China's largest manufacturer of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment is considering Dayton — among other possible Midwestern sites — for a U.S. manufacturing operation

Article from Dayton Daily News March 2, 2011

By John Nolan
DAYTON — China's largest manufacturer of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment is considering Dayton — among other possible Midwestern sites — for a U.S. manufacturing operation, a Dayton marketing firm representing the company said Wednesday.

Shantui Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. is expanding its international sales and is considering establishing a U.S. manufacturing site in two to three years, said Dave Lightle, a principal of VMA Worldwide, an international marketing division of Visual Marketing Associates Inc.

Making bulldozers, road graders and other equipment in the United States would eliminate exporting costs, such as Asian automakers have done in recent decades by opening factories in this country, Lightle said during an interview by Skype Internet video link from China's Shandong Province. Lightle is spending the year in the province to handle Shantui's international marketing. Kenneth Botts, a VMA founding principal, arranged the interview from his Dayton office.

“There's a lot of costs associated with shipping a bulldozer 10,000 miles,” Lightle said.

Lightle said he has contacted Marty Hohenberger, the Dayton Development Coalition's vice president for business development, about Shantui's interest in Dayton.

Hohenberger declined comment Wednesday, saying through a spokeswoman that he is aware of the company's interest, but has not been given details.

Three of Shantui's top four executives went through Wright State University’s Master's of Business Administration program in recent years and are familiar with Dayton, Lightle said.

Any U.S. manufacturing operation will be several years away because Shantui must first be able to meet U.S. emission standards for its machinery, he said.

VMA is also pursuing business representing other companies in China's manufacturing-heavy Shandong Province, Botts said. He declined to identify them.