Mining Machines Exhibition (BICES 2025).

As the exhibitor with the largest booth area at this year's exhibition, LiuGong showcased more than 40 pieces of equipment in an outdoor exhibition area of nearly 5,000 square meters, presenting multiple breakthrough achievements. It not only released a large-scale smart green mining solution but also displayed energy system solutions such as source-grid-load-storage, charging, battery swapping, and power transmission, fully demonstrating LiuGong's brand philosophy of "Smart · Green · Extending Human Power."

Zhu Binqiang, Vice President of LiuGong, said that electric products are one of LiuGong's core competitiveness. With rapid breakthroughs in electric technology in the industry driving electric products toward larger sizes, LiuGong's overseas exports of electric products grew significantly this year, and the company will further expand into high-end and key overseas markets.

Through the series of exhibitions held in Nanning and Beijing in September, LiuGong comprehensively presented the visualized achievements of "smart manufacturing" from concept to practice, allowing more international partners to witness the company's leading strength in intelligence, high-end development, and green development, and further demonstrating LiuGong's outstanding ability to achieve high-quality and sustainable development.

LiuGong's demonstration of its strength to the world stems from its deep confidence and self-assurance.

According to LiuGong's 2025 semi-annual report: against the backdrop of pressure and intensifying competition in the global construction machinery industry, LiuGong's overseas business achieved counter-trend growth in the first half of the year, with overseas revenue reaching 8.523 billion yuan, rising to 46.88% of total revenue, and overseas net profit hitting a new high.

"In the next five years, LiuGong will accelerate the pace of transformation from internationalization to globalization, form a global industrial layout, improve the global network of R&D, supply chain, production, sales, service, and capital, build global operating capabilities, and strive to become a high-value international brand widely recognized by local markets," said Luo Guobing, President of LiuGong.

Advancing toward the sea with unwavering perseverance. Today, LiuGong has more than 30 overseas subsidiaries and institutions, 4 overseas manufacturing plants, 12 global R&D bases, and more than 500 global dealers, with products and services covering more than 180 countries and regions. Overseas business has become the "ballast stone" of LiuGong's performance growth. From victory to new victory, LiuGong's "smart manufacturing" is fully embracing new opportunities and challenges in the global market.

Reporter's Notes:

Toward the Cutting Edge, Toward the World

For a manufacturing enterprise to become strong, continuous technological innovation and market expansion are indispensable. The development of LiuGong, a large international enterprise, confirms this principle.

Over the past 67 years, LiuGong has consistently been at the forefront of technological upgrading. Since its founding in 1958, it has demonstrated the demeanor of a strong player with a sprinting posture:

— In 1960, it successfully developed an 80-horsepower crawler bulldozer, opening the history of construction machinery production;

— In 1966, it successfully developed China's first wheel loader, the Z435, pioneering loader production in China;

— In 1980, it independently developed the classic ZL50C loader, achieving sales of more than 150,000 units for a single model;

— In 1992, it launched its first WY40 excavator, carrying the banner of a national excavator brand;

— In 2019, it released its first pure electric loader and excavator, marking the construction machinery industry's entry into the new energy era;

— In 2021, it was the first in the industry to launch unmanned loaders, excavators, and road rollers, leading the industry's technological transformation;

— Since the beginning of this year, technological R&D and commercialization have achieved further breakthroughs: the new-generation T-series electric loader made its global debut, the 200-ton-class large excavator 9200F rolled off the line, the world's first mining electric unmanned loader 870HE was successfully delivered, and the "AI LiuGong" intelligent diagnostic system made its debut at the China-ASEAN Expo...

Through 67 years of cultivation, LiuGong has broken through technological barriers time and again, achieving new leaps time and again. Today's LiuGong is extending human power with green and smart solutions.

A new era, a new vision, new glory.

Over the past 23 years, LiuGong's pace toward the world has never stopped. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization; the following year, LiuGong proposed the strategic goal of "building an open, international LiuGong," embarking on its internationalization journey:

— In 2003, it held its first global dealer conference;

— In 2004, it established its first overseas subsidiary;

— In 2007–2008, LiuGong India, North America, and Latin America subsidiaries were established successively;

— In 2009, LiuGong's Indian plant was completed and put into operation;

— In 2010–2018, LiuGong subsidiaries in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, South Africa, and Hong Kong, as well as the Brazil plant, were established successively;

— In 2019, it established its first overseas direct-operated company in the United Kingdom;

— From 2020 to the present, LiuGong Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Central Asia, Vietnam, and Côte d'Ivoire subsidiaries have opened successively, and LiuGong's annual overseas operating revenue exceeded 13 billion yuan...

Rooted in China, pursuing dreams across the world. This is LiuGong's vision.

Over the past 23 years, LiuGong has advanced step by step. Through the three-step strategy of "overseas trade, overseas manufacturing, and overseas mergers and acquisitions," it has written a "going global" case study of a local state-owned enterprise transforming into a global player, and has embarked on a new journey of transformation from internationalization to globalization.

Today, LiuGong's overseas business revenue is approaching half of its total revenue. "World LiuGong, originating from China"—when LiuGong people shout this slogan, a sense of pride surely rises spontaneously from within.