LONKING UK is on the lookout for a Scottish dealer to grow the presence of Lonking construction equipment north of the border.
Lonking Holdings Limited is one of the largest privately owned manufacturers of construction machinery in China. The business has a wide range of equipment from mini-excavators through to wheeled skid steer and tracked loaders as well as backhoes and telehandlers, which will be launched in 2026.
The brand has enjoyed success in Europe and is now looking to increase its foothold in the UK.
Project Plant spoke to Tom Armstrong, SD of LONKING UK, the official Lonking equipment distributor, at the recent PlantWorx exhibition where Lonking machines were being exhibited at a UK show for the first time.
“We are the distributor for the UK,” Tom explained. “In the last few months, we’ve merged with another company, which is Acclaim Handling – the UK supplier for Lonking forklifts. They’ve got eight depots nationwide, so it was a good opportunity for us to blend both businesses together to really cater for the UK market as a direct seller.”
The plan is to appoint a dealer to cover the Scottish market. Currently, the Lonking portfolio in the UK comprises mini-excavators from micro to six-tonnes, with plans in place to introduce a nine-tonner next year. There is also a full range of tracked loaders and wheeled skid steers.
“Lonking is a premium Chinese company,” Tom added. “On the Yellow Table (an annual ranking of the top construction equipment manufacturers based on sales), they’re positioned 32 in the world.
“We’re helping Lonking establish its network in the UK. They’re already starting to do well in Europe. The machines are competitively priced, even against their Chinese counterparts.”
Tom, who previously worked for Sunward Europe, believes Chinese-built machines are becoming increasingly mainstream on UK construction sites, crediting the likes of LiuGong and SANY for paving the way for other companies to enter the market.
He travelled to China last year to see the Lonking products for himself and used his experience of understanding what owner-operators require to ensure the models coming into the UK are up to standard.
“It is a competitive market,” he added. “There’s enough business out there for everyone.
“We can future-proof the value of the machines by putting a buy-back in. So, if someone is scared about the residual values… after three years we’ll give you 50% back on that machine or you can use that 50% as equity on your next machine, or sell it yourself independently.
“We know the product’s good. You’ve got critical Japanese componentry in the machines – Yanmar engines, Kubota engines, Nachi hydraulics, Nachi pumps.
“The machines are high-spec. We’ve got cloth seats as standard instead of plastic, dual proportional joysticks, in-built security coded anti-theft systems, green and amber beacons, extra counterweight.”
In terms of what LONKING UK is looking for in a dealer, Tom said the key thing is to find someone that will put value into their business.
“If you’re going to be a dealer, not a trader, you’re going to put the family value into the business,” he explained. “You’re going to put the investment in, and you want a product that’s got good backup, good service, good parts supply – we can do all that.
“What we expect from a dealer is for them to be like us. We want to grow the market, we want them to grow the market, so we need to support them, and they need to support their customers. What we don’t want are traders who just want to flip a machine and put no value into it whatsoever. We don’t want anybody devaluing the product.”
Tom believes that in the current landscape, the challenge of finding customers prepared to give a chance to brands they haven’t used before is less of a struggle than in years gone by. He is confident that once Scottish customers experience the Lonking machines, they will be impressed.
“Sunward has established itself now. SANY has established itself. There’s nothing to be scared about. All these manufacturers have got a good support network, they’ve got good dealers,” Tom added. “What’s really important for us is to have good support. We’ve got ten engineers on the road. We’ve got eight depots across the UK. The savings we make from buying the product from Lonking, we pass those onto the customer to keep ourselves competitive. The machines come with a standard five-year warranty/6,000 hours which includes all parts and labour costs.”
For more information, contact Tom on 07960 502 468 or email: tom@lkmachinery.co.uk
