Harry Mellor, Feature Story 5 of the 20th Anniversary of LiuGong’s Globalization

Passion and Dedication Lead to Success

“I first took a real interest in joining LiuGong in 2019 when I saw the press releases from the BICES show in China, and I was amazed at what LiuGong launched at the show. It seemed like the industry had never seen those kinds of battery-powered machines with brand-new, cutting-edge design,” said Harry Mellor, the Excavator Product Manager of LiuGong Europe (hereinafter referred to as LGEU).

Having grown up on a farm in the UK, he has always been around machinery since childhood. Now, he’s been working in the construction industry for over 10 years. Since joining LiuGong in 2020, he has been responsible for the product marketing of the full range excavators ranging from 1.7 to 95 tonnages for the entire European market.

The global pandemic broke out right after he had joined LiuGong. He had to work remotely with 75% of his colleagues. But challenges also bring opportunities for those who are always well prepared. Harry understood different cultures and shared the same mindset of achieving success through cooperation. He made more effort to create a strong and collaborative team with his colleagues.

Harry expressed his feelings about the LiuGong team saying: “I love the people here at LiuGong. I think LiuGong is a people-oriented company where colleagues support each other and work together to achieve the best outcomes. I feel very proud to be part of this team and this company.”

Through his dedicated work and the joint effort of the team, 17 new excavator models have been launched in the last 2 years, and product coverage of the market has increased from 26% to 92%. Though LGEU’s annual excavator sales target is quite challenging this year, Harry and the LGEU team have kept their focus on customer requirements and product development, and are confident in achieving their goal.

“Our customer approach is what sets us apart”

Harry starts his workday at 6:00 am. He likes starting early so as to have a few extra hours in the morning to communicate with the team on the other side of the world. This kind of communication across multiple time zones is quite normal in LiuGong’s global business. Throughout the afternoon, he focuses on local support for the European sales teams and dealer partners, solving any product issues they may have. The job is very rewarding for him, especially when the customer confirms orders for a special project that the team has worked on, which shows that their hard work has paid off.

“I think LiuGong’s customer approach is what sets us apart. We start with the customer in focus, and we pride ourselves on listening to the customer’s opinions and acting on them.” In Harry’s eyes, the latest generation of LiuGong’s F Series excavators is designed with the European customers in mind. Taking the strong and proven structures from the E Series product and adding operator comforts and modern technology to the product has led to the development of machines which customers love, both old and new. “Everyone pulls together to make LiuGong the right business decision for the customers. This is what I am most proud of the team for — doing what we say, listening to the requirements from our customers, and implementing real change in our business.”

One example of the team responding to customer demands is the development of a brand-new model, the 942F excavator. A customer in the quarry and demolition business needed a machine with more lifting power and greater stability than the current 936E excavator to suit the application. Harry and the team studied the applications as well as the competitor offerings, and reviewed current LiuGong designs. Within 3 months, the team developed a new larger undercarriage, larger boom lift rams, and additional counterweight increased the lift performance by 12.5% —perfectly meeting the customers’ demands.

Mindset for an Even Brighter Future

In the world of construction machinery, the European market is no doubt the most demanding on many levels. In the next few years, technology will play a huge part in purchasing decisions, and the majority of users will regard customer service and support as well as product availability as key factors.

LiuGong has real opportunity in Europe now with the newest F Series excavator. The product has the same core strength as last generation, but now surpasses the competition in control, comfort, and intelligence. The LiuGong team has done a great job, listening to the voice of customers and reacting fast to their demands. Thanks to the support of the management team, LiuGong continues to invest in Europe, growing the R&D center, and further developing local production capabilities.

Looking to the future, Harry is full of motivation and confidence: “I think LiuGong has a very exciting future, as the company has the right values, mindset, and focus to achieve great results. To be a part of that team and be able to share in that success is what motivates me.”

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of LiuGong’s globalization, Harry expressed his best wishes to everyone: “The team at LiuGong has been laying a good and solid foundation, and we now have the right materials for a successful future in Europe. I have high expectations for growth this year and thereafter.”

Editor’s Note:

Localization is a key factor on the way to globalization. LiuGong has always been focusing on cultivating localized and global talents since the very beginning.

So far, it has more than 1,400 local employees in overseas markets, covering positions from R&D, manufacturing, sales & marketing, service, etc.

These local talents, who are well versed in local culture and market needs, play an indispensable role in the process of LiuGong’s globalization.