On a cold and slightly rainy Tuesday morning, in the east of Melbourne, stands two brand-new ZCT1000V5 cranes at the back of a depot.
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Versatile and intelligent, the 100-tonne ZCT1000V5 telescopic boom crawlers include high-speed motors that drives the planet reducer to discover movements of the crane’s mechanisms, further promoting efficiency, smooth movements and energy-saving.
The 360 degree nature of the ZCT1000V5 allows for full rotation of the turntable. The free sliding function can effectively reduce the lateral tension on the boom.
While impressive, the ZCT1000V5s are are not the only thing customers can look forward to when dealing with Zoomlion.
The heavy machinery and manufacturing company does not just treat the job as complete once the crane leaves its depot; Zoomlion stick with customers every step of the way, and an important part of this is the onboarding.
“Once we know where the crane is going and who the customer is, we will follow the crane out onto their site,” says Zoomlion Sales Manager Rob Solomon. “We then build the crane with them, by drawing on our expertise and industry experience to ensure the process is run smoothly.”
“That ensures the installation is correct, as we oversee the building process with the customer,” Rob added.
If Zoomlion is not able to be onsite to oversee the collection of delivery, it ensures its talented staff will be there at least week or two post onboarding.
Image: Prime Creative Media
Zoomlion is committed to ensuring every element is working at full capacity and the customer has the opportunity to address any concerns or questions.
Rob recently ventured up North to check-in on a customer and their new exciting purchase.
“I sold two scissor lifts into Sydney last week and I was there three days later to make sure that everything was alright,” Rob says. “Let’s not just sell the machine and go to the next job, we want to make sure they (the customer) are happy with the purchase.”
The process doesn’t just stop there, however.
Zoomlion closes the loop, so to speak, as through the strong relationships the company has fostered within the cranes and heavy lifting industry, Zoomlion staff stay in touch the customer the whole way through.
Their process includes; checking in, being available for any potential queries, assisting with servicing and seamlessly retaining the crane upon completion of leasing.
Rob says relationships are critical to any industry and in the crane game, that is no different.
“The crane industry is pretty small and a lot of people know each other,” he says. “We want to help our customers each step of the way and further grow the relationship and not let it (relationships) fall by the wayside.”
Rob spoke to how one of Zoomlion’s core values is far-reaching and long- enduring.
A future-based motto, in which Zoomlion centres its day-to-day operations on is what makes them a serious player in the market.
Its company mantra of “Vision Creates Future”, has helped Zoomlion become a global enterprise that processes nine major categories and 49 product lines, as well as nearly 800 leading products.
Zoomlion is going from strength-to- strength.
Recently, Zoomlion launched China’s first 3,200-tonne crawler crane, the world’s largest 20,000-tonne top- rotating tower crane, the world’s largest 2,400-tonne all-terrain crane and the world’s highest 72.3m straight-arm aerial work platform.
Rob appreciates Zoomlion’s diversity, as it can give those within the four walls of the company a different perspective when it comes to machinery and heavy lifts.
“Some (employees) are local, some are actually from China. They understand what’s going on,” Rob says.
“Then they go back to China and help us succeed. They have huge input into what we do each day. We’re national. We’re everywhere.”
Rob shouted out his colleague, and “fantastic bloke” Frank Zhou, who is the Deputy Sales Director of Zoomlion AWP (aerial work platform).
“He’s a great bloke and he understands how things work in Australia,” says Rob.
Frank and Rob both say there is an appetite for environmentally friendly machines and Zoomlion’s is hybrid- powered devices are live in the market.
Zoomlion has a vast array of tower cranes that run off electricity, through the electrical output on the building site that runs the crane.
Then there are battery-powered devices, slowly making their way into Australia.
“Battery-powered devices are very efficient,” says Frank. “If you use a Zoomlion machine for around one day, so eight hours of work, you may only have to charge the machine for approximately four hours,” he added. Electric-powered cranes are cost effective too, and Zoomlion offers a strong range of AWP machines, as well as cranes.
“The cost is the biggest thing. There is a lot of companies out there are going greener – that’s what they are focused on,” says Rob.
One of Zoomlion’s big electric features is the all-electric Zoomlion truck crane, the ZTC250N-EV.
The 25-tonne crane can run for 230 kilometres at 50 percent battery and includes variable outrigger set up with automatic monitoring.
Frank said the industry is moving towards the hybrid and eventually completely electric engines.
“I think the convenience of charging electrically and to needing to fuel-up is because it has developed so fast,” Frank says.
“Due to the emergence of electric cars, the ideas of EV vehicles has erupted in the past couple of years.”
Rob says electric-powered vehicles prove not only a sustainable option, but that of also a quieter choice.
“EVs are very quiet, you can use them outside and inside, whereas a lot of companies in the past have gone; I’m outside, I’ll get a diesel, I’m inside, we’ll get electric,” he says.
“At Zoomlion, we are keen grow our EV range so that customers have the versatility of getting the job done outside and inside.”
At Zoomlion, the range of machines is growing and there is something available for any job.
Alongside the two ZCT1000V5 cranes, customers feel they’re in safe hands with the trusted team at Zoomlion and its eclectic fleets,” Rob says.
Aside from that, the company has a huge variety of options to choose from, he adds.
“Depending on whether you’re a landscape gardener and you just need a little machine, or you’re a massive civil company needing a larger excavator, we’re going to have those needs covered, then we’ve got the cranes,” he says.