Production starts at SDLG Brazil

The first Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery (SDLG) production facility outside China has opened. Manufacturing has started at the company’s excavator factory in Brazil – a US$ 10 million assembly hall within the Volvo CE facility in Pederneiras, São Paulo.

SDLG is Volvo CE’s Chinese joint venture, and is presented as a competitively priced alternative to Volvo-branded machines. Four SDLG excavators will be manufactured at the Pederneiras site –– the LG6150E, LG6210E, LG6225E and LG6250E models, covering the 13.8 tonnes to 24.3 tonnes weight classes.

SDLG machines have been sold in Brazil for over four years, and Volvo said the timing of the launch of locally-built SDLG excavators was good as there is strong demand in the country for solid, cost-effective machine.

Volvo CE president and CEO Pat Olney said, “Localised production will help SDLG be more flexible and responsive to its customers and dealers in the region. We’re taking advantage of the Volvo Group’s long history in Brazil to introduce an exciting new initiative with these locally built SDLG excavators.”

In 2010, Volvo CE set itself a target of taking leading positions in the key emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China with a combination of its own machines and those of its Chinese joint venture, SDLG.