Recently, the company also announced the opening of a large wheel loader manufacturing facility in Tongzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

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Most of the earth being moved to make way for China's highways, factories and skyscrapers is handled by a fairly simple machine called a wheel loader.

FORBES: Digging In

"This moves the focus away from how much a wheel loader costs to a discussion about how much value a wheel loader can bring to my business operation, " says Richard Lavin, Caterpillar's group president for Asia.

FORBES: Digging In

With access to the capital necessary to expand production and improve the quality and technology of their products, Liugong and Lonking, as well as the other major wheel loader manufacturers, will only get bigger and stronger.

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