“Sumitomo is dominant in Japan and we have 70% market share. But the market size is limited, maybe 400 units/year. We’re putting a lot of effort into the Chinese market,” said Shimada.
Europe is another key market for Sumitomo and the firm is focussing on countries such as France, Poland and Switzerland, while it has also had sales success in the Middle East including Dubai, Iraq, Iran and the UAE.
The new HA60W wheeled machine is designed to meet the Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim emissions requirements and will be a focus for European sales. It is in prototype form at present and testing is still on-going, with the production machine due to be available in Europe in the third quarter of 2012. This features a novel screed design with competitive benefits over rival products and Shimada said, “Our J paver covers two classes of screed.”
The innovative overlapping telescope unit design can extend from 2.3-6m, whereas conventional units from other firms compete in the 2-5-5m or 3-6m classes.
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Hall: 5A Stand: D011
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