As Nepal gradually moves toward green infrastructure and sustainable construction practices, global construction equipment manufacturers are beginning to view the country as a promising market for electric heavy machinery. Chinese construction equipment manufacturer SDLG has recently entered Nepal’s EV construction equipment sector with its electric loaders, aiming to introduce cleaner and cost-efficient alternatives to conventional diesel-powered machines.
During his recent visit to Nepal, Shi Dong, General Manager responsible for SDLG’s South Asia and Oceania operations, spoke to Onlinekhabar about the company’s ambitions in Nepal, the future of electric construction machinery, challenges in infrastructure and pricing, and how Nepal could become a gateway for SDLG’s expansion into other South Asian markets.
In this conversation, Shi Dong discusses SDLG’s long-term vision, advancements in EV loader technology, and why the company believes Nepal has the potential to embrace green construction solutions in the years ahead.
You have recently introduced your products in Nepal. What factors motivated you to introduce SDLG in Nepal?
Yeah, we have a vision that says, “Creation makes the world new,” and SDLG has long focused on innovation and creation. In fact, we started our business more than 50 years ago.
EV technology is a promising industry for us. SDLG has invested in this industry for more than 10 years. In fact, we have gained some inspiration and lessons from the Chinese EV industry. You can now see many Chinese EV cars, both in mainland China and abroad.
SDLG started EV loaders, especially pilot loaders, five years ago. Right now, I think we are number three in EV loaders in China.
South Asia is also an important market for us, and Nepal is our second market in South Asia. We brought this technology and these loaders here, and we have already introduced three models. We found that the response seems good, and some customers have accepted them because they bring benefits and value. That gives us confidence that we should continue promoting this machine and technology in Nepal.
So, this is our aspiration and ambition here.
What challenges and opportunities do you see in Nepal?
In fact, as I said, we introduced our EV loaders in South Asia, first in India and second in Nepal.
Nepal is a small market, but that does not mean it is less important. In fact, it is important for us. Because if we succeed here, we can use this market as an example for customers in neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
If we succeed and customers accept the machines and get benefits and value from our EV machines, that is very important for us.
The main challenge here, I think, is the initial price. For EV loaders, the machine cost may be nearly two times higher than a fuel or diesel model. That means the purchase cost is higher.
Second, it also depends on infrastructure. If you want to use EV machines, you need charging facilities. Once that infrastructure is available, then you can use the machines properly. So these are the challenges I can see. But if we solve them, I think it is a very promising market for us.
How will SDLG support the Nepal market in terms of infrastructure, after-sales service, and the transition toward green construction technology?
For the Nepal market, when we decided to enter, we first conducted research. We did not just bring the machines here directly. We studied the market and customer expectations for the machines.
Then we made a business plan together with our partners here. We also trained staff and prepared spare parts. After all this work was completed, we started EV machine sales.
Right now, we have brought EV loaders here. But Nepal will not only need loaders; it will need other products as well. SDLG has many different EV machines, such as loaders, graders, and more.
In the future, for local infrastructure projects, we can provide more EV loaders. Right now, we have four or five EV loaders, EV excavators, and EV motor graders. So we have a full package of EV machines to support local infrastructure projects.
Also, if EV machines become successful here, local companies can benefit because, according to our calculations, the total operating cost is lower than that of diesel models. At the same time, there are no emissions, so they are environmentally friendly.
For the future, I think we can provide good support to local industries, and our partners here can benefit from it.
What is SDLG’s main focus and vision for the coming years?
SDLG wishes to become the leading Chinese manufacturer in our industry. Also, we want to become an international company, and we want to be the number one Chinese manufacturer in our industry. This is our vision.
Globally, we want to bring our machines, our value, and our services to the world through our value positioning. We want to bring our value products to global customers so they can enjoy Chinese products and services under our standards and on time.
How does SDLG differentiate its technology from global competitors?
That’s an interesting question.
In fact, we do not mainly compete with global brands. EV loaders are currently focused mostly in China, and China dominates this sector because our electric battery and electric motor technology is advanced globally. So, we mainly compete with our Chinese competitors.
Second, for EV loaders, it is not only about batteries, electric motors, or control systems. The mechanical structure of the machine itself is also very important. SDLG has been producing loaders for more than 50 years.
We have mature technology in traditional models, and we are very advanced in manufacturing. Now, when it comes to EV loaders, we source batteries from top suppliers, mainly the top three battery suppliers in China. At the same time, we also have our own battery factory.
That means we can better adapt the batteries to our own machines and purposes.
We also have advanced electrical control systems that we developed ourselves. We hold many patents for these technologies. This allows our electric machines to be different from competitors.
According to market feedback, SDLG EV loaders are already at the top level in the Chinese market. I think they will also perform well in the global market soon because currently, only two or three brands are active in this segment worldwide.
In the end, we would also like to know more about the battery technology used in SDLG EV loaders. What makes it suitable for heavy construction work?
In fact, most Chinese EV loaders use similar battery technology. The technology standard is mostly the same.
For heavy-duty jobs, however, we have different models, and these have been tested in China for more than five years. We have different machine categories for different applications.
The machines have been tested and improved through market experience. For Nepal as well, these machines can adapt to local jobs and conditions.
No matter what kind of work it is, we have different models and machine packages for different segments. So I think customers do not need to worry about our machines. We have suitable models and configurations for different requirements.
