JUNE 2021 Ӏ INTERVIEW
INvESTING IN EuRорE
Zoomlion Europe has opened a new plant in Italy, where its cranes will be manufactured. Sotiris Kanaris speaks to the newly-appointed general manager Petre Babiceanu about the new factory as well as the company’s current and future crane offering.
where the company’s cranes will be manufactured. Petre Babiceanu joined Zoomlion
Chinese construction machinery manufacturer Zoomlion Group has been expanding its international presence in recent years. It has established R&D centres in Europe, Brazil and the US, as well as sales and service branches in Africa and the Middle East. In 2018, the Chinese group chose Italian concrete machinery manufacturer CIFA (acquired ten years earlier) as its hub for the production and distribution of various Zoomlion-branded product lines in Europe. This led to the creation of Zoomlion Europe. Earlier this year, the company opened a new 10,000sqm plant in Solferino, in the North of Italy. It will host the assembly and
manufacturing activities of tower cranes, mobile cranes, truck- mounted pumps, forklifts and aerial work platforms by Zoomlion intended for European customers. This will be the only site in Italy,
30 CRANES TODAY Zoomlion
Europe’s new plant in Solferino, Italy.
Europe in April as the general manager. He previously worked for Terra, a sales and service company for construction and industrial machines with presence in Central and Eastern Europe, where his last role was general manager for lifting machinery. Babiceanu says Zoomlion
Group’s management sees Europe as a strategic market for the expansion of its international business, and this was the reason behind the decision to invest in a new European plant in Italy. CIFA was instrumental to the
creation of the new facility and helped secure funding from the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and from SACE, through Garanzia Italia, the instrument of the Liquidity Decree intended to support Italian
businesses to face the Covid-19 emergency. At the plant, the workstations
have already been set up, and overhead and jib cranes have been installed. Babiceanu provides details about the new facility: “The structure is completely wired to allow the connection of the most advanced 4.0 technology machinery; the environments are organized according to the logic of lean production and the safety systems—such as the sensor system for the gas leak that allows to locate and automatically block the leakage—comply with the highest standards.” He adds that the reduction of
the environmental impact was a key consideration when designing the new plant. A solar panel system has been placed on the roof, which will power the production activities, while LED lighting will be used for the entire site.
Inside the new
facility. It will host the assembly and manufacturing activities of tower cranes, mobile cranes, truck- mounted pumps, forklifts and aerial work platforms.
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