Post-disaster reconstruction, although the market for commercial vehicles in Southwest China will be driven within three to five years, the demand for commercial vehicles is closely related to the level of economic development. In the future, the economic development in Southwest China will be the major factor determining the future of the local commercial vehicle market. 
While mourning the deceased, at the same time, a post-disaster rebuilding work that unifies the unprecedented enthusiasm and passion of the Chinese people is rapidly opening the curtain. With such an outbreak of power, who can deny that China after the disaster will not be stronger? However, when Chinese companies involved in disasters are positioned in their respective positions in different positions in the reconstruction work, who can deny that behind the humanistic support, there is no sign of “prosperous enterprises�
According to the traditional practice, from June to August each year, the sales of commercial vehicles are off-season. In particular, in the overall situation of the heavy-duty truck market in 2008 that was generally unfavorable by the industry, almost all commercial vehicle companies in China experienced a drop in sales in May.
In spite of this, different from previous years, most of the major commercial vehicle companies are now in a busy working state, because in addition to the daily supply and demand, the large number of orders for disaster relief vehicles needed in the Sichuan earthquake-stricken areas are continuously flying to them. The production workshop, in the current special situation of earthquake relief, all major commercial vehicle enterprises must guarantee the quality of this special order and the timely efficiency of the factory, the production task can be described as urgent.
Southwest Securities's industry analysts believe that from June to July this year, the market's overall demand for heavy trucks may exceed expectations, especially the demand for engineering heavy trucks will increase significantly. Director of automotive market research services of Xinhuaxin International Information Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Lu Mingze also analyzed “Autobots†because the earthquake caused a lot of damage to houses and roads. The reconstruction of the post-earthquake infrastructure will cause the demand for commercial vehicles in earthquake-affected areas. It has become very strong, and this demand has not only performed in the second half of 2008, but will continue for a long period of time with the reconstruction after the earthquake.
Double opportunities
Since the Wenchuan Earthquake, large-scale transportation vehicles with the word “relief and relief†have been seen galloping on all highways leading to Sichuan across the country, including China National Heavy Duty Truck, FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle and Foton Motor. ...... all gathered in the disaster area for the first time. According to relevant statistics, the number of vehicles that transport materials to the disaster area every day reached 67,000 units. To a certain extent, Sichuan, at this time, has become the largest concentration of commercial vehicle brands in China. Showcase.
It is reported that from the earthquake to the present, disaster-relief supplies from various provinces and cities across the country have arrived in Chengdu. Due to the shortage of vehicle capacity in Chengdu, logistics companies, private vehicles, and other enterprises with large vehicles in Chengdu and surrounding cities have all participated in the transportation of materials. To ensure smooth post-disaster reconstruction.
Such a situation will not disappear in a short period of time because, for commercial vehicle companies, large-scale restoration construction has only just begun while rescue and transportation, and post-disaster reconstruction requires them to play a greater role, especially in Sichuan. In areas where highway transportation accounts for 2/3 of the total logistics transport volume, the demand for commercial vehicles will be even greater than in previous years, and the role of commercial vehicle plates will become increasingly prominent.
Liu Jianxiong, secretary-general of the Chengdu Logistics Association, said: “The earthquake caused a lot of damage to houses and roads. The demand for trucks is huge, at least three times more than the capacity of professional logistics, and it may take three years to restore the construction time. Therefore, the total demand will be considerable."
In Mianyang City, a hard-hit area in Sichuan, the relevant leaders of the Environment and Environmental Protection Bureau also described the “Car Manâ€: “From a logistics point of view, we actually rely more on highways because the waterways in Mianyang are not open, even if the waterways can only reach Chongqing. After that, it was transported by road to us. Although the railway can bear a lot of capacity, it is always in an overloaded state. What's more, the inevitable Baocheng railway line has also failed because of the earthquake disaster, and the repair period is not smooth. We accept more relief materials or land transport through large vehicles."
With the gradual restoration of damaged road facilities, including the relocation of victims, the surge in demand for relief materials such as steel, cement, and board houses will need to be achieved through numerous large-scale vehicle transportation. Related analysis agencies believe that similar emergency response "Logistics" will make the rigid demand for heavy-duty trucks culminate in the second half of the year.
Post-disaster reconstruction work is in full swing. While ushering in logistics business opportunities, the collapse of large numbers of collapsed buildings and rubble, the deepening of restorative construction, the construction of new buildings, etc., have also resulted in significant incremental demand for specialized construction machinery. .
The above-mentioned language of the Mianyang City sanitation department can be used as evidence: “Now, our biggest problem is how to coordinate enough transportation capacity to enter the disaster area and have enough rebuilding vehicles and professional equipment. For example, it is only to clear the ruins of a disaster area in Beichuan. We need at least 1,000 heavy vehicles like HOWO."
China National Heavy Duty Truck clearly stated that since May 22th, orders for troops and local earthquake relief vehicles received by the company have continued to flow and have exceeded 1,000 in less than a week. Relevant consulting agencies analyzed that according to last year, Sichuan's light truck sales were about 18,000, and medium-heavy was about 16,000. This year, Sichuan's truck sales increased by at least 5,400. The disaster area needs a large number of heavy trucks in the early stages of construction. However, with the deepening of recovery and construction, various light trucks, construction vehicles and special vehicles will become the focus of demand. This also means that commercial vehicles will welcome more development opportunities in the two major areas of logistics transportation and reconstruction operations, especially those commercial vehicle companies that do not yet have an advantage in the Southwest China, and can better establish their own reputation and image. .
Choose the right product
Of course, such an opportunity is equal for all commercial vehicle companies, and in the three-year reconstruction plan determined by the National Development and Reform Commission, commercial vehicle companies will also usher in a comprehensive and long-term competitive “raceâ€.
After all, the commercial vehicle market in Sichuan is recognized by the industry as the most mature area in the Southwest, combined with the backdrop of the large-scale development of the western region, as well as mature supporting resources and lower labor costs in Sichuan. In recent years, many commercial vehicle companies are gradually Enter the Southwest. “After the earthquake, there is a great demand for commercial vehicles. Every commercial vehicle company hopes to seize this opportunity. According to our understanding, some companies have taken actions and increased the emphasis on vehicle sales in the southwest region. Hope to occupy as much as possible after the earthquake to rebuild this market." Lu Mingze told "Car Man."
It is understood that at present, the Chinese Red Cross Society suffers from inadequate transport capacity and collects logistics resources. The Sichuan Red Cross Society is also faced with a large number of disaster relief materials that are unable to arrive in the disaster area due to lack of vehicles. For post-disaster reconstruction, no matter whether it is building roads or constructing reservoirs, it cannot do without a lot of capacity. At the same time, the disaster area needs to rebuild 1 to 200 million square meters of houses, which means heavy trucks that need to transport building materials, and concrete mixer trucks, etc., in the course of carrying out the clean-up of the ruins, excavators, bulldozers and other engineering vehicles must be less.
After the earthquake, the Ministry of Commerce issued an emergency purchase request to purchase a large number of construction machinery facilities for post-disaster reconstruction. Of course, during the pre-disaster relief period, the above-mentioned vehicles and construction machinery products will be donated into the disaster-hit areas mainly through enterprises and the society. However, the large-scale demand for rescue and reconstruction, transportation vehicles and construction machinery vehicles in the later period will be through tenders or other forms of disaster relief. Used for reconstruction.
However, in the face of huge business opportunities, not all products of all commercial vehicle companies can win a place in the southwestern market. After all, different companies have different product advantages. Different companies also have different product bases in the Southwest.
According to Lu Mingze’s analysis, in the short time after the earthquake, the disaster area will have a greater demand for special vehicles (including dedicated construction machinery). These vehicles include ambulances to transport the wounded, heavy-duty construction machinery to clean up debris after the earthquake, etc. During the mid-term construction of the earthquake zone, the demand for special vehicles and construction machinery for the construction of roads and other infrastructure will be very large. In terms of long-term demand, large-tonnage logistics transportation trucks and short-distance transportation are suitable after road reconstruction is completed. There will be greater demand for light trucks. “According to the changes in the actual needs of the disaster-stricken areas, and combining the geographical situation unique to the southwest, we should introduce products that are suitable for them on the basis of the original,†Lu Mingze said.
For example, although the proportion of the Southwest China market in the overall commercial vehicle market is small regardless of whether it is a truck or a passenger car, the sales of individual models are more prominent. Take heavy-duty trucks as an example, the overall sales volume in the southwest region is not high, but the sales volume of dump trucks ranks first in the country, and the post-disaster reconstruction naturally increases this sales trend. For China National Heavy Duty Truck, which has just entered the southwestern market and dump trucks have a certain advantage in the local market, it is a choice direction that can continue to increase sales.
On the other hand, due to the receipt of tolls and road maintenance fees, the local market in Sichuan is still dominated by medium-heavy trucks. In addition, the southwest region has a relatively high terrain and road conditions lag behind the developed eastern regions. It is very important, and the complex mountainous roads in the disaster-stricken area are also unable to withstand excessive weight due to limited conditions. High-tonnage heavy-duty trucks are not suitable for excessive travel to the disaster area. At the reconstruction site of Luogu Town, Beichuan County, Mianyang City, “Autobots†discovered that because of the rough and unreliable surface, several high-tonnage heavy trucks of a commercial vehicle company can only park on one side and idle. “Because it is too heavy, the chassis It's too heavy to work on such a bad road," said one staff member reluctantly.
Southwest pattern difficult to re-sweep
According to the 35-odd disaster-relief vehicles of CNHTC from Jinan to Mianyang, the “Car People†reporter experienced a lot of experience all the way, and all types of commercial vehicles did play an irreplaceable role in earthquake relief. Major commercial vehicle companies Measures have also been taken to ensure that vehicles sent from all parts of the country to the disaster area can receive timely service guarantees on the road. We must know that under the premise of the urgency of logistics and distribution and the growth of market demand, we will not be able to provide timely assistance to the disaster-stricken areas without excellent product quality and a sound service network. This will not only be unable to meet the urgent task of reconstruction but also the brand image. Inflicting direct damage, for the disaster area, timely logistics and transportation is the continuation of life. For commercial vehicle enterprises, this is the most realistic test of the product.
Behind the business opportunities is real competition. In fact, in the southwest market represented by Chengdu, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles has enjoyed a clear advantage for many years. Its sales volume in Sichuan has reached over 50% of the total sales volume in the entire Southwest, and it is even close to Shiyan, where Dongfeng’s headquarters is located. Sichuan even It is called "Dongfeng Backyard".
As a contestable place in the commercial vehicle market, Jiefang, Futian, Shaanxi Auto, China National Heavy Duty Truck, Jianghuai, etc... These new entrants are sending out a challenge signal to this company that occupies the leading position in the Southwest commercial vehicle market. In the expansion process in recent years, they have increased their research efforts on the Southwest China market, and adapted the products to the southwestern unique mountain terrain and special user needs, especially the Chongqing Red Base camp in the southwest region. Rock, with the help of geographical location and understanding of the local market, has already seized a certain market share in the southwest region, and the market pattern of “big east wind†has started to show signs of diversification.
A CNHTC distributor who did not want to be named told the Autobots with great confidence: “Although we did not enter Sichuan as early as they (Dongfeng, Liberation...), we have existing users. We have a high degree of recognition for our products, such as Howo's high-strength traction, King's fuel-efficient, etc. We are hoping to use reconstruction opportunities to further expand our market share in Sichuan. And to enhance brand image through participation in reconstruction work."
Based on the original “preemptive†market behavior, the post-earthquake reconstruction that has attracted the attention of the whole country has also upgraded the competitiveness of commercial vehicle companies in the southwest to a higher point. However, compared with the solid establishment of a new brand, it has been three years. The reconstruction time after the disaster is still too short. The pattern of commercial vehicles in the southwestern market may continue to be maintained.
"Earthquake reconstruction will drive the market for commercial vehicles in the Southwest in the period of 3 to 5 years. However, the demand for commercial vehicles is closely related to the degree of economic development. From a longer-term perspective, the economic development in the southwestern region will be in the future. The most important factor in determining the prospects of the local commercial vehicle market." Lu Mingze said.
He also believes that there are two factors behind the business opportunity that cannot be ignored. First, commercial vehicle brands are more widely spread among users through word of mouth. “We often say that users in certain places recognize a certain brand of car. For example, the southwest market recognizes the Dongfeng brand. Although earthquakes have collapsed the building, However, it did not affect users' views on various brands of vehicles. Second, although distributors in the earthquake-affected areas were affected to varying degrees, overall, the dealer networks of various companies were not significantly affected. These two factors make it less likely that the southwest commercial vehicle market will be re-divided. However, some manufacturers in the earthquake-stricken area will gain more opportunities. For example, after the integration of Hongyan and Iveco, the SAIC Group's commercial vehicle products have been greatly enriched, which allows SAIC to provide almost reconstruction of the disaster area. All the necessary models, and Red Rock's network in Chongqing and its surrounding areas are relatively developed. It can be seen that SAIC Group coordinated its network resources immediately after the earthquake and also fully exerted its advantages.
Importers regret with car prices
Because of the post-disaster reconstruction, the commercial vehicle market in China has been activated. However, for importers of car companies, the impact of such business opportunities on them is rather limited. Although on the way to transportation and post-disaster reconstruction scenes, “Car Man†also discovered these “foreign brands†actively investing in the shadows, but compared to the main forces involved in the reconstruction of the disaster, their voices are really too weak, which has been hoped for It is indeed a pity that the importers of the importers in the southwest who have laid down the “field†have been concerned. We can already see that in recent years, the import vehicle manufacturers including Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Renault have settled in the southwest, especially Chengdu, which is a road connecting Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou and other western regions, and has become an importer's car company. Enter the battlefield of the southwest.
Different from the popularity of foreign passenger vehicle companies in the Chinese market, many foreign commercial vehicle manufacturers have been “satisfied†in China, and the reasons for this are various.
First, the main line of high-end products determines that its expensive price does not meet the consumption characteristics of Chinese users because commercial vehicles are not like passenger cars. They are not consumer goods but production materials. Currently sold in Sichuan VOLVO, Mercedes-Benz trucks, is often 70 to 800,000 yuan a car, some products like the new listing of the VOLVOFH16 maximum configuration of 3 million yuan, but the domestic brands are generally in the 20 to 400,000 yuan, Its product performance is also fully able to meet the needs of the user transportation, loading, construction and other needs. As for post-disaster reconstruction, what is needed is a practical product that can give full play to its operational advantages. Imported models with high prices are not much needed.
Second, since the southwest demand is mostly used for mountainous construction sites, if there is no corresponding transit center in the local area (such as Chengdu), the geographical span will undoubtedly increase costs and delay service, but considering the performance and image of imported products, The construction of service centers and even accessory libraries is undoubtedly a huge investment. It is reported that Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Renault 3 imported heavy truck sales service center investment is more than 10 million yuan, the cost of hardware facilities and the high cost of imported accessories, is bound to increase the user's financial pressure, increase the cost of use, It also makes it difficult for foreign commercial vehicle manufacturers to share the rigid demand brought about by post-earthquake reconstruction.
Thirdly, from the current point of view, the dealers and service outlets of importer car companies are mainly distributed in the economically developed eastern regions, and the sales and service network coverage in the western regions is poor. It is very difficult for these companies to build an effective network in the southwest region in the short term, and these high-end commercial vehicles have a very high reliance on their own maintenance network, because if imported vehicles enter the disaster area in large quantities, the timeliness of their maintenance services will be caused. There is a big problem with transport transit. Once the contradiction between the two cannot be solved well, it will be a deadly brand blow for imported car companies that want to establish their reputation.
Therefore, considering the above three factors, the reconstruction of business opportunities after the disaster has opened the door even more to domestic commercial vehicle manufacturers. Although international brands have uncontested superior performance, the high-end positioning of the market has made it possible to achieve a clear watershed with domestic products. The bottleneck in China's development still constrains the price factors that are difficult to balance in a short period of time.
Li Heqing, manager of the truck delivery department of China National Heavy Duty Truck Commercial Vehicle Sales Department with years of sales and transportation experience, told Autobot that the level of truck manufacturing has become increasingly narrow at home and abroad. Cement mixers, for example, were formerly Japanese cars. The world, but now China's heavy truck cement mixer accounted for 80% of the domestic market, "products with cost advantages, is the best choice for users now."
Rebuild site service lag
Judging from the current situation, due to the relatively backward economy in the real disaster-affected areas, the number of local distributors is limited, and dealer-intensive central cities such as Chengdu have not been greatly damaged. Therefore, the existing service networks and sales channels are In the short term, we can support the reconstruction after the disaster, but it is worth noting that with the increase in sales, the service networks of various manufacturers must keep up.
"Autobots" found through investigation that for the "service network to keep up with" requirements, the rapid response mechanism of most domestic commercial vehicle companies requires more local service centers and service stations to have sufficient accessories and experienced maintenance personnel. After receiving the user's help, they arrived at the scene the first time to ensure the smooth operation of the disaster relief vehicle. It is believed that all commercial vehicle companies are aware of the importance of product quality and service network, but as they actively invest in earthquake relief work and increase investment in the southwestern market, they have overlooked a more preemptive business opportunity.
In Luogu Town, Beichuan County, the hardest-hit area in Mianyang City, reporters saw a busy reconstruction scene on the rubble. Almost all commercial vehicle brands in China are transport vehicles and many special vehicles (excavators, bulldozers, loaders, mixers, etc.). ) are all brought together here. Unfortunately, after talking with several drivers at the scene, the Autobot learned that there is no professional maintenance service organization to provide matching production guarantees. Once a problem arises, they can only act as usual. The nearest local service station (usually in Mianyang city) contacted and waited for the arrival of maintenance personnel.
"If there are only minor problems, perhaps we can solve it ourselves, but you also know that the intensity of the reconstruction work is very large, and the burden on the vehicle will certainly be very heavy. Once a major problem arises, we will not only wait for the maintenance of the service station. There is no other way," said a driver who had already encountered similar circumstances and told reporters helplessly.
Although Mianyang City is only less than 70 kilometers away from Luogu Town, according to convention, within such a short distance, there is no need to establish a corresponding service organization. However, the special situation now is that post-disaster reconstruction is a very urgent task. It must be ensured that major equipment can be resolved in the shortest possible time after a breakdown, so that it is convenient for the reconstruction of vehicles to better serve the restorative construction work. What's more, Such a large number of commercial vehicles will be brought together in different disaster-affected areas, which will inevitably lead to the decentralization of service forces. Under the current circumstances, the needs of the disaster-hit areas will not be time-sequential, and we must ensure that all user needs are met in a timely manner. It is a situation rarely seen before, and it also imposes higher requirements on the service work of various commercial vehicle companies. “We need to break the limitations of our previous thinking. We can't wait for the user's phone calls passively. Instead, we should actively station at the site of reconstruction.†Yin Yi, the person in charge of China National Heavy Duty Truck Service Center, and the reporter jointly went to the reconstruction site and issued such an excuse. .
In his view, this is not only a greater support for the reconstruction work, but also a further opportunity for the company in the service sector. Because the number of new vehicles donated by enterprises to the disaster-stricken area is only a small part of the number of vehicles that are concentrated on the site for construction, they are the original vehicles that were sold and the disaster-relief vehicles for subsequent orders. In addition to guaranteeing repair services for donated vehicles, What companies should pay more attention to is to provide quality and timely services for vehicles that are concentrated in the disaster area. This will undoubtedly help improve the level of local service stations, improve profitability, and shape corporate brand image.
“We are looking at the possibility of setting up temporary service sites on the reconstruction site. In addition to transport vehicles, including our dump trucks, cement mixers and other proprietary products, we all hope to provide them with better services,†Yin Yi added "In fact, engineering machinery products have a certain degree of commonality. Not only are heavy-duty trucks' products. As long as there is demand, the service stations we set up will exert their maximum supporting role as much as possible."