The story goes back to Astana in September 2023. At that time, the Shandong Heavy Industry Global Partners Conference was still something new. Many people were curious: What was this Shandong-based enterprise trying to do by bringing together so many dealers and customers from around the world?
Four years later, the answer can be found in the path of each conference. From Astana to Dubai, Jakarta, Mexico City, Qingdao and now Hanoi, Vietnam, every change of venue has reflected a strategic judgment: global markets are changing, technologies are changing, and the competitive landscape is changing. Shandong Heavy Industry must change with them.
From July 21 to 22, 2026, the SDHI Global Partners Conference & Green Intelligent Products Exhibition (Hanoi) will be held at the Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC) in Hanoi. Looking back over the past four years, what changes has Shandong Heavy Industry undergone?
A Changing World: From Regional Breakthroughs to Deep Global Engagement
Starting from Central Asia in Astana, connecting the Middle East and Africa in Dubai, reaching Southeast Asia through Jakarta, entering the Americas in Mexico City, and gathering global partners at home in Qingdao, the conference has now arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, with a focus on the huge potential of new energy development in Southeast Asia. With 1,577 participants from 62 countries and regions, this is a conference based in Vietnam and reaching the world. From 2023 to 2026, Shandong Heavy Industry has achieved a more balanced global presence while continuously expanding its business footprint.
Its deep engagement in global markets has already borne fruit. Weichai engines have continued to increase their market share in Brazil, with heavy-duty trucks equipped with WP15NG engines delivered in batches to Brazilian customers and becoming a preferred choice. Shantui s smart construction site system has been successfully applied in key projects in East Africa and received commendatory letters from customers. HanDe Axle has successfully matched related Scania models, which have entered mass production and sales, building a certain reputation in international market. Lovol Heavy Industry s mining excavators have long served Asia's largest tungsten mine, winning recognition from customers. In the first half of 2026, the Group recorded export revenue of RMB 62.4 billion, up 33.4 percent year on year. Its Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, Americas, and Europe regions all achieved strong growth.
Technological Change: From a Traditional Leader to a Green and Intelligent Pioneer Going Global
From traditional power to diversified new energy power, and from single-machine operations to full-scenario smart solutions, the technological foundation of Shandong Heavy Industry is undergoing a fundamental change.
In green development, Shandong Heavy Industry's full-chain advantages, from power systems to complete vehicles and machines, have become increasingly prominent. New energy powertrain brands represented by Weichai, FAST, HanDe Axle, and Zhuzhou Gear are standing out. Weichai has established a diversified power portfolio covering diesel, natural gas, pure electric, hybrid, hydrogen, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), and alternative fuels. In commercial vehicles, the group covers a full range of products, including heavy-duty trucks, light trucks, buses, and light vehicles. In construction machinery, it offers a full range of electric excavators, electric loaders, electric mining trucks, and electric bulldozers.
Take Weichai New Energy Commercial Vehicle as an example. Its LANDKING model is equipped with Weichai's self-developed golden pure-electric power system, consisting of Weichai-FinDreams batteries, HanDe electric drive axles, and Weichai electric control. Its full range of light trucks has undergone full-condition validation under high-temperature, high-altitude, and high-cold conditions, with cumulative test mileage exceeding 100,000 kilometers.
In intelligent development, Shandong Heavy Industry's full-scenario smart solutions are making equipment operations more efficient.
Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile has independently developed an L4 autonomous driving system that can cover the full scenario from ramp to highway and back to ramp. It supports autonomous lane changing, cruise control, platooning, remote dispatching, and other functions, putting it at the forefront of the industry. Weichai Lovol Intelligent Agricultural Technology has launched China's first industry-level large model focusing on the dual scenarios of "intelligent agricultural machinery + smart agriculture." Shantui's integrated earthwork and road construction solution uses intelligent bulldozers, intelligent graders, and intelligent road rollers as its core operating fleet, providing efficient, one-stop smart solutions for various earthwork construction scenarios.
Are the technologies strong enough? The overseas market has given the answer.
Sinotruk successfully delivered the first batch of new energy electric trucks to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines. This marked the UNDP's first procurement of new energy electric trucks in the Philippines, demonstrating the global recognition and green strength of China's intelligent manufacturing. Zhongtong Bus has partnered with Singapore's Jardine Cycle & Carriage to open a new chapter in green and smart mobility in Singapore. With its unique design, advanced performance, and outstanding quality, the N12D double-decker electric bus is bringing new momentum to the development of global green public transport. Since entering the Australian market in 2019, Asiastar's pure electric buses have received broad praise from customers. The products have demonstrated their ability to adapt to local conditions in Australia and have completed delivery of orders for Sydney Airport.
Weichai World's First 5MW High-Speed Diesel Generator Set
Strategic Shift: From "Product Export" to "Deep Local Industrial Roots"
In preparation for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Shandong Heavy Industry has formally rolled out four strategic transformations to accelerate green development, globalization, digital intelligence and ecosystem building, stepping up efforts to build a world-class multinational high-end equipment group.
Shifting from product export to deep local industrial presence, the Group is advancing integrated operations of all factors covering R&D, production, supply, sales, services, branding and finance. Currently, it operates 55 trading platform companies in 32 countries worldwide, runs over 60 overseas factories, and employs more than 2,000 permanent staff stationed abroad.
In Southeast Asia, the Shandong Heavy Industry (Singapore) Operation Center and Weichai Singapore Operation Center underpin regional market growth. KION Group has set up a local entity in Jakarta, Indonesia, while LANDKING has established KD (knock-down) factories and local service networks overseas.
Shantui has launched its KD project in Uzbekistan to achieve localized assembly. Sinotruk's first officially authorized showroom in Libya has opened, with its spare parts center warehouse, training academy and KD factory all under parallel development.
In the Middle East, Zhongtong Bus has built a localized service network and assembled a local operations and maintenance team in Saudi Arabia, securing the top market share among Chinese bus enterprises.
From exporting products to exporting production capacity, brands and standards, Shandong Heavy Industry's globalization drive is entering a new phase of deep localization. The Hanoi conference serves as the first major overseas showcase of this strategy.
Brand Shift: From Standalone Operations to Coordinated Group Synergy
From its groundbreaking debut in Astana to the upcoming collective appearance of 13 brands across 7 major business segments in Hanoi, the Shandong Heavy Industry Global Partners Conference has itself become the Group's most valuable branding event. In 2025, Shandong Heavy Industry unveiled its global brand identity at the Qingdao conference, marking the first time the Group presented itself to the world with a unified global brand image.
Brand unification means far more than a single logo; it embodies the synergy of pulling together as one. The Group is building a "1+N" global brand fleet, where each business segment retains its independent market competitiveness while enabling broad sharing of R&D technologies and market resources. The growing number of shared overseas channels has effectively driven the synergistic growth of the Group's bus, construction machinery, agricultural equipment and other businesses. The combined strength unleashed by Shandong Heavy Industry's brand integration — moving from solo efforts to coordinated operations — is gaining recognition across global markets.