Assembly Lines
Zoomlion Says Smart Factory Model Cuts Heavy Equipment Changeover Time to Zero
CHANGSHA, China — Zoomlion said it has cut excavator manufacturing cycle time to 6.5 days and achieved a production pace of one machine every six minutes by building a shared smart factory system designed to handle high-mix, low-volume heavy equipment production.
Zoomlion said its factory operates with zero changeover time between models, a key factor in maintaining throughput while running dozens of excavator configurations on shared production lines. The company said the approach relies on flexible mixed-model lines and shared manufacturing centers that allow multiple product categories and dozens of models to run through common processes without traditional changeover downtime. Zoomlion focuses on make-to-order production, allowing customized builds while reducing finished goods and work-in-process inventory.
The system supports more than 70 excavator models and is linked across multiple construction machinery product lines, including cranes, pump trucks and aerial work platforms, the company said. It further described the setup as a “one drives three” model, in which shared infrastructure and coordinated production allow different equipment categories to use the same manufacturing resources.
Zoomlion said the factory uses automated heavy-load logistics designed to move materials through production rather than store them, reducing in-process inventory of structural parts by 70%.
The company also said steel utilization exceeded 90% and that the shared factory approach cut smart factory construction costs by 15%.
It said artificial intelligence is used in more than 80% of production scenarios, enabling manufacturing resources to self-organize and self-optimize.
Zoomlion said the system recently received a “pilot-class” smart factory designation under a national intelligent manufacturing program led by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other government departments.
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