The global piling machinery industry is ushering in a wave of electrification change, in which Chinese companies are playing an increasingly important role.
In March 2026, the “Work Plan for Stable Growth of the Machinery Industry (2025-2026)” jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and six other departments was officially implemented.
This programmatic document approved by the State Council clearly states that the operating income of the machinery industry will exceed 10 trillion yuan by 2026, injecting strong policy momentum into the entire machinery manufacturing industry.
As an important segment of the machinery industry, the piling machinery industry has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities.
At the same time, Xinjiang’s 2 trillion western super project has been fully launched, and the core area of the “One Belt and One Road” has become a strategic location for global construction machinery companies to compete.
At the opening ceremony of the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River hydropower project, Sany Heavy Industry’s electric excavators, electric dump trucks, pump trucks and other complete sets of electric equipment lined up neatly, marking that Chinese piling machinery companies have been deeply involved in the construction of major national infrastructure.
From a global market perspective, pile driving machinery, as an important branch of engineering machinery, plays an irreplaceable role in engineering fields such as foundation treatment, deep foundation pit support, and tunnel excavation.
The global construction machinery market size will reach US$213.5 billion in 2024, of which piling machinery accounts for approximately 1.6%, and the market size is approximately US$3.416 billion.
With the continuous advancement of global infrastructure construction and the deepening of urbanization, the piling machinery industry has maintained a steady growth trend.
Analysts from the China Business Industry Research Institute predict that the global pile machinery industry market size is expected to reach approximately US$3.835 billion in 2026, an increase of approximately 12.3% from 2024.
This growth is mainly due to the acceleration of infrastructure construction in the Asia-Pacific region, the release of demand for the renewal and renovation of old infrastructure in Europe and the United States, and the continued implementation of major engineering projects in countries along the “Belt and Road”.
The global piling machinery market is mainly concentrated in Asia, North America and Europe.
In recent years, Asia’s market share has continued to increase. In 2025, Asia’s share of the global large piling machinery market will reach about 45%.
As the world’s largest construction machinery market, China accounts for more than one-third of the global market share.
Since the second half of 2024, China’s piling machinery market has been steadily recovering, with sales of core products such as rotary drilling rigs and hydraulic grabs increasing significantly month-on-month, and the industry has entered a new growth cycle.
Piling machinery mainly includes rotary drilling rigs, hydraulic grabs, static pile drivers, pile drivers and other product types.
Among them, rotary drilling rigs have become a mainstream product in the market due to their high efficiency, environmental protection, and strong adaptability, accounting for more than 40% of the pile machinery market.
From the perspective of application scenarios, housing construction engineering is the largest application field of piling machinery, accounting for about 45%; followed by transportation infrastructure construction, accounting for about 30%; water conservancy and hydropower engineering accounting for about 15%; and other fields accounting for a total of 10%.
With the in-depth implementation of major water conservancy projects in the country’s “14th Five-Year Plan” and the outline of building a powerful transportation country, the demand for piling machinery in the transportation and water conservancy fields will continue to grow.
In terms of the global competition landscape, there is a “three-legged” situation, with international giants represented by Caterpillar, Komatsu, and Volvo occupying a dominant position in the high-end market.
However, in recent years, Chinese companies represented by Sany Heavy Industry, Xugong Machinery, and Zoomlion have accelerated their globalization and their share in the international market has continued to increase.
Among the top 50 global construction machinery manufacturers in 2024, 13 Chinese companies are on the list, accounting for more than 10% of the global market share.
In the segmented field of piling machinery, the international competitiveness of Chinese enterprises is even more prominent.
Sany Heavy Industry’s rotary drilling rig products have been exported to more than 150 countries and regions, with a market share of more than 30% in countries along the “Belt and Road”.
Among the leading domestic companies, Sany Heavy Industry has significant advantages in the field of piling machinery, with its domestic market share reaching more than 35% in 2025.
In the first half of 2025, Sany Heavy Industry achieved revenue of 44.78 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.64%; net profit attributable to the parent company was 5.216 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 46%; operating cash flow was 10.134 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.11%.
Overseas revenue accounted for 59.16%, covering more than 150 countries.
XCMG Machinery also performs well in the field of piling machinery, with a domestic market share of approximately 25% in 2025.
In 2026, XCMG Machinery’s orders on hand will exceed 95 billion yuan, and the overseas proportion will increase to 45.3%.
Zoomlion’s domestic market share of piling machinery will be approximately 20% in 2025, and its performance in the high-end rotary drilling rig market segment is particularly outstanding.
In 2026, Zoomlion’s total orders on hand will be approximately 78 billion yuan, with overseas orders accounting for 42%.
In addition to the three leading companies, small and medium-sized enterprises such as Sunward Intelligent, Liugong and Xiamen Engineering also occupy a certain market share in the piling machinery segment.
They seek development through deep cultivation of market segments, differentiated competition and regional market focus.
The development of the industry shows the trend of electrification, intelligence, large-scale and specialization.
Driven by the “double carbon” goal, the electric transformation of piling machinery is accelerating. In 2026, the market size of electric rotary drilling rigs, electro-hydraulic grabs and other products is expected to reach US$850 million, accounting for about 22% of the total market size of piling machinery.
Technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and the Internet of Things are increasingly used in the field of piling machinery. In 2026, the penetration rate of piling machinery products with intelligent functions will reach more than 35%, with a market size of approximately US$1.34 billion.
With the increase in major engineering projects such as super high-rise buildings, cross-sea bridges, and deep-water ports, the demand for large-scale and specialized piling machinery is growing rapidly. In 2026, the market size of large-scale piling machinery is expected to reach US$1.8 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 15%.
In terms of market structure, the domestic construction machinery equipment renewal cycle has arrived. In 2026, the domestic demand for renewal of pile machinery is expected to reach 150,000 units, accounting for more than 60% of the total demand.
Driven by the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, the overseas project contracting business of Chinese companies has grown rapidly, driving export demand for pile driving machinery.
In 2026, China’s pile machinery exports are expected to reach US$1.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of more than 20%.
Emerging application scenarios such as new energy power station construction, data center foundation treatment, urban underground comprehensive pipe corridors, etc. have brought new growth points to the piling machinery industry.
For investors, they should pay attention to leading companies, deploy emerging technologies, and seize regional opportunities.
But at the same time, we must also pay attention to risks such as macroeconomic fluctuations, technological iterations, international competition, and raw material price fluctuations.
In a new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation, Chinese piling machinery companies are expected to transform from “followers” to “leaders” and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to global infrastructure construction.
