A recent visit to LiuGong’s Global Research and Development Centre in southern China by the employees from the company’s Australian distributor – McIntosh Distribution – has further reinforced the manufacturer’s footprint in the market with a range of electrically powered equipment in Australia.
LiuGong has since launched more than 90 products that encompass battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology, offering solutions for almost every application and segment, including mining machinery, industrial and port equipment, agricultural machinery and various other products. There are 11 product lines, including loaders, excavators, mining trucks, aerial work platforms, industrial vehicles and agricultural equipment.
A wheel loader was the first electric machine to be released in LiuGong’s green livery and there are now more than 6000 of the loaders operating globally through Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America. These machines have helped to save hundreds of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
LiuGong’s R&D centre is located in Liuzhou, situated within the Guangxi region in southern China, and some of the top brass from McIntosh Distribution, were amazed when they visited the site recently.
“The sheer scale of the facilities is highly impressive and the level of automation and speed in which equipment is manufactured due to the automated assembly lines feeding from the sides, above and below is world class,” said Digby Moullin, general manager of McIntosh Distribution. He said the technical processes and systems operating at the facility also were amazing.
“LiuGong’s research and development work is quite incredible. They run every test imaginable, from acoustics through to dirt, dust and water ingress, plus stress testing of steel items, thermally stressing components and assessing electrical circuit durability.”
Moullin said LiuGong was well placed to have an impact across numerous Australian industries with its electric equipment line-up.
“LiuGong has been at the forefront of battery electric machines for more than 15 years and has amassed more than 11 million hours on BEV products around the world,” he said. “It now has a very broad range of equipment, including dump trucks, graders, loaders, excavators and rollers, and we have seen first-hand that LiuGong has an extensive product development road map to further complement its existing range.”
He said the potential for LiuGong’s range of commercially available equipment in Australia was enormous, with several key factors set to drive its adoption.
“The upfront capital cost of the machines is invariably lower than most competitor’s equivalent diesel options,” said Moullin. “The fact they are electric means they are more responsive. The absence of any engine noise and diesel fumes makes them ideal for indoor and night-time applications, and the operational costs are significantly cheaper than diesel machines.”
LiuGong’s first electric wheel loader in 2018 delivered energy savings of around 20 per cent due to the optimised electric drive, hydraulic and transmission systems, while variable hydraulic and energy recovery systems added a further 15-20pc energy boost.
“The operational cost savings are significant. Based on a 20-tonne operating weight loader being used for 2000 hours per annum, the savings are upward of $50,000pa,” Moullin said.
He said organisations seeking to decarbonise had typically been some of the early users of LiuGong’s electric machines in Australia, however the favourable economic and operational benefits was now increasing the adoption of the BEV technology across a range of industries.
“BEV machines create a fraction of the CO2 emissions from diesel machines, but the cost savings also are now becoming just as attractive,” he said. “The transition to electric machines in Australia is progressing and once industry realises the full range of equipment now commercially available and its significant benefits, the speed of the transition will increase exponentially.”