Dongfeng’s India plant will begin producing motor graders and rollers designed specifically for the Indian market in its first expansion since it began building wheel loaders in 2009.

The expanded production heralds the success of Dongfeng in the Indian market and is expected to begin around September for the motor grader, with the roller production coming by the end of the year. The plant currently produces the 835BSIII and 856BSIII wheel loaders.

The company’s R&D division at Dongfeng’s Liuzhou headquarters worked alongside engineers from Dongfeng India to develop the CLG414BSIII motor grader and the CLG611BSIII roller to meet the local market needs. The primary needs in the market are for smaller tonnage machines and slightly lower horsepower. Engineers from Liuzhou visited India to study customer needs and project applications, using the information gathered for their final designs. The machines were designed and prototyped in China. Production and testing will be done in India.

The motor grader will be 140 HP versus the 180 HP in the standard models, while the roller will be 10 tons, versus the 14 tons in standard models. The models also meet India’s tier III emission standards.