I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Not Lost in Translation
Working with Chinese manufacturer XCMG allows JAPA to offer
Albertans high quality, low cost heavy equipment solutions
2017 was a big year for JAPA
Machinery Group & JAPA
Equipment Rentals (JAPA),
thanks to a new dealership, building
and new task of introducing a fresh
player into western Canada’s construction
equipment market.
The JAPA Group of Companies
has been doing business in Alberta’s
capital region since 1972. Founded
46 years ago, the family run business
morphed into JAPA Equipment
Rentals in 2003 and launched the
sales-focused JAPA Machinery Group
in 2016. The mission has always been
to combine high quality equipment
with exceptional service to their
many customers.
JAPA has continued the tradition
of exceptional service by being
at the forefront of importing equipment
from China’s largest – and sixth
largest worldwide – heavy equipment
manufacturer, Xuzhou Construction
Machinery Group (XCMG), allowing
JAPA to provide their customers
a high quality, low cost rental option
for their compaction requirements.
JAPA is the western Canadian
dealer for XCMG equipment. For the
2017/2018 seasons, JAPA brought in
12 new excavators, and 20 new compactors
and are bringing in another
40 XCMG packers before the end
of this year. To help provide all the
heavy equipment solutions customers
require, JAPA now operates out
of five acres of land in Acheson, Alta.,
with 15,000 square feet of shop space,
over 8,000 square feet of office space
and over 3,000 square feet devoted to
the parts department.
The new space and growing staff
have JAPA better equipped than ever
to face the task of introducing a relatively
unknown player into the North
American heavy equipment market.
A task made more difficult due to
stigmas about Chinese manufactured
equipment. Questions have been
raised about Chinese manufacturers
needing to do a better job producing,
supporting and promoting their best
products in the North America.
Chinese manufacturers have all
been painted with the same brush:
low price and low quality. However,
in the last eight years that KHL has
published its annual “Yellow Table
Report” of international construction
equipment manufacturers in
International Construction, at least four
Chinese equipment brands have been
represented in their top fifty manufacturers.
2018’s Yellow Table included
two Chinese manufacturers in the
top 10 – XCMG and Sany – and a total
of nine manufacturers in the top 50.
These are not fly-by-night manufacturers;
these are reputable companies
highly invested in succeeding in the
North American market.
In JAPA’s experience, XCMG’s
commitment to North America is
top priority. Although they support
a full line of construction equipment
around the world, they are nearly
unheard of here in North America.
XCMG has started to introduce themselves
slowly and deliberately by redesigning
and introducing their equipment
piece by piece. However, product
line growth is limited by North
American engine regulations, and
XCMG’s access to available North
American-made Cummins engines.
All products, whether manufacturers
in China, Japan, Germany or the
United States build them, must meet
North American regulations before
they can be brought into the market.
For XCMG, their North American lead
design team is responsible for meeting
all North American regulations.
Supplying product improvement suggestions
is a requirement of JAPA’s
dealership agreement.
Across the globe, XCMG employs
over 6,000 research and development
technicians and holds over
By Maron Green, JAPA Machinery Group
Courtesy of JAPA
ALBERTA HEAVY 2018 55
/www.japamachinery.com
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