EQUIPMENT
52
international
construction
september 2014
Wacker Neuson
around theworld. “If you look
at the nakednumbers that we
have forChina alone, compact is
definitely a growing segment, and
this is a trend globally.
“With all thesemega cities
growing around theworld, these
densely populated areas will need
compact tools – and that for
us evenmeans up to 15 tonne
machines.”
WackerNeuson certainly has
its eye out for opportunities
when it comes to expanding
itsmanufacturing facilities in
emergingmarkets.
China production
“In terms of a factory inChina, it
is not a question of if butmore of
when –wewant to achieve some
of our internally set volume targets
beforewe localise. For us definitely
we are building our dealerships and
distribution there, and if this flies
thenwhy shouldn’t we establish
production locally?”Mr Peksaglam
said.
He added that the company
would be open to either joint
ventures or going it alonewhen
it came to setting upproduction
facilities innewmarkets.
“I don’t believe that there is one
way only to get to your target,
which at the end of the day is
market penetration. If we need
alliances in onemarket, wewould
go for that, in others wewoulddo
it organically. It is an opportunistic
strategy but it is also realistic.”
Onemanufacturing alliance that
the company already nurtures is its
partnershipwithCaterpillar – the
largest construction equipment
manufacturer in theworld.Wacker
Neusonproduces sevenmodels
ofmini excavators with operating
weights up to 3 tonnes for the
company.
“We are proud that we are an
alliance partner withCaterpillar,
as it is themarket leader in terms
of size,”Mr Peksaglam said. “The
alliance goesmuch further than
just supplying our product in a
different colour – they bring in
their know-how and requests.We
are also reaching corners of the
world like theAsia Pacificwherewe
ourselves are struggling. Caterpillar
inChina I think has over 18
factories, for instance. It’s definitely
beneficial for them andus.
“We are also totally open to
discussing extending the alliance
to the dual powermini excavator
unit – after all this is anunder 3
tonnemachine. Itmight even to
help to bring this innovation faster
to a success, and this wouldhelp
us both.We are already seeing
demand from our customers for a
3 tonne and 6 tonne dual-power
solution, so let’s see.”
Horizon
This is just one of themany
prospects on the horizon for
WackerNeuson in the future.Mr
Peksaglammade clear the company
would continue to grow the
internationally, whilemaintaining
its closely-held structure – a set-up
that he saidwas “an extremely
helpful anchor for our long-term
strategy”,
One challenge that he didflag
up for the company, and indeed
thewhole industry, was that of
emissions legislation. After striving
to complywith the strict new off-
highway diesel exhaust emission
laws inEurope andNorthAmerica,
Mr Peksaglam called on regulators
to ensure that the rules were
properly enforced.
“To be very frank the pain this
legislationhas caused is affecting
thewhole industry. It is harming
our competitiveness. If other
machines can enter the European
andAmerican borders easily
and competewithus, then the
consequences economicallywill be
very harmful.
“I am really positive towards
competition – as long as it is fair
andwe are playing to the same
rules.
“I think healthy competition
helps us to become better, and
not comfortable, leaning back and
becoming arrogant,” he said.
iC
Wacker Neuson’s corporate
headquarters inMunich, Germany.
At Bauma China 2012 in
Shanghai Wacker Neuson
launched a value line of compact
equipment – theM Series.
