Lingong’s increasing mining might with LGMG and SDLG

Linyi Lingong Machinery Group (Lingong Group) is one of the companies leading the charge in the supply of new energy mining equipment globally – including hybrid and battery electric mining trucks plus excavators from Jinan-based Lingong Heavy Machinery (LGMG); plus a range of excavators, wheel loaders and dozing solutions from sister company SDLG, based in Linyi. It is also a leading supplier of autonomous mining technology working with leading third party partners. 

While the company’s history dates back to 1972 with decades of experience globally in the construction sector – today it is also taking big strides in mining both domestically in China and in the export market. LGMG in particular, which was founded only in 2012, is gearing up for a Hong Kong IPO later this year. In terms of new energy mining transportation equipment, LGMG says it ranked first among domestic enterprises in the global new energy mining transportation equipment market in 2024 with revenue of RMB 1 billion from models like the battery electric 100 ton (91 t) class RTH100 hybrid and RTE136 battery truck and the 70 t class MTE106H battery model.  

The year 2020 was a significant one in LGMG’s evolution as its first hybrid mining truck equipment prototype rolled off the production line that year along with its first unmanned mining transportation equipment prototype. Since then it has been instrumental in producing some of the largest payload wide body trucks in the market and it says it leads in the 50-100 t class segment. Its mining excavators have achieved cumulative shipments of nearly 600 units as of June 30, 2025. And as of June 30, 2025, it had sold approximately 1,600 units of its new energy mining transportation equipment. The sales volume of LGMG’s new energy mining transportation equipment increased by 197.5% from the six months ended June 30, 2024 to the six months ended June 30, 2025 alone.  

 IM Editorial Director Paul Moore with Dr Yinshu Wang, Director of the LGMG Technology Research Institute (right); and Guohua Miao, Head of Product Technology, Technology Center, SDLG (left)

It has established collaborations with several leading innovators in autonomous and new energy mining equipment technology such as AHS leaders EACON and CiDi, having delivered a total of nearly 1,000 mining equipment units equipped with intelligent drive-by-wire chassis across numerous mines and contributing to multiple intelligent mining projects. 

Adhering to a localised operational strategy, LGMG is also among the few domestic enterprises in the engineering machinery equipment market to have established a full value chain presence overseas, encompassing R&D, manufacturing, sales and service. It operates global R&D centres in China, Japan and Mexico, ensuring that its product development is closely aligned with our key strategic markets from the outset. 

The IPO prospectus states: “We pioneered the development of China’s first hybrid off-highway wide-body dump truck, setting new industry benchmarks. We are also the first domestic enterprise to develop electronically controlled mining excavators, further demonstrating our leadership in electrification technology. Furthermore, we are also one of the first players in the intelligent mining industry, collaborating with leading autonomous driving and new energy technology companies to achieve large-scale deployment of autonomous and new energy mining equipment across a number of mines.” 

Recent domestic successes include the deployment of 12 new battery-electric autonomous haulage LGMG RTE136 100 ton class trucks at the Baowu Steel owned Taihe iron ore mine. These are equipped with EACON’s autonomous haulage system. As commissioning progresses, the vehicles will enter fully operational production, operating alongside six autonomous battery-electric trucks that have been running continuously at the site for more than a year. 

Technnology at the forefront 

The LGMG mining truck features a full-vehicle hydro-pneumatic suspension system with enhanced terrain adaptability. It is equipped with a rigid welded frame and a high-torque drivetrain, further improving its performance and reliability when operating on complex terrain with a full load. Supported by a range of new structures and technologies, it offers a higher-rated load capacity, with significant potential for future capacity increase. It has also integrated a series of new energy technologies into its mining dump trucks.  

In particular, its proprietary technology combines two types of unique systems including the battery, motor and VCU control system which enables efficient energy conversion and recovery; and the advanced thermal management system, which is crucial for protecting the battery and minimising energy loss from climate control, achieving over 15% energy savings as compared to fuel-powered mining dump trucks. In 2025, it introduced what it says was the world’s first 100-ton autonomous new energy mining dump truck, the RTE136, establishing a new industry benchmark and further solidifying our leadership in sustainable and intelligent mining solutions. 

LGMG has also pioneered multiple new energy technology routes, including battery electric and hybrid power, as well as various charging, battery swapping and ultra-fast charging technologies designed for mining equipment. 

Redefining the wide body mining truck 

At the recent CONEXPO-CONAGG 2026 event in Las Vegas, IM Editorial Director Paul Moore met with Xin Wang, Lingong Group Board Director; Dr Yinshu Wang, Director of the LGMG Technology Research Institute; and Guohua Miao, Head of Product Technology, Technology Center, SDLG to discuss Lingong’s remarkable growth and increasing mining market influence. CONEXPO was the first time both LGMG and SDLG had exhibited together – SDLG also has a new degree of independence – with Lingong having bought back 70% of the shares owned by Volvo Group in August 2025 – this ended a 19-year JV partnership, allowing Volvo to focus on its own premium products in China while Lingong took full control of the SDLG brand. 

Fleet of LGMG RTH100 trucks leaving factory in Jinan before shipping to Indonesia

First off, we homed in on the rapid development of its new energy mining trucks – masterminded by Dr Yinshu Wang’s team. He has been involved in developing new energy technologies for many years, including with another major Chinese mining equipment OEM and global buses supplier, Yutong, which had already developed hybrid and electric buses back in 2010. Dr Wang: “Electric and hybrid bus technology and new energy applications in that sector have already reached a relatively mature level, with limited room for major breakthroughs. I saw greater potential for innovation in mining equipment, where new energy technologies were still at an earlier stage of development. That’s why I joined LGMG – to focus on developing hybrid and fully electric solutions for mining equipment.” 

Today, LGMG has shipped its new energy mining trucks to Peru, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico Mozambique, and many other markets around the world, including the RTH100 hybrid dump truck with a 100 ton capacity, so is comparable to the Caterpillar 777 and Komatsu HD785 in terms of payload. 

Dr Wang added: “One of our customers in Indonesia, BSS, operates a large fleet of 100-ton dump trucks from Caterpillar and Komatsu. They purchased two units of our RTH100 hybrid dump truck for evaluation. After three months of operation, the customer reported that our truck delivers the same payload capacity and operating speed as their existing units, but with only about 50% of the fuel consumption.”

This translated into approximately RMB 1 million (US$145,000) in fuel savings per truck per year when using the hybrid dump truck. Following the successful operation and positive feedback from the Indonesian customer, LGMG saw a rapid expansion of its sales of this model to markets around the world. 

In Mexico, LGMG has a growing fleet of all electric dump trucks running, including its MTE106H that was displayed at CONEXPO; plus in Peru it is operating a growing fleet not only of diesel trucks but also the RTH100 hybrid. In 2025, LGMG’s unit sales were around 400 in South America, marking significant growth compared with 2024. 

Of course, the wide body truck market is highly competitive – with Tonly, Liugong, XCMG, Yutong, SANY and many others active in this space – including today non-Chinese companies like Hyundai and Caterpillar that have followed in the footsteps of the Chinese OEMs. 

Design differentiators 

So what are LGMG’s differentiators? Dr Wang: “We were not the first. The wide body truck design appeared in 2004/2005 – and LGMG wasn’t founded till 2012. But we at LGMG took the concept and then redefined it. At that stage the wide body truck had been in operation for some years, but the original design was not optimised – we would argue – for off-road conditions. For example, the steering was still very heavy and other aspects of the design were not ideally suited to mining. We integrated a number of off-road technologies into the wide body truck design including hydraulic steering – plus we also improved areas such as maintenance-free balance shafts. All of these technologies and improvements came from our own off-road models within the group, particularly from SDLG. By applying these technologies, we were able to become a leader in the wide-body dump truck segment within just three years.” 

In addition, LGMG says that before it entered the wide-body dump truck segment, the payload capacity in the market was 50 t or less – this led it to introduce the first 60 t class wide-body dump truck. “As a result, we delivered a large number of units worldwide. We call this the second revolution of the wide-body dump truck.” Today it has the 100 ton version, but is also developing 120 ton and 150 ton variants. 

Other Chinese OEMs are also working on larger models, but LGMG says its approach is distinct. “We call it a 150 ton rigid dump truck. It uses a high-voltage hybrid system, completely LGMG-developed. It still uses batteries, but the voltage is higher than have been used in similar trucks to date to provide greater power. It also uses a PMSM or permanent magnet synchronous motor instead of an AC motor, which brings higher efficiency.” 

LGMG RTE136 trucks equipped with EACON autonomous haulage technology

Dr Wang adds: “We developed the hybrid system using an electric modular strategy. We call it a series hybrid. That means the motor drives the vehicle, and the engine is only used to generate electricity. If you remove the engine and generator and add more batteries, it becomes a pure electric system. In our hybrid system, the engine is only used as a generator. If the engine is removed and more batteries are added, it becomes a pure electric system.” 

He says the LGMG models have similar engine power compared to competitors, so in that aspect they are basically the same. However, he argues that the difference lies in other technologies. “We are the only company that has developed all of the control software by ourselves, including the vehicle control unit, transmission control unit, thermal management system, and other related control systems. Because we control all the software, we can adjust the control strategy and the energy management strategy to adapt to our customers’ working conditions. We can modify the strategy based on how the customer actually uses the equipment, which can reduce fuel consumption by more than 10%. Since we developed all the software ourselves, this is one of our key advantages.” 

Xin Wang also highlighted LGMG’s offering of different new energy sources – including battery and hybrid, but also methanol and ethanol – so customers can adjust which energy source they use depending on local conditions. It has sold over 100 methanol powered trucks in China for example. Plus, it offers an LNG-battery hybrid truck. 

A streamlined strategy for charging and autonomy needs 

What about charging strategy? LGMG has delivered fleets with both fixed plug in charging as well as battery swapping – but believes that today fast fixed charging is the best TCO option. Dr Wang: “In September, we launched a new product that we call the megawatt ultra-charge pure electric model. It can charge more than 1,000 kilowatt-hours of batteries in less than 18 minutes. With this megawatt ultra-charging technology, the charging time is nearly comparable to battery swapping. But we will still provide customers with whatever solution they want based on local conditions. Regenerative braking systems are a great example of matching conditions to charging strategy. When the truck goes downhill, a large amount of kinetic energy can be recovered, which saves energy and allows the vehicle to operate for a much longer time – in some cases in quarries with a long steep downhill they can operate for weeks with only an initial one hour charge.” 

What about autonomy? Dr Wang: “In the past, most autonomous dump trucks were purchased first by the autonomous technology companies, such as CiDi and EACON – who would buy the dump trucks, then install their autonomous systems, and then sell the machines themselves, and sometimes also operate them as contractors. That was the model in the recent past. More recently, they have changed from becoming our customers to becoming our suppliers – today their sensors and systems are fitted in our factory and we now sell the complete system installed on the truck. This was a natural progression as autonomy became more widespread.”

Dr Wang argues that another reason for the change is that the dump truck itself is the largest investment for the customer, so the dump truck in that sense is more important than the autonomous system. “If you are a customer, you would have to decide whether to buy the whole system from a technology company or from the OEM. Most customers now choose a company like LGMG. They prefer to buy the entire system directly from us.” 

LGMG therefore also advises the customer today on which AHS it thinks is the best option for the customer for their mine – plus it also provides the wire-controlled chassis system. The chassis is controlled through a unified control system, which allows either CiDi or EACON for example to connect. Xin Wang: “It is a standard platform, so autonomy companies can integrate their systems with our trucks. In the past, the autonomous technology companies controlled the machines, so we did not have access to the data. Now we do, which is an important development for us.”  

Most of LGMG’s trucks with AHS today use EACON’s system, but it has also deployed 50 trucks using the CiDi control system. The CiDi system works with LGMG’s smart truck system and the fleet of 50 trucks can be controlled using just three operators. 

SDLG’s offering to both construction and mining 

Moving to SDLG, where do its products fit in? Its excavators are mainly focused on the construction and quarrying market, but some of its wheel loaders, graders and dozers are used in mining – which along with LGMG trucks and excavators represent a full mining solution for customers. 

Miao told IM: “Last year we introduced the 820 HP, D82H crawler dozer – it is significant as it is the world’s first ultra-large hydrostatic bulldozer with the industry’s first four-pump, six-motor hydrostatic drive system. Through coordinated control of multiple pumps and motors, it successfully achieves the localisation of core hydraulic components.” The hydrostatic transmission, full electronic control, and other core technologies applied in this product he says are the result of the company’s many years of R&D accumulation and feature strong scalability. The unit was also produced with full autonomous capability.

SDLG’s new record breakingD82H hydrostatic drive dozer

Wheel loader offerings include SDLG’s 10 t class (34 t weight) L9100H which features a 287 kW Weichai WP13 engine, ZF transmission, and has a 275 kN breakout force. In addition, in 2025 SDLG launched the L9128H, a 12 t class mining wheel loader designed for heavy-duty mining applications. It is equipped with a 563 kW engine, a fully automatic transmission, heavy-duty wet axles, and a box-type mining structural platform. The machine features electronic single-joystick control, full hydraulic braking, and panoramic camera and radar warning systems to enhance operator comfort and operational safety. Built specifically for demanding loading conditions in mining environments, the L9128H SDLG says stands out as a true ‘steel giant’ on the job site. 

SDLG’s range complements LGMG’s range well – and its technology background benefits from numerous innovations developed jointly with Volvo during their many years of cooperation. 

Changing market perception to Chinese OEMs 

LGMG emphasised the importance of its global service support capabilities in meeting the needs of global mining – and that while some mining groups still expect Chinese suppliers to compete mainly on price, most recognise the advances Chinese OEMs have made, both on the service side but also in product quality and the incorporation of new technologies and innovations. The new energy and OEM-agnostic autonomy requirements of global mining have also meant there is a lot more focus on Chinese OEM capabilities given their existing vast experience in the domestic Chinese market and close connections to the leaders in battery technology like CATL. Another major factor is the agility of Chinese OEMs to develop customised solutions to unique mining market challenges – Dr Wang said that new wide body truck can go from initial design to production in as little as five to six months compared to a typical Western OEM timeline of two to three years. This is based on a number of factors but primarily access to key components thanks to close partnerships within China; plus large focused engineering teams and customers willing to fast track trials and testing phases. 

LGMG is by no means the only Chinese mining equipment or technology company that has or plans to have a major stock market listing. But the process of listing, combined with LGMG’s wide product offering to mining, close links to key autonomy providers, and vast experience in new energy solutions all point to an increasingly influential future for the company in global mining. 

The post Lingong’s increasing mining might with LGMG and SDLG appeared first on International Mining.

Source link