China’s global construction equipment manufacturer LiuGong is eying a piece of multibillion shillings regional projects currently in the pipeline with a new assembly plant in Kenya.
The firm says the assembly hub in Syokimau, Machakos County will serve as the regional business hub for LiuGong Machinery East Africa Limited, a subsidiary of the LiuGong Group based in China.
As part of its regional expansion drive, the firm says it plans to collaborate with local institutions of higher learning to transfer the mechanical engineering technology it has acquired over more than six decades it has been in operation.
“We are not only establishing a hub in Kenya for business purposes, but we are keen to support a robust technology transfer so that Kenya also advances with a critical mass of young well-trained engineers, who will drive the manufacturing sector in future,” Guangan Zeng, Chief Executive Officer, LiuGong Group.
Already, South Eastern Kenya University (Seku) in Kitui County has expressed interest in the partnership with Liugong Machinery East Africa Limited that will expose its School of Engineering students to emerging cutting edge engineering technologies.
The new hub will serve the eight member states of the East Africa Community (EAC) which have a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $295 billion, and a fast-growing population currently estimated at 350 million people.
During the official opening of the plant, Zeng said the company was bringing to the region the latest equipment in road and dams construction, supported by an after sales and customer support team.
The firm is the world’s 10th-largest construction equipment manufacturer by market share and the world’s largest manufacturer of wheel loaders.
LiuGong Group also manufactures heavy-duty construction equipment such as excavators, dozers, motor graders, air compressors, wheel loaders, forklifts, cranes, concrete mixers, and road rollers.
