According to the industry statistics of China Construction Machinery Industry Association, from January to December 2021, the 25 mainframe manufacturing enterprises included in the statistics sold a total of 342,800 units of various excavation machinery products, of which 274,400 units were sold in the domestic market, a year-on-year decrease of 6.3%. ; Export sales of 68,400 units, a year-on-year increase of 97.0%.
Although the sales volume has been declining year-on-year for many consecutive months, the total sales volume of excavators in 2021 will still achieve a slight increase compared with 2020, and set a new high for four consecutive years, and overseas sales also set a new record. In this regard, Huang Min, president of the Excavation Machinery Branch of China Construction Machinery Industry Association, concluded that in 2021, the excavation machinery industry will hand over an excellent answer sheet against the trend in overcoming difficulties.
"In the first few months of 2021, the sales of excavators continued to grow, but in the second half of the year, sales continued to decline, which once caused concern in the industry." Lv Ying, deputy secretary-general of the China Construction Machinery Industry Association, told reporters that now, in 2021, the sales of excavators will continue to decline. Sales for the full year were not bad, with total sales largely in line with expectations.
Excavator sales are regarded as the weather vane and economic barometer of the construction machinery industry. Lv Ying said that in the construction machinery industry, not only sales of excavators have increased, but loaders have also achieved growth. Only two categories of truck cranes and pavers have declined. It can be said that the overall situation of the construction machinery industry is not bad, which is completely different from the cycle from 2012 to 2016.
As for the reasons for the new situation, Lv Ying analyzed that after the baptism of the previous cycle, the construction machinery industry is more mature and has stronger adaptability. There is a unified understanding in the whole industry, that is, the total scale is relatively stable, and there is no drastic change. Therefore, in the expansion of the market, industry companies do something and do not, ensuring that the industry does not experience a cliff-like decline, and the overall situation is still historical. high level.
Specifically, construction machinery companies have made market research and judgments in advance, lowered expectations, unified thinking, and made corresponding adjustments in capital investment, material delivery, and procurement of outsourced parts. The operating conditions of the company, especially the indicators such as inventory and accounts receivable, are better than in previous years, and the growth rate is much lower than that of revenue.
Not only has the sales volume increased steadily, the industrial resilience of construction machinery has also been effectively improved, the industrial structure has been continuously optimized, product quality has been significantly improved, the background of intelligent and green development has become stronger, and the determination and ability to resist risks and develop steadily has been continuously enhanced.
More than ten years ago, super-large excavators of more than 200 tons had to be purchased from abroad; today, super-large excavators ranging from 200 tons to 700 tons can be manufactured in China. XCMG Group has successfully developed a 700-ton super-large hydraulic excavator with independent intellectual property rights and carried out trial installation, completely getting rid of the situation of being controlled by others in the past, and achieving tonnage "jumping" in just a few years, creating a miracle of industry development. .
With scientific and technological strength and excellent product quality, in 2021, the growth of construction machinery exports will nearly double. Lv Ying said that in 2021, the export of construction machinery is expected to reach 34 billion US dollars, with a surplus of about 30 billion US dollars. In particular, it should be pointed out that the export of complete machines in the construction machinery industry has increased, while the import value of complete machines has dropped by 20%.
In 2022, as a typical investment-dependent and cyclical industry, the construction machinery industry will face many uncertainties such as intensified competition in complex international trade relations, rising raw material prices, tight supply chains, and escalating emissions.
CICC expects that sales in China's construction machinery industry will decline slightly year-on-year in 2022. In the medium term, with the support of overseas market expansion and other factors, it is expected that the annual sales of excavators in China will be stable at around 300,000 units in the next three years, and there will not be a sharp decline. increase.
Huang Min said that the excavator industry should adhere to the innovation-driven development strategy, focus on "specialization, specialization and innovation", accelerate the layout of the industrial Internet, accelerate digital and intelligent transformation and upgrading, and strive to promote the advanced foundation of the excavation machinery industry, the modernization of the industrial chain, and the independence of the supply chain. Controllable, by expanding, supplementing and strengthening the chain, forming a globally competitive industrial chain cluster, rapidly improving industrial competitiveness, strengthening risk awareness, creating a good competitive development environment, and achieving high-quality and sustainable development of China's mining machinery industry.
For the construction machinery industry as a whole, Lv Ying believes that through self-regulation, the construction machinery industry has passed the trough of the cycle smoothly, and will turn into a better situation in 2022. Although the cycle is still there, the industry will follow the trend. (Reporter Liu Jin)