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Develon hails successful first year in Europe

Develon, formerly known as Doosan Construction Equipment, has reported a very successful debut year in Europe and worldwide. Derived from the words ‘Develop’ and ‘Onwards’, the new Develon brand came into being in early 2023, through the renaming of the orange Doosan Construction Equipment brand.

The retention of the familiar orange colour and product naming has ensured excellent continuity, with Develon branding introduced everywhere in the organisation, from the headquarters, manufacturing plants and other facilities in South Korea to company and dealership operations all around the world. Under the new brand name, Develon has been building on previous achievements across the world in a legacy that stretches back over 80 years.

The brand was officially launched at the Conexpo trade fair in Las Vegas in the USA in March 2023. Subsequently, local trade fairs across the globe have all been used to further debut the brand at a more regional level. Other activities such as dealer meetings, customer events, media work and much more have taken place to share the new brand with customers across the globe to strengthen brand awareness. This included the first Global Develon Day event attended by customers and dealers that took place in South Korea in the second half of 2023.

Extensive rebranding
Europe has seen as much activity in this area as anywhere in the world, with the Develon brand being introduced at major exhibitions last year, including Samoter in Italy, Plantworx in the UK, and Steinexpo in Germany. As well as the company’s facilities in the Czech Republic, Germany, the UK and elsewhere, there has been extensive rebranding at the 80+ Develon dealers within Europe, where all existing facilities and vehicles have been changed.

Develon has continued to expand in the European market. Notable developments include the opening of a new European Training Centre at Nantes in the west of France and work commencing on a new company owned store in Germany, targeted for opening in the second half of 2024, offering direct sales, customer support and training and a parts warehouse. The expansion and relocation of Develon’s Parts Distribution Centre from Germany to Belgium has also been announced, again aiming for completion in the second half of 2024.

Corporate structure
One year on, it is important to confirm the organizational structure underpinning Develon. HD Hyundai is the holding company under which HD Hyundai Infracore (HDI) and its D Develon brand and HD Hyundai Construction Equipment (HCE) with the brand Hyundai will continue to operate independently with their own brands in the market. In addition, HDI and HCE will be cooperating under HD Hyundai XiteSolution, an intermediary holding company which represents the construction equipment business of HD Hyundai, to build more market presence.

The migration from Doosan to Develon has happened very quickly and since launching the brand, Develon has expanded its product portfolio from its renowned mid-to-large-sized machines, adding a growing line of new in-house designed mini-excavators, as well as further boosting its market position through strengthening the brand’s sales network.

From 2024 and beyond, Develon plans to enhance the balance among its sales regions and product portfolio to create a full line-up that will help the brand grow into a global top player. For regions with weaker presence, Develon plans to strengthen its dealer network while also expanding the product line-up: the new dozer line and the new mini-excavators including the company’s first electric model, together with special applications like demolition and waste handling to name just a few. The company also plans to enhance customer satisfaction by delivering products that match market requests, such as excavator and wheel loader options/upgrades.

The development of electric machines remains one of Develon’s key priorities with a new 2-tonne electric mini-excavator recently released, and further compact models due this year. The company has also developed electric battery packs as a part of its strategy to expand its business, to one that is more embracing, and inclusive of electrification solutions. Through such efforts, the company plans to make headway in the market where the expectation for eco-friendly equipment is high.

Expansion in Europe
Jayden Lim, Develon Europe CEO said, “Further in 2024, Develon will continue work on technology R&D to transition the construction equipment line-up to electric machines, and to transform its mid-to-large equipment to FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles). We are in the process of developing a 14 tonne wheeled electric excavator – the 14W EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle) which will be displayed at Intermat and launched in the near future.

“We will also be continuing our developments of the various technology building blocks which are part of the future complete solution, CONCEPT-X,” Jayden continued. “As a result of this, we were recognised in two innovation awards presented at the CES in Las Vegas in January with our Smart Collision Mitigation system that prevents the risk of job site accidents and X-Agent, which is an AI-based machine-assistance solution that helps advance machine operation and productivity.

“Develon will continue to introduce innovative technologies to better shape the future of the construction industry and change how work is done,” said Jayden. “We see this at Intermat, where we are demonstrating our Concept-X 2.0 autonomous construction equipment for the first time in Europe and the latest safety features for the construction industry, including our exclusive Transparent Bucket feature. We will also have a significant presence at the Hillhead and Resource & Waste Management shows in the UK, Galabau in Germany and we are looking forward to holding our first Develon Demo Days in four years in the Czech Republic.”

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